Preview Of Main Ideas
Good Friday, March 27, 1964, at 5:36 Alaska was shaken with a major earthquake. If you ask students where earthquakes occur most on the North American continent, most of them will probably name California. Try to elicit other locations as well, including the New Madrid, Missouri, earthquakes of the nineteenth century.

Remind students that earthquakes sometimes occur where volcanoes are present. Ask: Where on the North American continent are volcanoes found? Students will probably identify the western United States. Tell them that at one time volcanoes erupted in the eastern part of the continent. The famous Palisades, a line of steep cliffs along the Hudson River in New York and New Jersey, were caused by volcanic activity. Tell students that in this activity they will use selected data from the U.S. Geological Survey to plot the locations of earthquakes of magnitude 4 or larger that occurred during 1990 on the North American continent.

Connection With The Curriculum
This activity may be used in Social Studies or Geography classes. Other subject areas that overlap are Science and Math.

Teaching Level: Grades 5-8.

Objective #1: Students will interpret data tables and plot locations on a map.

Essential Element: Physical Systems.

Standard #7: The physical processes that shape the patterns of earth's surfaces.

Knowledge statement #1: How physical processes shape patterns in the physical environment.

Skill Set #3: Organizing geographic information.

Skill #1: Prepare various forms of maps as a means of organizing geographic information.

Theme: Location and Regions.

Objective #2: Students will discover that most areas are prone to earthquakes.

Essential Element: The World and Spatial Terms.

Standard #1: How to use maps and other geographic representations, tools, and technologies to acquire, process, and report information from a spatial perspective.

Knowledge Statement #2: How to make and use maps.

Skill Set #2: Acquiring geographic information.

Skill #2: Use maps to collect and/or compile geographic information.

Theme: Location, Place, and Regions.

Materials
1. Master 3.4 f, North America Epicenters, 1990.
2. Classroom wall map of North America or transparency made from Master 3.4 g, map of North America.
3. Overhead projector.
4. Transparency markers in red, green, and blue.
5. Three transparencies made from Master 3.4 g, map of North America.
For each small group:
6. Student copies of Master 3.4 g, map of North America.
7. One strip of earthquake epicenters cut from Master 3.4 f.
8. Pencils or pens.

1. Make a copy of Master 3.4 f. Cut it into as many horizontal strips as you have groups, dividing the list of epicenters so each group has approximately the same number of earthquakes to plot.

2. Divide the class into groups of 2-5 students each.

3. Distribute copies of Master 3.4 g, the blank map, and the epicenter strips. (Review latitude and longitude if necessary.)

4. Have students plot the locations of that the epicenters on their maps. Given these directions:

a. As you locate each point, mark it with a small dot. Then write the depth and magnitude of the earthquake next to it in small numbers.

b. When you finish, transfer your data to one of the three transparencies of Master 3.4 g, using the color pen to code for magnitude. Green will represent magnitude 4, blue magnitude 5, and red magnitude 6 or greater. Mark each earthquake with an "X" in the appropriate color.

5. When all the data have been plotted, stack the transparencies on the overhead so you can display them simultaneously. Ask students to comment on the pattern(s) they observe. They should see that earthquakes occur primarily on the West coast of the United States, but they are not limited to those areas. Is there a pattern to the depth of the earthquakes? (The deepest quakes occur at plate margins under continents. This pattern may not be evident in this data.)

6. Remind students that these data are for one year only, and only for earthquakes of magnitude 4 or greater.

1. Obtain a copy of the EPIC software (free demonstration files are available) or the EPIC CD-ROM, and have students research earthquakes of different magnitudes and different locations.

2. Have students contact the National Earthquake Information Center (NEIC) and report back to class on data and services available.

3. Have students contact the Incorporated Research Institutions for Seismology (IRIS) and report back on data and services available.

4. The (NEIC) and (IRIS) maintain remote bulletin boards. Have students find out how to access them and research earthquakes.

1. Class discussion that compares the findings of each group.
2. Completed map plotting.
3. Any further evaluations you as a teacher may wish to include.

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