ESS 101 B LABORATORY 8 QUIZ GEOLOGIC
HAZARDS COMPREHENSIVE STUDY GUIDE
2026 PRACTICE QUESTIONS AND ACCURATE
ANSWERS GRADED A+
◉ What kind of strained earth materials undergo permanent
deformation by flowing plastically?
A.) Water-saturated
B.) Brittle
C.) Ductile
D.) Laminated Answer: C.) Ductile
◉ According to the elastic rebound theory, an earthquake occurs
when a rock
A.) Reaches its elastic limit.
B.) Contracts due to excessive heat.
C.) Expands due to excessive heat.
D.) Recrystallizes due to high pressure. Answer: A.) Reaches its
elastic limit.
◉ Earthquakes cannot occur in which of the following layers?
A.) Continental crust.
,B.) Oceanic crust.
C.) Asthenosphere.
D.) Upper most mantle. Answer: C.) Asthenosphere
◉ The size of an earthquake is generally related to
A.) The amount of ductile for deformation.
B.) The type of faults involved.
C.) The number of faults involved.
D.) The amount of accumulated strain. Answer: D.) The amount of
accumulated strain.
◉ All of the following are causes of earthquake activity except
A.) Sunspot activity.
B.) Human activity.
C.) Tectonic activity.
D.) Volcanic activity. Answer: A.) Sunspot activity.
◉ What is an earthquake epicenter?
A.) The farthest location where the earthquake is felt.
B.) The location on the ground surface directly above the focus.
C.) The location directly below the focus.
,D.) The location in the subsurface for the earthquake originates.
Answer:
◉ Which type of seismic waves usually causes the most damage to
artificial structures?
A.) P-waves.
B.) S-waves.
C.) Surface waves.
D.) Rayleigh waves. Answer: C.) Surface waves.
◉ Which two waves are surface waves?
A.) P-wave an S-wave.
B.) Rayleigh wave and love wave.
C.) S-wave in love wave.
D.) P-wave in Rayleigh wave. Answer: B.) Rayleigh wave and love
wave.
◉ Which of the following statements best describes P-waves?
A.) Move in a shearing manner and are the fastest type of seismic
wave.
B.) Move in a shearing manner and are the slowest type of seismic
wave.
, C.) Move in a compressional manner and are the slowest type of
seismic waves.
D.) Move in a compressional manner and are the fastest type of
seismic wave. Answer: D.) Move in a compressional manner and are
the fastest type of seismic wave.
◉ The seismic waves from an earthquake arrive at the station and
following order
A.) S-wave, P-wave, and surface waves.
B.) P-wave, S-wave, and surface waves.
C.) Surface waves, P-wave, and S-wave.
D.) Surface waves, S-wave, and P-wave. Answer: B.) P-wave, S-wave,
and surface waves.
◉ What type of machine is used to measure the location of an
earthquake epicenter?
A.) Tectograph
B.) Rapidograph
C.) Spectrograph
D.) Seismograph Answer: D.) Seismograph
◉ What is the Mercalli intensity scale based on?
A.) Measurements with a seismograph.
HAZARDS COMPREHENSIVE STUDY GUIDE
2026 PRACTICE QUESTIONS AND ACCURATE
ANSWERS GRADED A+
◉ What kind of strained earth materials undergo permanent
deformation by flowing plastically?
A.) Water-saturated
B.) Brittle
C.) Ductile
D.) Laminated Answer: C.) Ductile
◉ According to the elastic rebound theory, an earthquake occurs
when a rock
A.) Reaches its elastic limit.
B.) Contracts due to excessive heat.
C.) Expands due to excessive heat.
D.) Recrystallizes due to high pressure. Answer: A.) Reaches its
elastic limit.
◉ Earthquakes cannot occur in which of the following layers?
A.) Continental crust.
,B.) Oceanic crust.
C.) Asthenosphere.
D.) Upper most mantle. Answer: C.) Asthenosphere
◉ The size of an earthquake is generally related to
A.) The amount of ductile for deformation.
B.) The type of faults involved.
C.) The number of faults involved.
D.) The amount of accumulated strain. Answer: D.) The amount of
accumulated strain.
◉ All of the following are causes of earthquake activity except
A.) Sunspot activity.
B.) Human activity.
C.) Tectonic activity.
D.) Volcanic activity. Answer: A.) Sunspot activity.
◉ What is an earthquake epicenter?
A.) The farthest location where the earthquake is felt.
B.) The location on the ground surface directly above the focus.
C.) The location directly below the focus.
,D.) The location in the subsurface for the earthquake originates.
Answer:
◉ Which type of seismic waves usually causes the most damage to
artificial structures?
A.) P-waves.
B.) S-waves.
C.) Surface waves.
D.) Rayleigh waves. Answer: C.) Surface waves.
◉ Which two waves are surface waves?
A.) P-wave an S-wave.
B.) Rayleigh wave and love wave.
C.) S-wave in love wave.
D.) P-wave in Rayleigh wave. Answer: B.) Rayleigh wave and love
wave.
◉ Which of the following statements best describes P-waves?
A.) Move in a shearing manner and are the fastest type of seismic
wave.
B.) Move in a shearing manner and are the slowest type of seismic
wave.
, C.) Move in a compressional manner and are the slowest type of
seismic waves.
D.) Move in a compressional manner and are the fastest type of
seismic wave. Answer: D.) Move in a compressional manner and are
the fastest type of seismic wave.
◉ The seismic waves from an earthquake arrive at the station and
following order
A.) S-wave, P-wave, and surface waves.
B.) P-wave, S-wave, and surface waves.
C.) Surface waves, P-wave, and S-wave.
D.) Surface waves, S-wave, and P-wave. Answer: B.) P-wave, S-wave,
and surface waves.
◉ What type of machine is used to measure the location of an
earthquake epicenter?
A.) Tectograph
B.) Rapidograph
C.) Spectrograph
D.) Seismograph Answer: D.) Seismograph
◉ What is the Mercalli intensity scale based on?
A.) Measurements with a seismograph.
