CLASS: IX CHAPTER – 8 GEOGRAPHY

EARTHQUAKES

I. Fill in the blanks:

1. the strain in the earth’s crust

2. P-waves or Primary waves

3. L-waves or Long waves or Surface waves

4. Tsunami

5. Circum Pacific Mountain Belt

II. Short Answer Questions

1. An earthquake is a tremor or vibrating movement below the surface of the earth which causes

shaking of the earth’s crust. An earthquake of 7.5 intensity occurred in the Sulawesi Province

in Indonesia, killed about 2000 people.

2.

(i) Plate Tectonics;

(ii) Volcanoes;

3.

(i) Construction of large dams near fault zones; e.g., Koyna earthquake in Maharashtra.

(ii) Nuclear Explosions; e.g., earthquakes in Colorado (USA) in the 1960s.

4. Seismic focus is the point of origin of seismic waves, inside the earth. Epicentre is the point

on the surface of the earth directly above the seismic focus.

5. The Richter Scale is an instrument for measuring intensity or power of an earthquake. It is

used to measures the power of earthquake between 1 to 9. For each 1 point upward, the

earthquake is 10 times more powerful.

6.

(i) Earthquakes help the earth to release its stored up energy and thus helps the earth to stay in

good shape.

(ii) Earthquakes either raise or lower parts of earth and result in landform formation.

7.

(i) Earthquakes cause man-made structures like buildings to collapse and thus, results in loss

of life and property.

(ii) They cause land areas to get submerged under water, especially in the coastal areas.

(iii) They cause changes in the course of rivers, thus making an area from which the river is

moved to become hard for cultivation of crops.

(Any two)

8. A tsunami is a large destructive ocean wave caused by some disturbance like an earthquake,

volcanic eruption, landslide or meteorite impact which rapidly displaces a large amount of

water. A tsunami struck Java and Sumatra in Indonesia on December 22, 2018 caused by

undersea landslides that happened due to an ongoing eruption of Anak Krakatau volcano.

9. The Japanese predict earthquakes by:

(i) measuring changes in the sea level;

(ii) noticing the changes or variations in the magnetic field of the earth.

10.
(i) The Circum Pacific Mountain Belt.

(ii) The Midworld Mountain belt.

III. Match the following

1. (c);

2. (e);

3. (a);

4. (b);

5. (d).

IV. Structured Questions

1.

(a) Refer to ‘Causes of Earthquakes’ in the textbook.

(b) Refer to Exercise. II, Q.No. 4.

(c)

(i) Because when plates move, they either slip past each other or collide against each other and

their edges produce faults along the lines of weakness and cause earthquakes.

(ii) Because primary waves can pass through solids, liquids and gases.

(iii) Because both the earthquakes and volcanoes are formed along faults between tectonic

plates, where the crust is the weakest.

(d) Refer to ‘Anatomy of an Earthquake’ in the textbook.

2.

(a) Yes, the destructive effects of an earthquake are far more than its constructive effects

because:

(i) whenever they happen, they cause loss of life and property.

(ii) they lead to submergence of land;

(iii) they change the course of rivers and make land unsuitable for agriculture and irrigation;

(iv) they trigger landslides and tsunamis which cause heavy damage;

(b) The intensity of an earthquakes is measured by using Richter Scale and the Mercalli’s Scale.

For details refer to the textbook.

(c) There is no fool proof way to predict an earthquake. Seismologists use the P and S seismic

waves to predict earthquakes.

(d) Refer to ‘Distribution of Earthquakes’ in the textbook.