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Earthquake! Trivia Quiz

Are you ready to shake, rattle and roll? Test your knowledge about earthquakes and tsunamis.

A multiple-choice quiz by chari1. Estimated time: 6 mins.

Author
chari1

Time
6 mins

Type
Multiple Choice

Quiz #
109,836

Updated
Dec 03 21

# Qns
10

Difficulty
Difficult

Avg Score
5 / 10

Plays
6342

Last 3 plays: Guest 107 (4/10), PurpleComet (6/10), Guest 175 (4/10).

One at a Time - Single Page - Timed Game

Question 1 of 10

1. Which of these is NOT a scale for measuring earthquakes? Hint

Mercalli Intensity Scale

Rossi-Forel scale

Richter Scale

Anatolia Rift Scale

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Question 2 of 10

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

tremor

aftershock

foreshock

preshock

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Question 3 of 10

3. What do the letters USGS stand for? Hint

United States Geological Service

United States Geographics

United States Geographical Service

United States Geological Survey

4. The word "seismic" means earthquake, and most discussions of earthquake activity are likely to include this term in some form. For example: Seismologist - scientist who studies earthquakes. From what language did this word originate? Hint

German

Latin

Greek

Persian

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Question 5 of 10

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

a crater in the earth's crust caused by a previous earthquake

a large highly visible crack in the earth's crust

an existing weakness in the earth's crust

an area of the earth's crust least likely to be affected by an earthquake

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Question 6 of 10

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

80 kilometres

15 kilometres

120 kilometres

400 kilometres

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Question 7 of 10

7. What does "Pangaea" refer to? Hint

the location of a major fault in Northern Africa

a specific type of earthquake

a particularly active seismic area in the Pacific Ocean

a supercontinent proposed by Wegener

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Question 8 of 10

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

Harbour Wave

Huge Wave

Divine Wind

Wave of Terror

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Question 9 of 10

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

California

Alaska

Hawaii

Florida

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Question 10 of 10

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

1992

1998

1988

1975

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Most Recent Scores

Apr 17 2024 : Guest 107: 4/10
Apr 15 2024 : PurpleComet: 6/10
Apr 15 2024 : Guest 175: 4/10
Apr 14 2024 : Guest 172: 3/10
Apr 13 2024 : Guest 108: 3/10
Apr 11 2024 : Guest 204: 0/10
Apr 11 2024 : Guest 65: 3/10
Apr 09 2024 : Guest 96: 4/10
Apr 08 2024 : Guest 50: 7/10

Score Distribution

Quiz Answer Key and Fun Facts

1. Which of these is NOT a scale for measuring earthquakes?

Answer: Anatolia Rift Scale

The best known scale, invented in 1906, is the purely quantitative Richter scale which measures earthquake intensity from 0 to 9. Before this time, scientists used the Rossi-Forel scale which ranked earthquakes from 1 to 10 and included some descriptive information. Lesser known is the Mercalli Intensity Scale which has 12 levels and describes the likely effects of the earthquke on lives and property.

Although very impressive sounding, there is no such thing as the Anatolia Rift Scale!

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

Answer: foreshock

An aftershock of course occurs after the main event.

3. What do the letters USGS stand for?

Answer: United States Geological Survey

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

Answer: Greek

The ancient Greeks were among the first to come up with accurate theories on earth movements.

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

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.

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

Answer: 15 kilometres

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

7. What does "Pangaea" refer to?

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.

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

Answer: Harbour Wave

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

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

Answer: Hawaii

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

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

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.

Source: Author chari1

This quiz was reviewed by FunTrivia editor crisw before going online.
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