GEOL 158; Natural Disasters

Study Guide for Week 2

Questions on Plate Tectonic Theory from lecture 3. Use the lecture slides and the websites
to answer these questions.
1. What is the Seafloor Spreading hypothesis?
2. What is the difference between a divergent and convergent plate boundary? Be able
to list the important characteristics of each one.
3. What is the mechanism that drives the motion of the tectonic plates?
4. How many plates are there? Which is the smallest one? Which one is the biggest
one?
5. What is the deepest point in all of the oceans, and what type of plate boundary is it
associated with?
6. Give an example of a subduction zone in the U.S.
7. Which tectonic plate are you living on?
8. What type of plate boundary has formed the Himalayan Mountains?
9. Which types of plate boundaries are associated with volcanic activity?
TOPIC 3: Earthquakes
1. What are seismic waves, and how are they generated?
2. What is the definition of a fault, and how is it different from a fracture in rock?
3. What is the difference between an earthquake epicenter and the focus?
4. What is the primary difference between body waves and surface waves? Describes the
two different types of body waves, including their relative velocities and wave motion.
Which wave causes the side-to-side shaking during and earthquake?
5. Why are surface waves the most destructive of all the waves?
6. How do seismologists find the epicenter of an earthquake?
7. What is a fault scarp, and how is it formed?
8. What is an intraplate earthquake? Give the location of this type of earthquake that
happened in the U.S. in 1812.
9. Why do earthquakes happen, and how are seismic waves generated?
10. What is fault creep? Is fault creep a good thing? Why?
11. The largest earthquakes happen at what type of plate boundaries?
12. Where was the largest earthquake ever recorded, how many people were killed, and
what type of plate margin was involved?
13. What is the difference between earthquake intensity and magnitude?
14. What is the primary hazard associated with earthquakes? What are the secondary
hazards?
15. What factors contributed to building damage during the 1985 Mexico earthquake?
16. Give examples of some earthquake precursors. Which precursors were involved in
predicting the 1975 Haicheng earthquake in China?
17. Why is it impossible for us scientists to predict earthquakes?
18. What type of fault produce the 1994 Northridge earthquake? Why did many of the
buildings collapse during this earthquake?
19. What is the difference between a short term prediction and a long term earthquake
forecast?
20. What are some steps that you can take around your home to mitigate earthquake
damage?