Geography · General Awareness

Geology and Earth Structure

1,268 Questions

Geology and Earth Structure explores the physical composition of the planet, including its layers, tectonic plates, and seismic activity. This topic is a core component of geography and general science sections in various competitive exams. Reviewing these concepts builds a solid foundation for answering questions related to natural phenomena.

Layers of the EarthTectonic PlatesEarthquakes and VolcanoesGeomagnetism ApplicationsGeophysical MethodsLandform Formation

Geology and Earth Structure Questions

Multiple choice
  1. The devastation caused by an earthquake

  2. The frequency of earthquakes at a particular place

  3. The amount of energy released by an earthquake

  4. All of the above

Reveal answer Fill a bubble to check yourself
C Correct answer
Explanation

‘Seismograph’ measures the amount of energy released by an earthquake.

Multiple choice

Directions: Choose the most correct option out of following: Which of the following does not mean “Tremor”?

Seismograph: Seismologists study earthquakes by going out and looking at the damage caused by the earthquakes and by using seismographs. A seismograph is an instrument that records the shaking of the earth's surface caused by seismic waves. The term seismometer is also used to refer to the same device, and the two terms are often used interchangably. The first seismograph was invented in 132 A.D. by the Chinese astronomer and mathematician Chang Heng. He called it an earthquake weathercock. Each of the eight dragons had a bronze ball in its mouth. Whenever there was even a slight earth tremor, a mechanism inside the seismograph would open the mouth of one dragon. The bronze ball would fall into the open mouth of one of the toads, making enough noise to alert someone that an earthquake had just happened. Imperial watchman could tell which direction the earthquake came from by seeing which dragon's mouth was empty. In 136 A.D. a Chinese scientist named Choke updated this meter and called it a seismoscope. Columns of a viscous liquid were used in place of metal balls. The height to which the liquid was washed up the side of the vessel indicated the intensity and a line joining the points of maximum motion also denoted the direction of the tremor. Most seismographs today are electronic, but a basic seismograph is made of a drum with paper on it, a bar or spring with a hinge at one or both ends, a weight, and a pen. The one end of the bar or spring is bolted to a pole or metal box that is bolted to the ground. The weight is put on the other end of the bar and the pen is stuck to the weight. The drum with paper on it presses against the pen and turns constantly. When there is an earthquake, everything in the seismograph moves except the weight with the pen on it. As the drum and paper shake next to the pen, the pen makes squiggly lines on the paper, creating a record of the earthquake. This record made by the seismograph is called a seismogram. By studying the seismogram, the seismologist can tell how far away the earthquake was and how strong it was. This record doesn't tell the seismologist exactly where the epicenter was, just that the earthquake happened so many miles or kilometers away from that seismograph. To find the exact epicenter, you need to know what at least two other seismographs in other parts of the country or world recorded.

  1. Upheavel

  2. Stillness

  3. Quiver

  4. Wobble

Reveal answer Fill a bubble to check yourself
B Correct answer
Explanation

Because Tremor and Stillness are antonyms.

Multiple choice

Directions: Choose the most correct option out of following: What was the name given to the first Seismograph?

Seismograph: Seismologists study earthquakes by going out and looking at the damage caused by the earthquakes and by using seismographs. A seismograph is an instrument that records the shaking of the earth's surface caused by seismic waves. The term seismometer is also used to refer to the same device, and the two terms are often used interchangably. The first seismograph was invented in 132 A.D. by the Chinese astronomer and mathematician Chang Heng. He called it an earthquake weathercock. Each of the eight dragons had a bronze ball in its mouth. Whenever there was even a slight earth tremor, a mechanism inside the seismograph would open the mouth of one dragon. The bronze ball would fall into the open mouth of one of the toads, making enough noise to alert someone that an earthquake had just happened. Imperial watchman could tell which direction the earthquake came from by seeing which dragon's mouth was empty. In 136 A.D. a Chinese scientist named Choke updated this meter and called it a seismoscope. Columns of a viscous liquid were used in place of metal balls. The height to which the liquid was washed up the side of the vessel indicated the intensity and a line joining the points of maximum motion also denoted the direction of the tremor. Most seismographs today are electronic, but a basic seismograph is made of a drum with paper on it, a bar or spring with a hinge at one or both ends, a weight, and a pen. The one end of the bar or spring is bolted to a pole or metal box that is bolted to the ground. The weight is put on the other end of the bar and the pen is stuck to the weight. The drum with paper on it presses against the pen and turns constantly. When there is an earthquake, everything in the seismograph moves except the weight with the pen on it. As the drum and paper shake next to the pen, the pen makes squiggly lines on the paper, creating a record of the earthquake. This record made by the seismograph is called a seismogram. By studying the seismogram, the seismologist can tell how far away the earthquake was and how strong it was. This record doesn't tell the seismologist exactly where the epicenter was, just that the earthquake happened so many miles or kilometers away from that seismograph. To find the exact epicenter, you need to know what at least two other seismographs in other parts of the country or world recorded.

