Earthquakes eLab Directions
DIRECTIONS: GO TO WWW.MAGNER.WEEBLY.COM AND FIND THE TAB
THAT SAYS EARTH SCIENCE. THERE SHOULD BE A TAB FOR
ASSIGNMENTS. CLICK THAT AND FIND THE EARTHQUAKE SIMULATION
INSTRUCTIONS. TODAY YOU WILL BE USING A FEW SIMULATIONS TO
STUDY HOW EARTHQUAKES WORK. ALL WORK GOES ON YOUR LAB
SHEET/NOTEBOOK. GOOD LUCK!
A. REALTIME EARTHQUAKE MAP.
1. MANIPULATE THE MAP by selecting different features. Click on a few Earthquakes to retrieve data.
2. In BOX 1 OF YOUR LAB SHEET, answer the following question in complete sentences. In the PAST
WEEK, what areas have experienced large Earthquakes? How Large?
B. EARTHQUAKE SIMULATOR
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Go back to the class website and find the button that says NATIONAL GEOGRAPHIC EARTHQUAKE
SIMULATOR. Click it. Register or skip registration. Where the page says choose a force, select
Earthquake (seismic wave icon).
READ. IN BOX 2 OF YOUR LABSHEET answer the following: A. WHAT IS AN EARTHQUAKE? B.
What was the deadliest earthquake in history? What happened?
Click next to go to 2. Read about the location of Earthquakes around the world. IN BOX 3 OF YOUR LAB
SHEET, answer the following: WHAT IS THE RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN EARTHQUAKES AND
PLATE BOUNDARIES?
Go to slide three. IN BOX 4 OF YOUR LAB SHEET ANSWER THE FOLLOWING: How does stress build
up to cause an Earthquake?
Press next to ‘fly’ over the San Andreas Fault.
Go to slide four. DRAW AND LABEL the four types of faults in BOX 5 OF YOUR LAB SHEET.
Go to slide five. Read about measuring Earthquakes. IN BOX 6 OF YOUR LAB SHEET answer the
following: What do P and S waves tell us about earthquakes?
Go to slide six. Trigger an Earthquake. Record the details of your earthquake in BOX 7 OF YOUR LAB
SHEET.
Slide 7. Create a low magnitude Earthquake located in bedrock. In BOX8 OF YOUR LABE SHEET, record
what happened.
Using the simulator, determine the following: WHAT IS THE WORST AND BEST COMBINATION OF
variables for the survival of a building in an earthquake? For example, what happens when the building is
built on an old landfill. RECORD YOUR FINDING IN BOX 9 OF YOUR LABSHEET.
C. SIGNIFICANT EARTHQUAKES IN HISTORY
1.
Go back to the class website, geology, assignments, and finally hit the button that says ‘SIGNIFICANT
EARTHQUAKES IN HISTORY’. Read about bad Earthquakes.
2. In box 10 of your lab sheet answer the following: IN YOUR OPINION WHAT WAS THE WORST
EARTHQUAKE IN HISTORY? WHY?
D. EARTHQUAKE QUIZ
1. Click on the tab labeled PLATE MOTION. Go back to the class website, find the button that
says Earthquake quiz. Take the quiz and read about the answers. What was your score? Record
this in Box 11. You are done!
Completed Simulation – 15 pts!
Completed experiments -15 pts!
Quiz – 4 pts!