Earthquake Lesson Plans-High Schools
Use on-line earthquake hazard maps and other relevant geological inforamtion to assess hazards.
Students plot daily earthquake activity on a map, which demostrates that earthquakes are not randomly distributed throught the Earth, but occur at plate interfaces.
Students will observe fault movements on a model of the Earth's surface.
Earthquakes can provide a useful context for teaching or reviewing many basic physics concepts, such as sliding and static friction, forms of energy and conversion from one form to another, and the elastic properties of materials. Conducting the following lesson plan provides an opportunity for students to work cooperatively together, develop and test a hypothesis, make measurements, and write a short report on the results with graphs.
A teachers guide designed to introduce the concepts of waves and seismic waves that propogate within the Earth, and to provide ideas and suggestions for how to teach about seismic waves. Includes activities on elasticity, demonstrating seismic wave types with the Slinky, water waves in a wave tank, wave velocity, and the Human wave demostration.
Teaching about Plate Tectonics and Faulting with Foam Models
Demonstrate plate tectonic principles, plate boundary interactions and the geometry and relative motions of faulting of geologic layers using 3-D foam models.
An inquiry-based activity using the map "This Dynamic Planet" to teach about plate tectonics, the distribution and motion of the Earth's lithospheric plates, the locations of earthquakes and volcanoes, plate boundaries, and hotspots.
Create a plot of worldwide earthquake epicenters to display the narrow zones of seismic activity and aid in the understanding of plate tectonics. Epicenters are plotted on a small world map or a wall map. Earthquake data are obtained from teh Internet. Extensions for plotting earthquake locations on the computer are described.
Use walking and running speeds and travel times to simulate the S minus P travel time earthquake location method. Travel time curves are determined by measuring speeds of walking and running. A hypothetical earthquake epicenter is calculated by triangulation. The method can be performed outdoors or in a classroom.
Learn about earthquake activity, the locations of faults, and earthquake hazards in the San Francisco Bay Area. The activity uses the US Geological Survey's color poster "San Francisco Bay Area Earthquakes" or the page size color image of the poster provided here.
Plans for a simple seismometer that can be used to demostrate teh principles of the electromagnetic seismometer adn how shaking of the ground is recorded by a seismography. Experiments with a magnet and coil assembly illustrate the electromagnetic coupling used in most modern seismographs, principles of data recording can also be demostrated.
Plans are provided for building a simple seismograph for educational purposes. The seismograph uses homemade and readily available components. It can be attached to a computer for display and analysis. "Stomp test","Make your own earthquake," and weight drop experiments for teaching about earthquakes and wave propagation are described.
Suggestions for effective use of earthquake videotapes in classroom teaching. An example of a handout to accompany an excellent earthquake video (NOVA series "Earthquake!") is provided.
Analyze seismograms from the 1989 Loma Prieta earthquake that have been filtered to enhance the long period Rayleigh (surface) wave energy. Using the pattern of arrivals of the Rayleigh waves, infer the paths of the wave propagation determine the seismic wave velocity.
What follows in NOT a summary of the current thinking about pate tectonics and its mechanisms; rather, many new, and probably highly controversial, ideas are presented for consideration. What IS presented is a broad analysis of the basic principles that should apply to the movements of plates, some new hypotheses about how they apply to convection and landform formation, and some expected scenarios for differing tectonic events.
Use a virtual seismograph to detect the location of an earthquake.
A student/class project using statistical analysis of PEPP data to identify possible anomolies in predicted and actual data arrival times along compass rose directions. Students will track direction of earthquakes, compare predicted times of arrival with actual student picked arrival times and use a spreadsheet to analyze data in order to identify compass directions of possible structures which increase or decrease wave velocity, which in turn affects wave arrival times.
This project is designed for schools that are currently operating their own digital seismic station or monitoring another station over the Internet. This project will enable students to analyze how well designed their station is, how local geology influences the operation of ther station, and compare their station to other stations. The results of this project could introduce many possible research possibilities as well.
Given an eighteen-week semester, the student will conduct a seismological research project and successfully present the results in the form of a written scientific paper and/or participation in the local science fair.
Explain motions, transformations, and locations of materials in the Earth's lithosphere and interior. For example, describe the movement of the plates that make up the crust and Earth and the resulting formation of earthquakes, volcanoes, trenches and mountains.
The student will...
- Work collaboratively to carry out ther investigation
- Collect data appropriate to their investigation
- Organize data in charts or graphs to use in a presentation
- Identfiy the factors that can predict the likelihood of a serious earthquake (magnitude 8.0 or greater) or new volcano appearing on the North American continent.
Explain motions, tranformations, and locations of material in the Earth's lithosphere and interior. For example, describe teh movement of the plates that make up the crust of the Earth and the resulting formation of earthquakes, volcanoes, trenches, and mountains.
To introduce the study of earthquakes, the NOVA video "The Day the Earth shook" will be shown. Using seismograms, students will learn to identify P and S waves. Students will use a modified travel-time curve to determine distance to the epicenter from each seismic station. Using maps of Southern California and Japan, and a compass, the student will determine the epicenter of each earthquake from each seismic station. After completion of part A, the students will work in the computer lab-using SWAP to test their results.
We have put together model class exercises which instructors may find useful as class assignments to accompany class trips to the Wallace Creek site.
Objectives:
- Identify how the change in velocity of seismic waves indicates areas of hot, soft rock in the Earth.
- Use mathematical ratios in a scientific investigation.
Students will understand the basics of how earthquakes work and why they occur, the importance of high-quality construction in earthquake zones, the political aspects of earthquake preparedness and cleanup, and what we can learn from previous earthquakes and how these lessons can help us prepare for future earthquakes.
