People in India remember two great calamities that overwhelmed the country in the early 21st Century. In 2004, a great tragedy struck the southeastern coast of India when waves as high as 100 feet crashed into the coast at high speeds and caused immense damage to life and property. Earlier, in the year 2001, a devastating earthquake hit India in the western state of Gujarat in Kutch District and caused havoc among the people in that area, killing over 20,000 people and causing huge damage to property. Both of these tragedies were caused by earthquakes.
Earthquakes are natural occurrences that happen due to the very nature of the structure of the earth. Earthquakes have been studied scientists and they have begun to understand why earthquakes happen and been able to use their knowledge to help humanity to better cope when earthquakes occur.
[readmore]Earthquakes are phenomena that happen due to the movement of the Earth’s crust beneath its surface. When upheavals happen below the ground the area on the surface above takes a hit which disrupts the normal order. Obviously people and property in the area are seriously affected. The study of earthquakes has created new developments in construction technology which have helped to minimise the damage to property and life caused by earthquakes. Earthquakes have brought the people of the world together and studies on earthquakes are a continuing feature. These studies have contributed immensely to our understanding of nature and also to the English language.
You might have read or heard words such as faults, seismic activity, shallow earthquake, magnitude and severity, all of which are derived from or related to earthquakes. The quiz that follows lets you explore some more words that are closely linked to earthquakes.
1.
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Tremors that occur following the main earthquake are called what? |
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[ ] |
Aftershocks |
[ ] |
Shakes |
[ ] |
Vibrations |
[ ] |
Oscillations |
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2.
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Earth's outer part that comprises the mantle and the crust is known as what? |
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[ ] |
The hemisphere |
[ ] |
The stratosphere |
[ ] |
The ionosphere |
[ ] |
The lithosphere |
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3.
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The largest earthquake in a series is termed the what? |
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[ ] |
The aftershock |
[ ] |
The mainshock |
[ ] |
The bigshock |
[ ] |
The largeshock |
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4.
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What is the name for the sudden movement of land often caused by earthquakes? |
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[ ] |
A landfill |
[ ] |
A landfall |
[ ] |
A landslide |
[ ] |
A landmark |
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5.
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A force that acts on rocks to change its volume or shape is called what? |
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[ ] |
Centrifugal |
[ ] |
Centripetal |
[ ] |
Strain |
[ ] |
Stress |
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6.
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The point from where the shock waves of an earthquake radiate is called what? |
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[ ] |
The epicentre |
[ ] |
The geocentre |
[ ] |
The corecentre |
[ ] |
The maincentre |
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7.
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The term used to refer to the forces acting on the Earth triggering the movements of the crust is called what? |
|
[ ] |
Seismic |
[ ] |
Tectonic |
[ ] |
Technic |
[ ] |
Traumatic |
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8.
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The instrument used to measure and record the vibrations of earthquakes is called what? |
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[ ] |
A phonograph |
[ ] |
A seismograph |
[ ] |
An electrograph |
[ ] |
A photograph |
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9.
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A large sea wave produced by earthquakes occurring under the sea is known as what? |
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[ ] |
A tsunami |
[ ] |
A hurricane |
[ ] |
A cyclone |
[ ] |
A tornado |
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10.
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The energy released by an earthquake is measured on what scale? |
|
[ ] |
The Richter Scale |
[ ] |
The Farenheit Scale |
[ ] |
The Celsius Scale |
[ ] |
The Kelvin Scale |
|
|
1.
|
Tremors that occur following the main earthquake are called what? |
|
[x] |
Aftershocks |
[ ] |
Shakes |
[ ] |
Vibrations |
[ ] |
Oscillations |
|
|
2.
|
Earth's outer part that comprises the mantle and the crust is known as what? |
|
[ ] |
The hemisphere |
[ ] |
The stratosphere |
[ ] |
The ionosphere |
[x] |
The lithosphere |
|
|
3.
|
The largest earthquake in a series is termed the what? |
|
[ ] |
The aftershock |
[x] |
The mainshock |
[ ] |
The bigshock |
[ ] |
The largeshock |
|
|
4.
|
What is the name for the sudden movement of land often caused by earthquakes? |
|
[ ] |
A landfill |
[ ] |
A landfall |
[x] |
A landslide |
[ ] |
A landmark |
|
|
5.
|
A force that acts on rocks to change its volume or shape is called what? |
|
[ ] |
Centrifugal |
[ ] |
Centripetal |
[ ] |
Strain |
[x] |
Stress |
|
|
6.
|
The point from where the shock waves of an earthquake radiate is called what? |
|
[x] |
The epicentre |
[ ] |
The geocentre |
[ ] |
The corecentre |
[ ] |
The maincentre |
|
|
7.
|
The term used to refer to the forces acting on the Earth triggering the movements of the crust is called what? |
|
[ ] |
Seismic |
[x] |
Tectonic |
[ ] |
Technic |
[ ] |
Traumatic |
|
|
8.
|
The instrument used to measure and record the vibrations of earthquakes is called what? |
|
[ ] |
A phonograph |
[x] |
A seismograph |
[ ] |
An electrograph |
[ ] |
A photograph |
|
|
9.
|
A large sea wave produced by earthquakes occurring under the sea is known as what? |
|
[x] |
A tsunami |
[ ] |
A hurricane |
[ ] |
A cyclone |
[ ] |
A tornado |
|
|
10.
|
The energy released by an earthquake is measured on what scale? |
|
[x] |
The Richter Scale |
[ ] |
The Farenheit Scale |
[ ] |
The Celsius Scale |
[ ] |
The Kelvin Scale |
|
|
The other three words all have similar meanings and could be used to describe earthquakes