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Earthquakes Quizzes, Trivia and Puzzles
Earthquakes Quizzes, Trivia

Earthquakes Trivia

Earthquakes Trivia Quizzes

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2 Earthquakes quizzes and 20 Earthquakes trivia questions.
1.
  Earthquake!    
Multiple Choice
 10 Qns
Are you ready to shake, rattle and roll? Test your knowledge about earthquakes and tsunamis.
Tough, 10 Qns, chari1, Sep 25 21
Tough
chari1
Sep 25 21
6572 plays
2.
  Look Out! Here Comes an Earthquake!   great trivia quiz  
Multiple Choice
 10 Qns
Earthquakes can be nature's most devastating phenomenon. Most earthquakes are relatively harmless, but every so often, an earthquake occurs which results in huge casualties and property damage.
Tough, 10 Qns, trevor1968, Apr 08 18
Tough
trevor1968
Apr 08 18
3077 plays
Related Topics
  Earthquakes [History] (9 quizzes)


Earthquakes Trivia Questions
1. Three English professors developed the first instruments to study earthquakes. How did these instruments study earthquake movement?

From Quiz Look Out! Here Comes an Earthquake!

Answer: principle of inertia

The English professors John Milne, Thomas Gray, and James Ewing are credited with developing the first seismic instruments (seismographs) sensitive enough to be used to study earthquakes. Seismographs use the principle of inertia to study earthquake movement. This law states that an object will stay in uniform motion unless an outside force is applied to it.

2. What is the depth of a shallow-focus earthquake?

From Quiz Look Out! Here Comes an Earthquake!

Answer: less than 60 kilometers

Earthquakes that are 60 kilometers or less in depth are referred to as shallow. Those that are generated between 60 and 300 kilometers are considered intermediate, and those with a focus greater than 300 kilometers are classified as deep.

3. What is the name for a minor quake that occurs before the main earthquake?

From Quiz Earthquake!

Answer: foreshock

An aftershock of course occurs after the main event.

4. Different types of seismic waves are generated by earthquakes. What is the name of the wave that pushes and pulls similar to the motion of a slinky?

From Quiz Look Out! Here Comes an Earthquake!

Answer: Primary Wave

There are two types of seismic waves. The primary wave has a compressional motion similar to a slinky. The secondary wave has vertical movements. The primary wave moves faster than the secondary wave.

5. What do the letters USGS stand for?

From Quiz Earthquake!

Answer: United States Geological Survey

Formed in 1879, the USGS is now one of the world's most important organisations for earthquake research.

6. Why was the 2003 earthquake in Bam, Iran significant for historians?

From Quiz Look Out! Here Comes an Earthquake!

Answer: It destroyed a 2000 year old fort.

On December 26, 2003, a powerful earthquake destroyed much of the city of Bam. Not only did it destroy a 2000 year old fort built primarily of mud brick but the earthquake also killed over 43,000 people. The earthquake was reported to be a magnitude of 6.6.

7. Who developed the scale for measuring the power of an earthquake?

From Quiz Look Out! Here Comes an Earthquake!

Answer: Charles Richter

Charles Richter, an American, invented the Richter scale which measures the actual power of an earthquake. The higher the reading, the more powerful and potentially dangerous the earthquake. For example, a reading of 6.0 is 10 times as powerful as a reading of 5.0.

8. When referring to earthquakes, what is a "fault"?

From Quiz Earthquake!

Answer: an existing weakness in the earth's crust

A fault is caused by two parts of the earth's crust moving against each other over a long period of time.

9. In the 1880s, the first reliable seismic instruments were developed in which country?

From Quiz Look Out! Here Comes an Earthquake!

Answer: Japan

England would have been a good guess but it's not the right answer. Although three men from England developed the first seismic instruments, they developed these instruments at an Imperial College in Tokyo, Japan. The first attempts to create seismometers took place in China during the Han dynasty.

10. Approximately how deep is the San Andreas fault in California?

From Quiz Earthquake!

Answer: 15 kilometres

The San Andreas fault was the reason for the famous San Francisco earthquake in 1906.

11. What does "Pangaea" refer to?

From Quiz Earthquake!

Answer: a supercontinent proposed by Wegener

The name comes from the Greek words for 'whole' (pan) and 'earth' (Gaia). It is believed to have existed in the Paleozoic and Mesozoic eras before continental drift broke it apart into the continents as they exist now.

12. What is the location on the Earth's surface directly above the place where an earthquake originates called?

From Quiz Look Out! Here Comes an Earthquake!

Answer: epicenter

The first motion of an earthquake within the earth is called the focus. The hypocenter is the location of the focus. The epicenter is directly above the hypocenter.

13. The word "Tsunami" comes from the Japanese words which mean?

From Quiz Earthquake!

Answer: Harbour Wave

We now use "tsunami" to mean a destructive wave usually caused by an earthquake under the ocean.

14. In the twentieth century, along the coast of which country in South America did the largest earthquake occur?

From Quiz Look Out! Here Comes an Earthquake!

Answer: Chile

The largest was the Chilean earthquake in 1960 which measured an unsurpassed 9.5 on the Richter scale.

15. Which U.S state is statistically most likely to be hit by a tsunami?

From Quiz Earthquake!

Answer: Hawaii

The Pacific Tsunami Warning System has its headquarters in Honolulu, Hawaii.

16. In which year did a major tsunami strike Papua New Guinea resulting in massive loss of life?

From Quiz Earthquake!

Answer: 1998

2,200 lives were lost as a result of this tsunami believed to be the most devastating of the twentieth century. The wave was caused by an earthquake ranking 7.1 on the Richter scale and reached 15 metres in height.

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