Earthquakes Trivia Quiz

Answer: South America

The largest earthquake in the 20th century occurred in 1960 off the coast of Chile in South America. Numerous cities in Chile were damaged. The earthquake created a deadly tsunami which destroyed entire villages. The tsunami continued into the Pacific Ocean and killed 61 people in Hawaii and hundreds more in Japan.

Answer: It's best to stay where you are

It is best for you to stay where you are. If you are inside, take cover under a desk, table or any sturdy furniture. Stay there 'til the ground stops shaking and it's safe for you to come out. Keep away from windows, fireplaces, and appliances that may fall over. If you are outside, go into the open and stay away from buildings and power lines. If you are driving during an earthquake, stop your car if it is safe to do so and stay inside your car till it's over. Stay away from tunnels, overpasses, and bridges.

Answer: Alaska

Alaska has had the most and largest earthquakes recorded in the United States. The circum-Pacific seismic belt goes through Alaska and the Aleutian Islands and creates more earthquakes than occur in the other 49 states. There can be as many as 4,000 earthquakes detected in a year. The most intense earthquake ever recorded in North America, was in southern Alaska on March 27, 1964.

Answer: the majority of earthquakes happen at sea

Many earthquakes occur on land, but the majority happen at sea. The Pacific plate, known as the 'ring of fire', lies beneath the Pacific Ocean. Movement of this plate causes frequent earthquakes in Chile, Alaska, and Japan, as well as the west coast of North America.

It also causes volcanic eruptions in the northwestern part of the United States, the Andes Mountains, and the Philippines.

Answer: Indian Ocean

In 2004 there was an undersea earthquake in the Indian Ocean. It was known as the Sumatra-Andaman earthquake. It occurred on December 26, 2004 off the coast of Sumatra, Indonesia. It started a lot of deadly tsunamis. It was the second largest earthquake recorded. There was a total of 229,866 people lost, 186,983 dead and 42,883 missing.

Answer: landslides

Earthquakes can cause landslides and can cause a lot of damage where there are hills and mountains. Slope failures during earthquakes have been a major cause of damage to structures and facilities. Especially if they are on or in the area of the slopes. Landslides on natural slopes, can be large enough to destroy whole villages or towns.

Answer: Florida, Iowa, North Dakota, and Wisconsin

Almost every state in the 20 years from 1975-1995 has had an earthquake. Many of the earthquakes that occurred at that time were so small that you couldn't even feel them. However, they were still recorded as earthquakes.

Answer: aftershocks

Aftershocks are smaller earthquakes formed as the shifted plate boundary tries to readjust itself. They occur after the mainshock (the large earthquake). They usually occur within two days of the mainshock, but they have also been recorded to happen for years after an earthquake.

The larger the mainshock is, the bigger and more aftershocks there will be. Aftershocks are very dangerous and deadly, because they are very unpredictable and they may cause buildings to collapse that were already damaged by the mainshock.

Answer: True

Earthquakes are one of the worst natural disasters. Along with hurricanes, tornadoes, tsunamis, floods, avalanches, fires, and volcanoes. Make sure you are prepared for any natural disaster that can happen where you live.

Answer: True

Moonquakes are earthquakes that occur on the surface of the moon. They do not often happen and have much smaller magnitudes than the earthquakes that happen on earth. They appear to happen because of the tidal stresses related with the distance between the Earth and Moon.

They also occur very deep in the moon, about halfway between the surface and center. Thanks for playing my quiz, I hope you enjoyed it!