On Shaking Ground

Learner Outcomes
By completing these activities, the learner will:

• suggest process that can destroy buildings.
• understand that earthquakes occur in some parts of the United States.
• discern patterns of world-wide earthquake locations.
• predict where earthquakes are most likely to occur.
• practice procedures to follow should an earthquake occur.

View the following pictures of buildings and other man-made things found on the Internet. Suggest what you think might have happened to them:

• Kobe, Japan 1995
• Northridge California 1994
• SanFrancisco 1989
• SanFrancisco 1906
• AnchorageAlaska 1964

Concept Introduction

Earthquakes occur in lots of different places. Look at some of the recent earthquake locations around the world right now.

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National Map of Earthquakes Recorded in the Last 14 Days

As you can see, most of the earthquakes occuring in the United States are in the western portion. This includes:
 

Although earthquakes are infrequent, there are also active regions in southeastern Canada and in the MississippiValley.

More Earthquake Maps on the Web

Questions:

• Do you think that it is likely that an earthquake could occur where you live?
• What would it be like?
• What would you do?

Concept Application

• What would an earthquake feel like? Can you pretend that there is an earthquake? Draw a picture of the damage.
• What should you do if there is an earthquake? Teach other students in your school and PRACTICE!
• What would your school principal do if there was an earthquake? What would you do if you were the principal?
• What do you do after an earthquake? Who helps people after natural disasters?
• Use Internet resources to find out information if a new earthquake occurs.

Extensions

Plot the location of earthquakes

Students can plot the epicenters on a large classroom map of the region to be studied. Students use pieces of yarn attached to sliding hooks across the top and side of the map as guides to the longitude and lattitude coordinates from the seismic data taken from the interenet. The location of the quake is marked by a pin sticker, or colored on the map.

After charting this data for a month use the map and analyze the data. Examples of questions .

• Count all the earthquakes in each state. Use the information to determine total

number of earthquakes in the region. Also, which state has the most earthquakes? Least earthquakes? How many earthquakes were in each state? What is the difference in earthquakes between the state with the most and the state with the least? Make a graph of the number of earthquakes in each state over a 1 or 3 month period.
• Sort earthquakes by Richter Scale Rating (sort by greater than magnitude four and less than magnitude four)
• Find the total of the number of eathquakes in each category. What is the difference between them?
• What earthquake had the greatest magnitude? Where was the location of the epicenter?
• Name a place that had many earthquakes.
• Why do you think that place had so many earthquakes?
• Name an area you predict will have an earthquake. Explain why you think this is so.
• After recording data for 5 months have students make general observations about patterns they see developing on the classroom map. Have them explain their reasoning for these observations.