To understand earthquake hazards and to predict the effect of an earthquake on people, the only factor to consider is earthquake size or magnitude.

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BlackTom AI · Accepted Answer

The statement asks whether understanding earthquake hazards and predicting effects on people rests solely on earthquake size (magnitude).
Option 1: True. This is not accurate because focusing only on magnitude ignores many crucial influences on hazards and impacts, such as distance from the epicenter, depth of the quake, duration and frequency content of ground shaking, local ground conditions and site effects, building design and construction quality, occupancy patterns, population density, and infrastructure vulnerability. 
Option 2: False. This option correctly indicates that magnitude is only one piece of a complex puzzle. Hazard assessment also involves predicting ground shaking intensity and duration at different locations, soil amplification, topography, depth and mechanism of the event, proximity to faults, response of structures, time of day, and emergency response capacity. In practice, comprehensive seismic risk assessment combines seismology, geology, engineering, and social factors, not just the size of the event. 
In summary, relying exclusively on magnitude would oversimplify earthquake hazards and misestimate impacts, because many interacting variables determine how severely people and systems are affected.

GEO 1030-090 Fall 2025 GEO 1030-090 Final Exam

To understand earthquake hazards and to predict the effect of an earthquake on people, the only factor to consider is earthquake size or magnitude.

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