Science Matters
Richter Scale
The 12th instructional activity in a series of 20 opens with a demonstration of exponential functions using pasta. This concept is connected to the Richter Scale, which is also an exponential function. Scholars compare the exponential...
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Plot Current Earthquake Data
Students review earthquakes larger than 2.5 that have occurred over a span of several days using a given website reference. In this geology lesson, students plot epicenters on a world map and depth of the quake. All necessary websites...
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Stressed Out!
Students identify methods for detecting and locating earthquakes and analyzing seismic data. In this earthquake lesson students simulate the action of P and S waves.
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Earthquakes
Sixth graders explore reasons for earthquakes. They discuss and describe the types of faults. Using the internet, 6th graders research a specific location of a former earthquake. They describe the damage, magnitude, the epicenter,...
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Build An Earthquake City
Middle schoolers work together to build an earthquake city. They simulate the shaking during an earthquake to discover if their structure is built well enough. They discover how engineers complete these types of tests to develop better...
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Idaho Earthquakes
High schoolers examine the types of earthquakes that occur in Idaho. In groups, they compare and contrast the types of energy released and how they affect the movement of the Earth. To end the instructional activity, they analyze a map...
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Exploring Earthquakes in Space and Time Through the Internet and a Geographic Information System
Learners examine the frequency and distribution of earthquake epicenters and compare these epicenters to the distribution of plate boundaries and cities.
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Seismic Waves
Students work together to discuss seismic waves. Using seismograph records, they practice determining where the epicenter of the earthquake was located. They identify and illustrate the three types of waves and how the records can be...
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Earthquake Depth
Students research and locate earthquake epicenters on a map using latitude and longitude. They determine if the depth of an earthquake has any relationship to the distance from a plate boundary.
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Locate-a-quake
Student, use seismic readings of the same earthquake from three recording stations and locate the epicenter of an earthquake on a map.
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Seismic Waves
Learners identify the four types of seismic waves, their characteristics and effects. Then they predict the level of damage each wave might cause in a residential area and test their predictions against several computer animations. ...
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Shake, Rattle and Roll
Sixth graders explore the causes and effects of earthquakes. They also collect and analyze data in graphs. They also use the Internet to research earthquakes
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Earthquakes and Seismic Waves
Students investigate the Richter scale and seismology in a teacher-led lab in which they are introduced to the concept of seismic waves and epicenter location. They further investigate the inner workings of a seismograph and practice...
Science Matters
Earth Shaking Events
The world's largest measured earthquake happened in 1960 in Chile, reaching a terrifying 9.5 magnitude on the Richter Scale. The second activity in the 20-part series introduces earthquakes and fault lines. Scholars map where previous...
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Earthquake Plotting
Students become familiar with map coordinates. They establish the frequency of earthquake occurrences and study the location and magnitude of earthquakes. To establish the location of plate boundaries.
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Borah Peak Earthquake
learners use the internet, an atlas map, and other sources to explore a map of Idaho. They locate the Lost River Range and Mt. Borah. Students read the atlas map to locate earthquake faults, find the magnitude, fault, and epicenter of...
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Earthquake on the Playground
Students investigate earthquakes by examining chart data. In this disasters lesson, students identify the waves that are recorded when an earthquake arises by reading sample graphs in class. Students participate in an earthquake...
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Lesson 3 Activity 1: On the Trail of Knowledge
High schoolers plot the earthquake epicenter data on the base map of the North Atlantic ocean floor using different symbols or colors to characterize different values.
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Earth Science: In Depth Look at Earthquakes
Students engage in an interactive Internet instructional activity covering the reasons and results of earthquakes. After reading eyewitness accounts and viewing animations, they use seismograms to measure and locate the epicenters. In an...
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Virtual Earthquake
Young scholars visit a website that features online interactive geology and biology simulations. They observe and estimate the amplitude of the largest wave and transfer the information to a nomogram. Based on the nomogram students will...
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Earthquake Waves
Fourth graders pour three cups of sand on the top of a plastic table near the edge. They tap the table lightly with the rubber mallet. When they tap the table lightly they see the sand ump into the air.
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Plate Patterns
Students review the patterns they discovered from a previous activity. In this investigative instructional activity students plot data as a class and color a map.
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A Whole Lot of Shakin' Goin' On!
Students gather data about the 1906 and 1989 earthquakes, make comparisons between the two, and determine the factors that influence the amount of shaking that occurs in an area due to an earthquake. They identify that the distance is...
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Seismic waves
Students discover the differences between P- and S-waves using a slinky. They see that when displacement occurs along a fault, the built up strain of energy is released in the form of seismic waves.