ConcepTest: EQ Recurrence Interval

ConcepTest questions by David McConnell, David Steer , Walter Borowski, Jeffrey Dick, Annabelle Foos, Jeffrey Knott, Alvin Konigsberg, Michelle Malone, Heidi McGrew, Kathie Owens, and Stephen Van Horn
This material was originally created for Starting Point:Introductory Geology
and is replicated here as part of the SERC Pedagogic Service.

Question:

Plate A moves 3 cm/yr past plate B. A typical earthquake along the plate boundary has 6 meters of slip. What is the recurrence interval of the earthquake?

a. 0.2 years
b. 2 years
c. 200 years
d. 2000 years

Student Responses:

No data yet. The correct response is C.

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References and Notes: