INQUIRY 13'1

1
INQUIRY 13.1

• PLOTTING EARTHQUAKES TO IDENTIFY PATTERNS

2
OBJECTIVES

• PLOT ON A WORLD MAP THE LOCATIONS OF SOME OF THE
  EARTHQUAKES THAT OCCURRED DURING THE 1990S.
• ANALYZE THE LOCATIONS OF EARTHQUAKES AROUND THE
  WORLD.

3

• IDENTIFY THE PERIMETER OF THE PACIFIC OCEAN, THE
  MID-ATLANTIC RIDGE, AND THE MEDITERRANEAN-HIMALAYA
  N BELT AS AREAS OF INTENSE EARTHQUAKE ACTIVITY.
• HYPOTHESIZE ABOUT THE REASONS FOR PATTERNS IN THE
  LOCATION OF EARTHQUAKES.

4
LOOK AT TABLE 13.1 PG. 156

• LINES OF LATITUDE RUN EAST/WEST
• LINES OF LONGITUDE RUN NORTH/SOUTH

5
FIND THE WORD MAGNITUDE IN TABLE 13.1

• WHAT DO YOU THINK IT MEANS?
• How strong it is.
• How big it is.
• Its power.
• READ MAGNITUDE AND INTENSITY STARTING ON PG.
  159.

6

• List the magnitudes of three different
  earthquakes.
• Of the three you chose, which earthquake released
  the most energy?
• How do you know?
• Higher numbermore energy

7
Find the word Depth in Table 13.1

• What do you think it means?
• How far down the earthquake happened.

8
COLLECT THE FOLLOWING

• One transparency of Inquiry Master 13.1World Map
• One blue transparency marker
• 10 Blue dots (or vis-à-vis) markers to make dots

9
Using table 13.1, plot the epicenter of the 3-4
earthquakes you are given.

• Use the blue pen to mark the transparency with
  the epicenter locations
• Turn in your transparency when you finish.

10
Record the following in your notebook

• A. On (or near) which coast of North America do
  most earthquakes occur?
• Answer West coast
• B. Which states in the United are most
  earthquake-prone?
• Answer California, Alaska, Washington, Oregon

11

• C. Are the earthquakes located within specific
  areas or scattered throughout the world?
• Answer In specific areas
• D. If the earthquakes are in specific areas, how
  would you describe those areas?
• Answer They seem to follow coastal lines.
  There seem to be dividing lines between the
  continents.

12

• E. Why is it important for scientists to
  identify patterns of earthquake activity?
• Answer
• Predict other earthquakes
• Warnings to people in dangerous areas

13
Look at transparency 13.1Seismic Activity Around
the World

• Which areas seem to have the most earthquakes?

14
Look at Transparency 13.2 Seismic Belts

• Find the Mid-Atlantic Ridge
• the Mediterranean-Himalayan Belt
• the Circum-Pacific Belt (Ring of Fire)
• These are areas of intense earthquake activity
• Label these areas on your own world map

15
REFLECTION QUESTIONS 13.1

• A. Are there any earthquakes near mountain
  ranges?
• Yes, an example is the Rocky Mountain range on
  the west coast of the United States, the
  Himalayas in Asia.
• Continental coasts?yes
• Example California, Western Europe
• Ocean basins?yes
• Example Mid-Atlantic ridge
• Volcanic islands? yes
• Example Hawaiian islands, Iceland, Japan

16

• B. Why do you think earthquakes are located in
  these specific areas?
• Think about what might be causing the earthquakes
  to occur?
• These areas are where tectonic plate boundaries
  are located.

17

• By placing Transparency 13.3 Plate Boundaries
  over the transparency showing seismic activity
  around the world, decide what these two maps
  together tell you.
• The outer layer of the earth is broken into
  segments called plates. Earthquake and volcanic
  activity are closely related to the movement of
  these plates.

18
Think back to lesson where we identified those
places where we thought earthquakes occur.

• Do you want to revise any of your ideas?
• Were there places of earthquake activity that you
  originally didnt think of?

19
Clean up..

• Use a paper towel to wipe all marks off the
  transparency.

20
GLOSSARY - LESSON 13

• MAGNITUDE THE MEASURE OF THE AMOUNT OF ENERGY IN
  AN EARTHQUAKE DETERMINED BY MEASURING THE
  AMPLITUDE OF THE LARGEST SEISMIC WAVE.
• INTENSITY A MEASURE OF AN EARTHQUAKES EFFECT
  ON PEOPLE, STRUCTURES, AND THE NATURAL
  ENVIRONMENT.

21

• RICHTER SCALE SCALE USED TO MEASURE THE
  MAGNITUDE OF AN EARTHQUAKE.
• MODIFIED MERCALLI INTENSITY SCALE INTENSITY
  SCALE USED IN THE UNITED STATES.
• PLATE TECTONIC THEORY A THEORY THAT STATES THAT
  LARGE, RIGID SEGMENTS OF THE OUTER PART OF THE
  EARTH ARE BROKEN INTO PLATES AND MOVE RELATIVE TO
  ONE ANOTHER.

22

• RING OF FIRE AN ALMOST CONTINUOUS CHAIN OF
  VOLCANOES AROUND THE EDGES OF THE PACIFIC OCEAN.
• MID-OCEAN (ATLANTIC) RIDGE A CHAIN OF VOLCANOES
  THAT EXTENDS THROUGH THE MIDDLE OF THE WORLD
  OCEANS.
• MEDITERRANEAN-HIMALAYAN BELT BELT OF
  EARTHQUAKES THAT EXTENDS WEST FROM INDONESIA
  THROUGH THE HIMALAYAS.