  1. Seismometer

  2. Earthquake weathercock

  3. Seismoscope

  4. Seismogram

Reveal answer Fill a bubble to check yourself
B Correct answer
Explanation

The first seismograph was invented in 132 A.D. by the Chinese astronomer and mathematician Chang Heng. He called it an earthquake weathercock.

Multiple choice

Directions: Choose the most correct option out of following: Which of the following was used in Choke's seismoscope?

Seismograph: Seismologists study earthquakes by going out and looking at the damage caused by the earthquakes and by using seismographs. A seismograph is an instrument that records the shaking of the earth's surface caused by seismic waves. The term seismometer is also used to refer to the same device, and the two terms are often used interchangably. The first seismograph was invented in 132 A.D. by the Chinese astronomer and mathematician Chang Heng. He called it an earthquake weathercock. Each of the eight dragons had a bronze ball in its mouth. Whenever there was even a slight earth tremor, a mechanism inside the seismograph would open the mouth of one dragon. The bronze ball would fall into the open mouth of one of the toads, making enough noise to alert someone that an earthquake had just happened. Imperial watchman could tell which direction the earthquake came from by seeing which dragon's mouth was empty. In 136 A.D. a Chinese scientist named Choke updated this meter and called it a seismoscope. Columns of a viscous liquid were used in place of metal balls. The height to which the liquid was washed up the side of the vessel indicated the intensity and a line joining the points of maximum motion also denoted the direction of the tremor. Most seismographs today are electronic, but a basic seismograph is made of a drum with paper on it, a bar or spring with a hinge at one or both ends, a weight, and a pen. The one end of the bar or spring is bolted to a pole or metal box that is bolted to the ground. The weight is put on the other end of the bar and the pen is stuck to the weight. The drum with paper on it presses against the pen and turns constantly. When there is an earthquake, everything in the seismograph moves except the weight with the pen on it. As the drum and paper shake next to the pen, the pen makes squiggly lines on the paper, creating a record of the earthquake. This record made by the seismograph is called a seismogram. By studying the seismogram, the seismologist can tell how far away the earthquake was and how strong it was. This record doesn't tell the seismologist exactly where the epicenter was, just that the earthquake happened so many miles or kilometers away from that seismograph. To find the exact epicenter, you need to know what at least two other seismographs in other parts of the country or world recorded.

  1. Metal balls

  2. Bronze balls

  3. Viscous liquid

  4. Drum

Reveal answer Fill a bubble to check yourself
C Correct answer
Explanation

In 136 A.D. a Chinese scientist named Choke updated this meter and called it a seismoscope. Columns of a viscous liquid were used in place of metal balls.

Multiple choice

Directions: Choose the most correct option out of following: Which of the following statements is true?

