Geological Hazards

Chapter 4 Test

Short Answer

Below are 5 Short Answer questions. Each question is worth 4 points for a total of 20 points:

16. The _is an open-ended logarithmic scale that describes the energy release of an earthquake through a measure of shock wave amplitude.

17. Areas that are prone to frequent volcanic activity are known as , such as the one in Hawaii.

18. The major driving force behind landslides is gravity, assisted by .

19. is the gradual settling of the Earth’s surface that occurs because of subsurface movement of earth materials and the resulting loss of support below ground, which can occur naturally or by human activity, such as removal of groundwater.

20. is the wearing away of the land surface adjacent to the ocean by detachment and movement of sand, soil and rock fragments

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Chapter 4 Test

Essay

Below are 2 Essay questions. Answer each question using complete sentences. Each question is worth 10 points for a total of 20 points:

21. The United States has experienced some very disastrous and catastrophic earthquakes in its history. Select two earthquakes described in chapter 4 and compare and contrast the intensity and damage for each.

22. Describe why earthquakes tend to have more severe impacts on poorer countries as opposed to wealthier countries.

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Chapter 4 Test

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Chapter 5 Answer Key

Multiple Choice/True-False

1. c. wildfires

2. d. All of the above

3. b. dealing with both natural and human-made hazards simultaneously

4. d. Olympic Bombing July 1996

5. a. Hazmat Train Derailment July 2001

6. b. religious

7. b. eco-terrorist

8. True

9. False

10. True

11. True

12. True

13. False

16. Terrorism

18. Looting

19. media

21. Bank Robbers or Terrorists?

A group of bank robbers who kill the bank manager, blow up the vault, and escape with the contents would not be considered terrorists. But if they did the same thing with the intent to cause a crisis in public confidence in the banking system and destabilization of the economy, then the gang could be considered terrorists. In this case, the motive and long-term consequences are

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Chapter 5 Answer Key

factors that mark the distinction between the robbers who are seeking personal gain, and robbers who are seeking to make a political statement and cause widespread and lingering impacts through their actions.

22. The accident at the Three Mile Island Unit 2 (TMI-2) nuclear power plant near Middletown, Pennsylvania, on March 28, 1979, was the most serious in U.S. commercial nuclear power plant operating history, even though it led to no deaths or injuries to plant workers or members of the nearby community. But it brought about sweeping changes involving emergency response planning, reactor operator training, human factors engineering, radiation protection, and many other areas of nuclear power plant operations. It also caused the U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission to tighten and heighten its regulatory oversight..

The Three Mile Island Nuclear Generating Station sits on an artificial island in the Susquehanna River in Dauphin County, Pennsylvania, near Harrisburg, The accident, which consisted of a partial core meltdown, was caused by a combination of personnel error, design deficiencies, and component failures. The accident unfolded over the course of five tense days, as a number of agencies at the federal, state, and local level attempted to diagnose the problem (the full details of the accident were not discovered until much later), and decide whether or not the ongoing accident required a full evacuation of the population. In the end, the reactor was brought under control. No identifiable injuries due to radiation occurred, but the accident had serious economic and public relations consequences, and the cleanup process was slow and costly. It also furthered a major decline in the public popularity of nuclear power, exemplifying for many the worst fears of nuclear technology, and, until the Chernobyl accident seven years later, was considered the world's worst civilian nuclear accident