Which type of graph is used when an ArcGIS user displays magnitude on an x-axis and duration on a y-axis for earthquake data analysis?

The correct choice is a scatter plot. A scatter plot is utilized to display relationships between two continuous quantitative variables, making it ideal for examining earthquake data where magnitude can represent one variable along the x-axis and duration another variable along the y-axis. Each point on the scatter plot represents an individual earthquake event, allowing for visualization of trends, correlations, or clusters in the data.

In this context, using magnitude on the x-axis provides insight into the strength of the earthquakes, while the duration on the y-axis helps analyze how long the event lasted. This format allows analysts to easily observe any patterns, such as whether stronger earthquakes tend to last longer or if there is no clear relationship between these two variables.

A box plot would not be appropriate here because it is primarily used to summarize and compare distributions of a single continuous variable across different categories rather than displaying relationships between two variables. A histogram is used for showing the frequency distribution of a single continuous variable, not for comparing two variables. A bar graph typically illustrates categorical data or counts rather than continuous data relationships, making it less suitable for analyzing the interaction between magnitude and duration in earthquake data.