BYU EARTH SCIENCE EXAM 2025/2026 QUESTIONS WITH
SOLUTIONS GRADED A+
✔✔Magnetic patterns on the ocean floor provided evidence that the seafloor was, in
fact, spreading and pushing the continents true or false? - ✔✔true
✔✔Earthquake patterns and volcanic regions like the Ring of Fire provided additional
evidence to support the idea of plate tectonics. true or false - ✔✔true
✔✔Moving plates do not create - ✔✔the jigsaw nature of the continentals' shapes
✔✔Scientists think that the convection currents, which may be responsible for the
movement of plates, circulate through the - ✔✔inner core
✔✔When two plates slide past each other, what is the boundary called? - ✔✔transform
fault
✔✔Transform fault boundaries are mapped by subducting volcano location. - ✔✔false
✔✔The San Andreas Fault in California is a - ✔✔transform fault boundary
✔✔Which mountains formed when the Indian and Asian plates collided? -
✔✔Himalayas
✔✔Currently, the most widely accepted theory of the formation of an earthquake is
called the - ✔✔elastic rebound theory
✔✔What is a tsunami commonly misunderstood as? - ✔✔an underwater earthquake
✔✔what is a p-wave - ✔✔P-wave—arrives first at a seismic station; can pass through
solids, liquids, and semisolids and is a
✔✔what is a l-wave - ✔✔L-wave—body wave that is seen as rolling undulation in the
ground surface; arrives at the seismic station before the P- and S-waves
✔✔what is a Rayleigh wave - ✔✔surface wave that produces ripples in the ground; is a
transverse wave and is responsible for much destruction during a quake
✔✔Why does the S-wave stop at a depth of about 3000 kilometers? - ✔✔The S-wave is
stopped by the liquid outer core of the earth.
✔✔Which wave the seismograph correctly labels the P-wave? - ✔✔the first wave
, ✔✔What label body waves? - ✔✔the second two waves
✔✔Each whole number increase on the Richter scale corresponds to an increase in
earthquake energy of about - ✔✔31 times
✔✔The Mercalli scale measures an earthquake's - ✔✔damage or intensity
✔✔The San Francisco 1906 quake helped us learn about - ✔✔the dangers of fire after
a quake
✔✔How successful have humans been at predicting earthquakes? - ✔✔We have not
been successful.
✔✔What is perhaps the most dangerous secondary effect of a quake once the ground
has stopped shaking? - ✔✔fire
✔✔Which type of ground is most susceptible to liquefaction? - ✔✔unconsolidated
sediments
✔✔Which statement or safety rule is a wise thing to do during a quake? - ✔✔When you
get under a table it is wise to hold onto the table during the shaking.
✔✔If strain has been relieved along one section of a fault, it is safe to assume that the
other sections of the fault are less likely to break and create an earthquake. - ✔✔false
✔✔A probability of 67 percent means that a quake is ______ as likely to happen as it is
not for a given fault segment. - ✔✔twice
✔✔Earthquake prediction, if made to a high degree of accuracy, will have no downsides
or negative consequences. - ✔✔false
✔✔A volcano formed by thin runny lava flow with little ash and a slope seldom more
than two degrees is called a - ✔✔shield volcano
✔✔A volcano formed by felsic lava flows alternating with layers of ash and a slopes up
to 25 degrees is called a - ✔✔composite volcano
✔✔all of these are part of the ejected debris of a volcano - ✔✔all of these are part of the
ejected debris of a volcano
✔✔Which component of a volcanic eruption causes cooling of the earth? - ✔✔melting of
any ice or snow on the mountain during the eruption
SOLUTIONS GRADED A+
✔✔Magnetic patterns on the ocean floor provided evidence that the seafloor was, in
fact, spreading and pushing the continents true or false? - ✔✔true
✔✔Earthquake patterns and volcanic regions like the Ring of Fire provided additional
evidence to support the idea of plate tectonics. true or false - ✔✔true
✔✔Moving plates do not create - ✔✔the jigsaw nature of the continentals' shapes
✔✔Scientists think that the convection currents, which may be responsible for the
movement of plates, circulate through the - ✔✔inner core
✔✔When two plates slide past each other, what is the boundary called? - ✔✔transform
fault
✔✔Transform fault boundaries are mapped by subducting volcano location. - ✔✔false
✔✔The San Andreas Fault in California is a - ✔✔transform fault boundary
✔✔Which mountains formed when the Indian and Asian plates collided? -
✔✔Himalayas
✔✔Currently, the most widely accepted theory of the formation of an earthquake is
called the - ✔✔elastic rebound theory
✔✔What is a tsunami commonly misunderstood as? - ✔✔an underwater earthquake
✔✔what is a p-wave - ✔✔P-wave—arrives first at a seismic station; can pass through
solids, liquids, and semisolids and is a
✔✔what is a l-wave - ✔✔L-wave—body wave that is seen as rolling undulation in the
ground surface; arrives at the seismic station before the P- and S-waves
✔✔what is a Rayleigh wave - ✔✔surface wave that produces ripples in the ground; is a
transverse wave and is responsible for much destruction during a quake
✔✔Why does the S-wave stop at a depth of about 3000 kilometers? - ✔✔The S-wave is
stopped by the liquid outer core of the earth.
✔✔Which wave the seismograph correctly labels the P-wave? - ✔✔the first wave
, ✔✔What label body waves? - ✔✔the second two waves
✔✔Each whole number increase on the Richter scale corresponds to an increase in
earthquake energy of about - ✔✔31 times
✔✔The Mercalli scale measures an earthquake's - ✔✔damage or intensity
✔✔The San Francisco 1906 quake helped us learn about - ✔✔the dangers of fire after
a quake
✔✔How successful have humans been at predicting earthquakes? - ✔✔We have not
been successful.
✔✔What is perhaps the most dangerous secondary effect of a quake once the ground
has stopped shaking? - ✔✔fire
✔✔Which type of ground is most susceptible to liquefaction? - ✔✔unconsolidated
sediments
✔✔Which statement or safety rule is a wise thing to do during a quake? - ✔✔When you
get under a table it is wise to hold onto the table during the shaking.
✔✔If strain has been relieved along one section of a fault, it is safe to assume that the
other sections of the fault are less likely to break and create an earthquake. - ✔✔false
✔✔A probability of 67 percent means that a quake is ______ as likely to happen as it is
not for a given fault segment. - ✔✔twice
✔✔Earthquake prediction, if made to a high degree of accuracy, will have no downsides
or negative consequences. - ✔✔false
✔✔A volcano formed by thin runny lava flow with little ash and a slope seldom more
than two degrees is called a - ✔✔shield volcano
✔✔A volcano formed by felsic lava flows alternating with layers of ash and a slopes up
to 25 degrees is called a - ✔✔composite volcano
✔✔all of these are part of the ejected debris of a volcano - ✔✔all of these are part of the
ejected debris of a volcano
✔✔Which component of a volcanic eruption causes cooling of the earth? - ✔✔melting of
any ice or snow on the mountain during the eruption
