Which fault line is most famously associated with earthquakes in California?
A) New Madrid Fault
B) San Andreas Fault
C) Cascadia Fault
D) Hayward Fault
Answer: B) San Andreas Fault
Which city was notably affected by the 1906 earthquake in California?
A) San Diego
B) Los Angeles
C) San Francisco
D) Sacramento
Answer: C) San Francisco
What type of boundary is the San Andreas Fault?
A) Convergent
B) Divergent
C) Transform
D) Subduction
Answer: C) Transform
Which U.S. state is part of the Cascadia Subduction Zone?
A) California
B) Oregon
C) Nevada
D) Utah
Answer: B) Oregon
What magnitude was the 1994 Northridge earthquake in California?
A) 6.7
B) 7.2
C) 6.1
D) 7.5
Answer: A) 6.7
Which fault line runs parallel to the San Andreas Fault and is a significant seismic hazard in Northern California?
A) San Jacinto Fault
B) Hayward Fault
C) Calaveras Fault
D) Imperial Fault
Answer: B) Hayward Fault
Which earthquake is known as the “Great Quake of 1964”?
A) Northridge Earthquake
B) San Francisco Earthquake
C) Alaska Earthquake
D) Loma Prieta Earthquake
Answer: C) Alaska Earthquake
What is the term for a secondary earthquake that follows the main event?
A) Aftershock
B) Foreshock
C) Mainshock
D) Tremor
Answer: A) Aftershock
The Pacific Northwest is most at risk from which type of earthquake?
A) Transform
B) Divergent
C) Convergent
D) Normal
Answer: C) Convergent
What is the name of the subduction zone that affects the Pacific Northwest?
A) San Andreas Subduction Zone
B) Cascadia Subduction Zone
C) Juan de Fuca Subduction Zone
D) Gorda Subduction Zone
Answer: B) Cascadia Subduction Zone
Which city experienced significant damage due to the 1989 Loma Prieta earthquake?
A) San Diego
B) San Francisco
C) Seattle
D) Portland
Answer: B) San Francisco
What is the term for the point on the Earth’s surface directly above the earthquake’s focus?
A) Epicenter
B) Focus
C) Hypocenter
D) Fault line
Answer: A) Epicenter
Which U.S. city is situated near the Puget Sound and is at risk from the Cascadia Subduction Zone?
A) Seattle
B) Boise
C) Denver
D) Salt Lake City
Answer: A) Seattle
Which earthquake resulted in the collapse of the Tacoma Narrows Bridge in 1940?
A) Northridge Earthquake
B) Loma Prieta Earthquake
C) Great Alaskan Earthquake
D) Galloping Gertie Earthquake
Answer: D) Galloping Gertie Earthquake
What magnitude is typically required to cause significant structural damage?
A) 4.0
B) 5.0
C) 6.0
D) 7.0
Answer: C) 6.0
Which seismic event is known for causing widespread damage and fires in San Francisco in 1906?
A) The San Francisco Earthquake
B) The Northridge Earthquake
C) The Loma Prieta Earthquake
D) The Alaska Earthquake
Answer: A) The San Francisco Earthquake
Which type of earthquake fault occurs when two plates slide past each other horizontally?
A) Normal Fault
B) Reverse Fault
C) Transform Fault
D) Thrust Fault
Answer: C) Transform Fault
What kind of earthquake activity is commonly found in California’s Mojave Desert region?
A) Convergent
B) Transform
C) Divergent
D) Normal
Answer: B) Transform
What term is used for a small earthquake that precedes a larger one?
A) Aftershock
B) Foreshock
C) Seismic tremor
D) Preshock
Answer: B) Foreshock
Which U.S. state experienced the 2014 South Napa earthquake?
A) Oregon
B) California
C) Washington
D) Alaska
Answer: B) California
What seismic network monitors earthquakes in California?
A) USGS
B) FEMA
C) NOAA
D) Caltech
Answer: D) Caltech
Which fault line runs through Los Angeles and has been responsible for several significant earthquakes?
A) San Andreas Fault
B) Hayward Fault
C) Elsinore Fault
D) Santa Monica Fault
Answer: A) San Andreas Fault
What is the Richter scale used to measure?
A) Wind speed
B) Earthquake magnitude
C) Atmospheric pressure
D) Flood levels
Answer: B) Earthquake magnitude
Which earthquake struck the Pacific Northwest in 1700 and was followed by a tsunami?
A) The San Francisco Earthquake
B) The Great Alaskan Earthquake
C) The Cascadia Earthquake
D) The Northridge Earthquake
Answer: C) The Cascadia Earthquake
What is the primary cause of most earthquakes in California?
A) Volcanic activity
B) Subduction
C) Plate tectonics
D) Meteorite impacts
Answer: C) Plate tectonics
Which fault is located in the eastern part of California and runs through the Salton Sea region?
A) San Andreas Fault
B) Elsinore Fault
C) San Jacinto Fault
D) Hayward Fault
Answer: C) San Jacinto Fault
What term describes the shaking of the ground caused by an earthquake?
