Study Guide – Quiz
Reading Earthquakes and Earthquake Risk
1. Know types of seismic waves (p – waves, s- waves and surface waves). (page 182 – 183) Know their basic characteristics (how they travel, fastest, slowest, damage).
2. Know the ways that scientists measure earthquakes( page 184 and 185):
A. The Richter scale uses numbers from 1-10 to describe the magnitude (strength and energy) of an earthquake. It uses seismograph readings, called seismograms, to define the magnitude. Not good for stronger earthquakes because it does not take into account how long the earthquake shakes and the amount of slippage on the fault.
B. Moment Magnitude Scale – A method of describing the magnitude of an earthquake using the same number scale as the Richter scale. MMS also uses the seismograms to measure earthquakes but is also uses data on the length of shake time, how much the fault slipped and damage caused. Seismologists now use the MMS to assign a magnitude number.
C. Mercalli Scale – Describes damage and shaking in a region after a quake occurs.
3. Scientists measure earthquakes using a machine called a seismograph. The seismograph creates a record of an earthquake that looks like squiggly lines. The height of the lines (magnitude) shows how strong the quake was. (184 and 191)
4. Know how to read a basic seismogram. (page 191)
5. Can we predict earthquakes? (page 194 and 195)
6. Know what liquefaction is and how it causes damage during a quake. (page 199)
7. What regions of the United States are more likely to have an earthquake? Why? (page 197).
8. What is a tsunami and what causes a tsunami? (page 200)