Seismograph: Seismologists study earthquakes by going out and looking at the damage caused by the earthquakes and by using seismographs. A seismograph is an instrument that records the shaking of the earth's surface caused by seismic waves. The term seismometer is also used to refer to the same device, and the two terms are often used interchangably. The first seismograph was invented in 132 A.D. by the Chinese astronomer and mathematician Chang Heng. He called it an earthquake weathercock. Each of the eight dragons had a bronze ball in its mouth. Whenever there was even a slight earth tremor, a mechanism inside the seismograph would open the mouth of one dragon. The bronze ball would fall into the open mouth of one of the toads, making enough noise to alert someone that an earthquake had just happened. Imperial watchman could tell which direction the earthquake came from by seeing which dragon's mouth was empty. In 136 A.D. a Chinese scientist named Choke updated this meter and called it a seismoscope. Columns of a viscous liquid were used in place of metal balls. The height to which the liquid was washed up the side of the vessel indicated the intensity and a line joining the points of maximum motion also denoted the direction of the tremor. Most seismographs today are electronic, but a basic seismograph is made of a drum with paper on it, a bar or spring with a hinge at one or both ends, a weight, and a pen. The one end of the bar or spring is bolted to a pole or metal box that is bolted to the ground. The weight is put on the other end of the bar and the pen is stuck to the weight. The drum with paper on it presses against the pen and turns constantly. When there is an earthquake, everything in the seismograph moves except the weight with the pen on it. As the drum and paper shake next to the pen, the pen makes squiggly lines on the paper, creating a record of the earthquake. This record made by the seismograph is called a seismogram. By studying the seismogram, the seismologist can tell how far away the earthquake was and how strong it was. This record doesn't tell the seismologist exactly where the epicenter was, just that the earthquake happened so many miles or kilometers away from that seismograph. To find the exact epicenter, you need to know what at least two other seismographs in other parts of the country or world recorded.

  1. A seismogram does not tell the intensity of an earthquake.

  2. Seismograph and seismogram are similar.

  3. Seismograph and seismometer are alike.

  4. A seismograph exactly tells the epicentre of an earthquake.

Reveal answer Fill a bubble to check yourself
C Correct answer
Explanation

A seismograph is an instrument that records the shaking of the earth's surface caused by seismic waves. The term seismometer is also used to refer to the same device, and the two terms are often used interchangably.

Multiple choice

Directions: Choose the most correct option out of following: What kind of lines are made on the paper in a seismogram?

Seismograph: Seismologists study earthquakes by going out and looking at the damage caused by the earthquakes and by using seismographs. A seismograph is an instrument that records the shaking of the earth's surface caused by seismic waves. The term seismometer is also used to refer to the same device, and the two terms are often used interchangably. The first seismograph was invented in 132 A.D. by the Chinese astronomer and mathematician Chang Heng. He called it an earthquake weathercock. Each of the eight dragons had a bronze ball in its mouth. Whenever there was even a slight earth tremor, a mechanism inside the seismograph would open the mouth of one dragon. The bronze ball would fall into the open mouth of one of the toads, making enough noise to alert someone that an earthquake had just happened. Imperial watchman could tell which direction the earthquake came from by seeing which dragon's mouth was empty. In 136 A.D. a Chinese scientist named Choke updated this meter and called it a seismoscope. Columns of a viscous liquid were used in place of metal balls. The height to which the liquid was washed up the side of the vessel indicated the intensity and a line joining the points of maximum motion also denoted the direction of the tremor. Most seismographs today are electronic, but a basic seismograph is made of a drum with paper on it, a bar or spring with a hinge at one or both ends, a weight, and a pen. The one end of the bar or spring is bolted to a pole or metal box that is bolted to the ground. The weight is put on the other end of the bar and the pen is stuck to the weight. The drum with paper on it presses against the pen and turns constantly. When there is an earthquake, everything in the seismograph moves except the weight with the pen on it. As the drum and paper shake next to the pen, the pen makes squiggly lines on the paper, creating a record of the earthquake. This record made by the seismograph is called a seismogram. By studying the seismogram, the seismologist can tell how far away the earthquake was and how strong it was. This record doesn't tell the seismologist exactly where the epicenter was, just that the earthquake happened so many miles or kilometers away from that seismograph. To find the exact epicenter, you need to know what at least two other seismographs in other parts of the country or world recorded.

  1. Straight

  2. Beeline

  3. Direct

  4. Bumpy

Reveal answer Fill a bubble to check yourself
D Correct answer
Explanation

Because squiggly means bumpy.

Multiple choice
  1. Only 1

  2. Only 2

  3. Both 1 and 2

  4. Neither 1 nor 2

Reveal answer Fill a bubble to check yourself
B Correct answer
Explanation

The 2001 Gujarat earthquake occurred on January 26, 2001, India's 51st Republic Day. The epicentre was about 9 km southwest of the village Chobari in Bhachau Taluka of Kutch district of Gujarat, India. The earthquake reached a magnitude of between 7.6 and 7.7 on the moment magnitude scale.

