An earthquake occurs with an epicenter in the town of New Madrid,Missouri,in the interior of the North American Plate.Where might the hypocenter of this earthquake plausibly be found?
A)in New Madrid ("hypocenter" and "epicenter" mean precisely the same thing)
B)10 km south of New Madrid
C)20 km beneath New Madrid
D)200 km beneath New Madrid

Question

Quizplus · Accepted Answer

The hypocenter of an earthquake is the point beneath Earth's surface where the seismic energy is released, and the epicenter is the point on Earth's surface directly above the hypocenter. Since the earthquake occurred within the interior of the North American Plate, it is unlikely that the hypocenter would be located directly under New Madrid or in close proximity to it. Option C is the best choice as it is plausible for the hypocenter to be located 20 km beneath New Madrid, which corresponds to the town's depth at the boundary between the North American Plate and the underlying mantle. Options B and D are less likely as they are too far removed from the epicenter and would require more energy to be released to generate vibrations that could reach the surface.

An Earthquake Occurs with an Epicenter in the Town of New