All Free General Knowledge MCQs with Answers

• A. The epicentre
• B. The fault scarp
• C. The hypocentre
• D. The aftershock zone

Explanation: The epicentre is the surface point vertically above the earthquake's focus.

• A. A barometer
• B. A seismograph
• C. A theodolite
• D. A hygrometer

Explanation: A seismograph detects and records ground vibrations from earthquakes.

• A. A Richter reading
• B. A tremor log
• C. A seismogram
• D. A seismograph chart

Explanation: The trace drawn by a seismograph is called a seismogram.

• A. Geomorphology
• B. Volcanology
• C. Tectonics
• D. Seismology

Explanation: Seismology is the scientific study of earthquakes and the seismic waves they produce.

• A. P-waves (primary waves)
• B. S-waves
• C. Surface waves
• D. Love waves

Explanation: P-waves are compressional waves and are the first to arrive at a seismograph.

• A. Rayleigh waves
• B. S-waves (secondary waves)
• C. Tsunami waves
• D. P-waves

Explanation: S-waves, which shear the rock, arrive after the faster P-waves.

• A. P-waves
• B. Surface waves
• C. S-waves
• D. All body waves

Explanation: S-waves cannot travel through liquid, which is how scientists know the outer core is molten.

• A. P-waves
• B. S-waves
• C. Surface waves (L-waves)
• D. Body waves

Explanation: Surface waves travel along the ground and produce the large rolling motions that destroy buildings.

• A. That it is made of iron only
• B. That it is the hottest layer
• C. That it is solid
• D. That it is liquid, because S-waves cannot travel through it

Explanation: The S-wave shadow zone proved the outer core is liquid, since S-waves stop there.

• A. The Richter scale
• B. The Fujita scale
• C. The Mercalli scale
• D. The Beaufort scale

Explanation: The Richter scale estimates magnitude from the amplitude of seismic waves recorded on seismographs.

• A. The Richter scale
• B. The Moment Magnitude Scale
• C. The Mercalli scale
• D. The Saffir-Simpson scale

Explanation: The Moment Magnitude Scale measures total energy released and works better for large quakes than Richter.

• A. The Moment Magnitude Scale
• B. The Torino scale
• C. The Modified Mercalli Intensity Scale
• D. The Richter scale

Explanation: The Mercalli scale rates how strongly a quake is felt and how much damage it causes at a location.

• A. About 100 times
• B. About 2 times
• C. About 10 times
• D. About 32 times

Explanation: Each whole-number step on the Richter scale represents roughly 32 times more energy released.

• A. Ten times
• B. Two times
• C. Five times
• D. Twenty times

Explanation: The Richter scale is logarithmic: each unit means ten times greater ground motion amplitude.

• A. Tremors
• B. Aftershocks
• C. Swarms
• D. Foreshocks

Explanation: Aftershocks are smaller quakes that follow the main shock as the crust readjusts.

• A. Echo quakes
• B. Aftershocks
• C. Foreshocks
• D. Microquakes

Explanation: Foreshocks are minor tremors that sometimes precede a bigger earthquake.

• A. A tectonic earthquake
• B. A collapse earthquake
• C. An explosion earthquake
• D. A volcanic earthquake

Explanation: Moving magma beneath a volcano generates volcanic earthquakes, often warning of eruptions.

• A. A shadow zone
• B. A dead zone
• C. A quiet zone
• D. A blind zone

Explanation: P-wave shadow zones, caused by refraction at the core, reveal the Earth's layered interior.

• A. The Alaska earthquake
• B. The Valdivia earthquake in Chile
• C. The Sumatra earthquake
• D. The Tohoku earthquake

Explanation: The 1960 Valdivia earthquake (magnitude 9.5) is the largest ever instrumentally recorded.

• A. The Java earthquake
• B. The Nias earthquake
• C. The Sumatra–Andaman earthquake
• D. The Banda Sea earthquake

Explanation: The magnitude 9.1 Sumatra–Andaman quake of December 2004 triggered the devastating Indian Ocean tsunami.