Inge Lehmann — Questions and answers

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What did Inge Lehmann detect after a major earthquake in 1929?

Choices

  1. A new type of rock on the surface.
  2. An anomaly carried by seismic waves. ✓
  3. A quiet period with no seismic activity.
  4. A completely liquid core.

Answer: An anomaly carried by seismic waves.

From page 1

Before Inge Lehmann's work, what did scientists believe Earth's core was mostly like?

Choices

  1. It was entirely solid.
  2. It was entirely liquid. ✓
  3. It was made of gas.
  4. It was hollow.

Answer: It was entirely liquid.

From page 2

What event helped Inge Lehmann gather important data for her discovery?

Choices

  1. A volcanic eruption in Europe.
  2. A powerful Murchison earthquake in New Zealand. ✓
  3. A flood in Denmark.
  4. The invention of a new type of telescope.

Answer: A powerful Murchison earthquake in New Zealand.

From page 4

What groundbreaking idea did Inge Lehmann propose about Earth's core in 1936?

Choices

  1. The entire core was made of gas.
  2. There was a solid inner core inside the liquid outer core. ✓
  3. The core was much smaller than previously thought.
  4. The core was completely hollow.

Answer: There was a solid inner core inside the liquid outer core.

From page 5

According to Lehmann's model, what happens to P-waves when they meet the solid inner core?

Choices

  1. They completely stop and disappear.
  2. They reflect off it and refract (bend) through it. ✓
  3. They speed up so much they are not detectable.
  4. They turn into S-waves.

Answer: They reflect off it and refract (bend) through it.

From page 6

Who helped confirm Inge Lehmann's discovery of the solid inner core?

Choices

  1. Her family members and friends.
  2. Other leading seismologists like Charles Richter and Beno Gutenberg. ✓
  3. Only people who already believed in her idea.
  4. Politicians from her home country.

Answer: Other leading seismologists like Charles Richter and Beno Gutenberg.

From page 7

What important part of Earth did Lehmann's discovery help scientists understand better?

Choices

  1. How clouds form in the sky.
  2. Earth's powerful magnetic field. ✓
  3. Why volcanoes erupt on the surface.
  4. The movement of ocean tides.

Answer: Earth's powerful magnetic field.

From page 8

Besides the magnetic field, what else did Lehmann's discovery help scientists understand about Earth?

Choices

  1. The different types of plants growing on Earth.
  2. How Earth changes over time and why it can support life. ✓
  3. The exact number of rivers on Earth.
  4. How big the moon is compared to Earth.

Answer: How Earth changes over time and why it can support life.

From page 9

What does Inge Lehmann's legacy inspire scientists to do?

Choices

  1. To only study things that are easy to see.
  2. To ignore small details in their research.
  3. To look beyond the obvious and trust the data. ✓
  4. To always agree with established ideas without question.

Answer: To look beyond the obvious and trust the data.

From page 10