Multiple choice
  1. Both 1 and 2

  2. Only 1

  3. Both 1 and 3

  4. All three

Reveal answer Fill a bubble to check yourself
C Correct answer
Explanation

Volcanoes are generally found where tectonic plates are diverging or converging. A mid-oceanic ridge, for example: the Mid-Atlantic Ridge has examples of volcanoes caused by divergent tectonic plates pulling apart. The Pacific Ring of Fire has examples of volcanoes caused by convergent tectonic plates coming together. By contrast, volcanoes are usually not created where two tectonic plates slide past one another.

Multiple choice
  1. 1 and 2

  2. 2 and 3

  3. 1 and 3

  4. All three

Reveal answer Fill a bubble to check yourself
C Correct answer
Explanation

The 2004 Indian Ocean earthquake was an undersea megathrust earthquake that occurred at 00:58:53 UTC on Sunday, 26 December, 2004, with an epicentre off the west coast of Sumatra, Indonesia. The resulting tsunami was given various names, including the 2004 Indian Ocean tsunami, South Asian tsunami, Indonesian tsunami and the Boxing Day tsunami. With a magnitude of MW 9.1–9.3, it is the third largest earthquake ever recorded on a seismograph. The earthquake had the longest duration of faulting ever observed, between 8.3 and 10 minutes.

Multiple choice
  1. Nootka Fault

  2. San Andreas Fault

  3. Laptev Rift

  4. Cochabamba Fault

Reveal answer Fill a bubble to check yourself
B Correct answer
Explanation

The San Andreas Fault is a continental transform fault that runs a length of roughly 810 miles (1,300 km) through California in the United States. It forms the tectonic boundary between the Pacific Plate and the North American Plate. On September 28, 2004, at 10:15 A.M. PDT, a magnitude 6.0 earthquake struck California on the San Andreas Fault. It was felt across the state, including the San Francisco Bay Area.

Multiple choice
  1. Only 1

  2. Only 2

  3. Both 1 and 2

  4. Neither 1 nor 2

Reveal answer Fill a bubble to check yourself
A Correct answer
Explanation

The Alpide belt is a mountain range which extends along the southern margin of Eurasia. Stretching from Java to Sumatra through the Himalayas, the Mediterranean and out into the Atlantic, it includes the Alps, the Carpathians, the mountains of Anatolia and Iran, the Hindu Kush and the mountains of Southeast Asia. The Alpide belt is being created by ongoing plate tectonics namely the process of collision between the northward-moving African, Arabian and Indian plates and the Eurasian plate. The most seismically active zone in the world is the Pacific Ring of Fire. Alpide Belt falls on the second position behind it in terms of seismicity.

Multiple choice
  1. Only 1

  2. Only 2

  3. Both 1 and 2

  4. Neither 1 nor 2

Reveal answer Fill a bubble to check yourself
D Correct answer
Explanation

The epicentre is the point on the Earth's surface that is directly above the hypocenter or focus, the point where an earthquake or underground explosion originates. Thus, focus and hypocentre are synonymous terms, whereas epicentre is a related but distinct concept.

Multiple choice
  1. Only 1

  2. Only 2

  3. Both 1 and 2

  4. Neither 1 nor 2

Reveal answer Fill a bubble to check yourself
B Correct answer
Explanation

The moment magnitude scale (abbreviated as MMS; denoted as MW or M) is used by seismologists to measure the size of earthquakes in terms of the energy released. The magnitude is based on the seismic moment of the earthquake, which is equal to the rigidity of the earth multiplied by the average amount of slip on the fault and the size of the area that slipped. The MMS is the scale used to estimate magnitudes for all modern large earthquakes by the United States Geological Survey. The Richter magnitude scale (often shortened to Richter scale) was developed to assign a single number to quantify the energy released during an earthquake.

Multiple choice
  1. 1 and 2

  2. 2 and 3

  3. 1 and 3

  4. 1, 2 and 3

Reveal answer Fill a bubble to check yourself
D Correct answer
Explanation

Megathrust earthquakes occur at subduction zones at destructive plate boundaries (convergent boundaries), where one tectonic plate is subducted (forced underneath) under another. Due to the shallow dip of the plate boundary, which causes large sections to get stuck, this type of earthquakes are the planet's most powerful. Since 1900, all six earthquakes of magnitude 9.0 or greater have been megathrust earthquakes. The 2004 Indian Ocean earthquake was an undersea megathrust earthquake.