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Topic:
Earth Science
Type of
Web activity:
Using data from the Web
Materials
/ Software needed:
Web browser.
Poster-sized
map of world (like from National
Geographic)
Grade
Level:
5-12
Time
involved:
Several Weeks to Several Months
Created
on:
July 26, 1996
Updated:
August 2005
The Web
Science Workshop lessons were created in cooperation with the
Exploratorium Teacher
Institute.
This site
developed and maintained by Deborah
Hunt and Eric Muller.
3601 Lyon
St.
San Francisco, CA 94123
©The Exploratorium
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Create a
map of earthquake epicenters and define plate boundaries around the
world. This lesson may take a few months to complete, so be patient.
Below
are two variations of this lesson: the classroom version and the
individual version.
Classroom
version:
1) Buy a large map of the world and a box of push pins.
2) Go to the IRIS
Web site and check out earthquake that have occured Mag. 4 and
above for the last 30 days
(IRIS stands for: Incorporated Research Institutions for Seismology).http://www.iris.edu/seismon/last30days.phtml
This page only presents earthquake
information in text only.
3) Stick a
tack in the map where an earthquake has occurred.
4) Return to the IRIS earthquake page every week and stick new pins in
the map. Repeat this until a distinct pattern begins to appear.
Image from the USGS showing years worth of
epicenter locations.
5) Optional:
- Use
different colored pins for different earthquake magnitudes.
- Use
different colored pins to represent earthquake depth (0-100 km, 100-200
km, 200-300 km, >300km). The pattern of colors will eventually show
where there are subduction zones.
Individual
lessons:
1) Print a map from the link below.
Exploratorium
Map information page.
2) Mark latitude and longitude coordinates on this map.
3) Go to the IRIS
earthquake page.
4) Make a mark on your map whereever an earthquake has occured.
5) Repeat this every week until a distinct pattern begins to appear.
6) Optional:
- Use
different colored pins for different earthquake magnitudes.
- Use
different colored pins to represent earthquake depth (0-100 km, 100-200
km, 200-300 km, >300km). The pattern of colors will eventually show
where there are subduction zones.
For
more information:
- To
see what your map will eventually look like, click here.
- For a
map of earthquake for the last 7 days, 1 month or year, click here.
- For
more information on maps, click here.
- To
find out why earthquakes happen in certain locations, click here.
- For
even more information on earthquakes, click here.
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