Lastname 1
Joe Student
Mrs. Atkinson
Earth Science, period X
15 December 2011
Earthquakes
Introduction paragraph will contain an attention grabbing fact, one or two additional
sentences and the thesis statement. Please do not start your paper with a question or use the
pronouns I, me, or you. Please do not tell the reader you are going to explain or tell them
something – just say it. Please use facts, not opinions. An example thesis statement is:
“Earthquakes caused by plate tectonics effect California.” The introductory paragraph will be
short, only 3 to 5 sentences.
The first body paragraph answers the question: “What Causes earthquakes?”. It also
answers questions such as: what is an earthquake? what causes earthquakes? what is a fault?.
This paragraph describes what an earthquake is, plate tectonics, what happens during an
earthquake and how the Earth is affected by earthquakes. This paragraph will be written in
present tense because earthquake activity is in the present. The body paragraphs will be at least
5 to 7 sentences.
The second body paragraph answers the question: “Where are earthquakes likely to
occur and how are they measured?”. It also answers questions such as: what are seismic waves?
what does the seismic energy do on the earth’s surface? how are they measured? what do the
measurements mean? what devices are used to measure earthquakes?. This paragraph discusses
where earthquakes happen, how the earthquakes are measured and some of the effects of
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earthquakes (damage, etc.). This paragraph will be written in present tense because earthquake
activity is in the present. The body paragraphs will be at least 5 to 7 sentences.
The third body paragraph will be the most individual. It will describe an historical
California earthquake. This paragraph will answer the questions: where and when did the
earthquake happen? what type of fault? what was the magnitude? did any changes take place to
make that area more earthquake safe?. This paragraph will be written in past tense because a
historical earthquake is being discussed. This paragraph will include descriptions and the
documented reactions and recovery efforts.
The conclusion paragraph will provide a summary and restate the thesis. No new
information should be added here, but a fun fact or quote could fit in nicely. Be sure to cite all
quoted or specifically used sources in your works cited page. Be sure you have mentioned your
chart or graph in your writing in one body paragraph, and include the picture, chart or graph in
the body of the paper if possible. The conclusion paragraph will be short, just 3 to 5 sentences.
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Works Cited
"1989 Loma Prieta Earthquake." Wikipedia, the Free Encyclopedia. Web. 12 May 2009.
<http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Loma_Prieta_earthquake>.
Earthquakes. Prentice Hall. DVD.
"Earthquake Facts." U.S. Geological Survey Earthquake Hazards Program. United States
Geological Society. Web. 19 Oct. 2010. <http://earthquake.usgs.gov/learn/facts.php>.
Jenner, Janann V., Linda Cronin Jones, Marilyn Lisowski, Barbara Brooks Simons, Thomas R.
Wellnitz, and Michael Wysession. “Unit 2: Plate Tectonics and Earth’s Structure.”
Focus on California Earth Science. Boston, MA: Pearson Prentice Hall, 2008. Print.
"Measuring Earthquakes." USGS Publications Warehouse. U. S. Geological Survey. Web. 19
Oct. 2010. <http://pubs.usgs.gov/gip/earthq1/measure.html>.
Written in Stone: Earthquake Country Los Angeles. Prod. Instructional Technology Services.
Perf. Dr. Pat Abbott. San Diego State University, 2004. DVD.
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Glossary
Base-isolated building -- rests on shock absorbing rubber pads or springs to reduce the amount of
energy that reaches a building during an earthquake
Compression – a type of stress that squeezes (until the rock folds
Epicenter – the point on the surface directly above the focus
Focus – the area beneath Earth’s surface where the rock that is under stress breaks, triggering an
earthquake
Magnitude – a number that geologists assign to an earthquake based on its size
Mercalli scale – rates earthquakes according their intensity using roman numerals
Moment magnitude scale – a rating system that estimates the total energy released by an
earthquake
P wave – seismic waves that compress and expand the ground like an accordion
Richter scale – assigns a magnitude number to an earthquake based on the size of seismic waves
S wave – seismic waves that vibrate from side to side as well as up and down
Seismograph – a tool to measure seismic waves
Stress – a force that acts on an area (of rock) to change its shape or volume
Strike-slip fault – a place where the plates are moving past each other
Surface wave – move more slowly, but produce severe ground movements
Tension – a type of stress that pulls and stretches