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22 Cards in this Set
- Front
- Back
Q
What are seismic waves? |
A
The waves produced by earthquakes. |
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Q
What causes seismic waves? |
A
When the stress in the rock beneath the Earth's surface builds up enough, the rock breaks or changes shape, releasing energy in the form of waves or vibrations. |
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Q
What are the 3 types of seismic waves? |
A
1. Primary waves 2. Secondary waves 3. Surface waves |
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Q
What are Primary waves? |
A
Longitudinal seismic waves. |
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Q
What are secondary waves? |
A
Transverse seismic waves. They cannot move through liquids. |
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Q
What are surface seismic waves? |
A
Primary and Secondary seismic waves that reach the Earth's surface and combine. |
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Q
Which seismic waves move the fastest? |
A
P waves (Primary waves)are fastest. |
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Q
Which seismic waves move the slowest? |
A
Surface waves are the slowest. |
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Q
What mediums can a P wave travel through? |
A
Solids and liquids |
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Q
What medium(s) can a S wave travel through? |
A
Solids only. This means they cannot be detected on the side of the Earth opposite an earthquake. |
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Q
What medium(s) can a Surface wave travel through? |
A
A seismic surface wave travels on the SURFACE of solids and liquids. |
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Q
What is the earthquake SHADOW ZONE? |
A
The area on the Earth's surface where no seismic waves from a particular earthquake can be detected. |
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Q
What seismic waves produce the most severe ground movement and damage? |
A
Surface waves |
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Q
What is triangulation? |
A
The use of AT LEAST 3 seismographs to locate the center of an earthquake. |
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Q
For what other purpose do geologists use seismographs? |
A
Geologists use seismographs to understand how the what kinds of rocks are deep underground and how they are arraigned. |
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Q
What property of seismic waves are used to locate the center of earthquakes? |
A
The difference in the speed of P waves and S waves. |
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Q
How do geologists use the difference in seismic wave speed to locate earthquakes? |
A
P waves and S waves arrive at seismographs at different times. Knowing this time difference and the speed of seismic wave through rock lets us calculate how far away the earthquake was. |
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Q
What is a seismograph? |
A
An instrument used to detect and measure the strength of earthquakes. It also measures the arrival time of the waves. |
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Q
Secondary waves (S waves) cannot travel through what part of the Earth's interior? |
A
The Earth's LIQUID OUTER CORE. |
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Q
What type of seismic waves can be detected on the opposite side of the Earth's surface from an earthquake? |
A
Only P waves can be detected because S waves cannot thravel through the Earth's liquid core. |
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Q
What is a tsunami? |
A
Surface waves on the ocean caused by an underwater earthquake. |
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Q
What is the danger from a tsunami? |
A
While the swell in open ocean is small (under 3 feet), when the wave reaches shore the energy being carried by the wave causes the waves to pile up,producing waves upto 100+ feet high as they come on shore and travel far inland. |