A) Tremor
B) Seismic wave
C) Shockwave
D) Vibration
Answer: B) Seismic wave
Which U.S. state experienced the 2001 Nisqually earthquake?
A) Washington
B) Oregon
C) California
D) Idaho
Answer: A) Washington
What is the term for a fault line where two tectonic plates converge and one is forced beneath the other?
A) Transform Fault
B) Convergent Fault
C) Divergent Fault
D) Subduction Zone
Answer: D) Subduction Zone
Which earthquake caused significant damage to the city of Los Angeles in 1994?
A) The Northridge Earthquake
B) The San Francisco Earthquake
C) The Loma Prieta Earthquake
D) The Anchorage Earthquake
Answer: A) The Northridge Earthquake
What is the name of the large earthquake that scientists anticipate could occur in the Pacific Northwest in the future?
A) The Big One
B) The Great Cascadian Earthquake
C) The Northwest Tremor
D) The Pacific Megaquake
Answer: B) The Great Cascadian Earthquake
What term is used to describe the amount of energy released during an earthquake?
A) Intensity
B) Magnitude
C) Duration
D) Frequency
Answer: B) Magnitude
Which fault zone is located in northern California and is known for its seismic activity?
A) San Andreas Fault
B) Hayward Fault
C) Elsinore Fault
D) San Jacinto Fault
Answer: B) Hayward Fault
Which seismic event is known for causing the collapse of the I-880 freeway in Oakland in 1989?
A) The Loma Prieta Earthquake
B) The Northridge Earthquake
C) The San Francisco Earthquake
D) The Seattle Earthquake
Answer: A) The Loma Prieta Earthquake
What is the primary purpose of earthquake early warning systems?
A) To predict earthquakes months in advance
B) To provide immediate alerts to minimize damage
C) To create new fault lines
D) To estimate the earthquake’s magnitude years after it occurs
Answer: B) To provide immediate alerts to minimize damage
Which type of earthquake fault is characterized by the vertical displacement of rock?
A) Normal Fault
B) Reverse Fault
C) Transform Fault
D) Strike-slip Fault
Answer: A) Normal Fault
What does the term “seismic gap” refer to?
A) A region where no earthquakes have occurred
B) A region where large earthquakes are unlikely
C) A region with an unusually high number of earthquakes
D) A period of time with reduced seismic activity
Answer: A) A region where no earthquakes have occurred
Which geological feature is formed at a transform fault boundary?
A) Rift valley
B) Mid-ocean ridge
C) Fault scarp
D) Volcanic island arc
Answer: C) Fault scarp
Which region is at the highest risk for a major earthquake in the next 50 years according to many scientists?
A) The Eastern Seaboard
B) The Pacific Northwest
C) The Great Lakes Region
D) The Appalachian Mountains
Answer: B) The Pacific Northwest
What type of earthquake fault is most commonly found at divergent boundaries?
A) Reverse Fault
B) Transform Fault
C) Normal Fault
D) Strike-slip Fault
Answer: C) Normal Fault
What is the focus of an earthquake?
A) The point on the Earth’s surface directly above the earthquake’s origin
B) The location where the earthquake’s energy is first released
C) The point where tectonic plates meet
D) The location of the most severe damage
Answer: B) The location where the earthquake’s energy is first released
Which earthquake caused significant damage to the city of Anchorage, Alaska, in 1964?
A) The Northridge Earthquake
B) The Loma Prieta Earthquake
C) The Great Alaskan Earthquake
D) The San Francisco Earthquake
Answer: C) The Great Alaskan Earthquake
What is the purpose of the U.S. Geological Survey’s (USGS) ShakeMap?
A) To predict future earthquakes
B) To show the location and impact of recent earthquakes
C) To identify new fault lines
D) To assess long-term climate changes
Answer: B) To show the location and impact of recent earthquakes
Which city is located near the Juan de Fuca Plate boundary?
A) Los Angeles
B) Portland
C) Denver
D) Houston
Answer: B) Portland
What is the term for the release of energy during an earthquake that generates surface waves?
A) Seismic waves
B) Sound waves
C) Radio waves
D) Electromagnetic waves
Answer: A) Seismic waves
Which fault line runs through the central coast of California, affecting cities like Paso Robles and San Luis Obispo?
A) San Andreas Fault
B) Hayward Fault
C) San Jacinto Fault
D) Calaveras Fault
Answer: A) San Andreas Fault
What magnitude earthquake is generally considered to be a “major” earthquake?
A) 5.0
B) 6.0
C) 7.0
D) 8.0
Answer: C) 7.0
What is the term for a sudden release of energy in the Earth’s crust resulting in shaking?
A) Seismic activity
B) Earthquake
C) Volcanic eruption
D) Tsunami
Answer: B) Earthquake
Which fault is located in southern California and is known for producing small to moderate earthquakes?
A) Elsinore Fault
B) Hayward Fault
C) San Jacinto Fault
D) San Andreas Fault
Answer: A) Elsinore Fault
What is the term for the underground point where an earthquake originates?
A) Epicenter
B) Focus
C) Hypocenter
D) Fault line
Answer: B) Focus