Earthquake Topics — Education resources

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"Written in Stone" Earthquake Animations — Animations developed for the educational video "Written in Stone" produced by San Diego State professor Pat Abbott. These animations offer visual explanations for some of the more complex processes involved in earthquake dynamics. They also include some practical mitigation procedures for securing one's home for protection during an earthquake. (SDSU Education Center on Computational Science and Engr)
1906 San Francisco Earthquake and Fire Visualizations — This collection presents links to images, films, panoramas and animations about the earthquake and fire. (Carleton College/NAGT materials)
Animations for Earthquake Terms and Concepts — Flash animations illustrating basic earthquake terms and concepts. (USGS)
Animations Illustrating Simple Wave Propagation Concepts — propagation, reflection, refraction, standing waves (SUNY Binghamton)
Animations of Seismology Fundamentals — animations illustrating the fundamentals of earthquakes and seismology (Incorporated Research Institutes for Seismology (IRIS))
Demonstrations of Geophysical Principles Applicable to the Properties and Processes of the Earth's Interior — demonstrations with photos and graphics (SUNY Binghamton)
Designing Structures to Perform Well During an Earthquake — discussion and lesson plans (Multidisciplinary Center for Earthquake Engineering Research (MCEER))
Downloadable Animations — Animation clips and other geo-educational items (UC Santa Barbara)
Earth Science Course Notes & Graphics — Professor Steve Dutch's excellent online resources for earth sciences with great images for teaching; all the goodies are behind the "Notes" links (Univ. of Wisconsin)
Earth Science Education Activities — a wealth of excellent hands-on activities for teaching about earthquakes, volcanoes, seismic waves, plate tectonics, earth structure, seismic waves, convection, seismometers and more! (Purdue Univ.)
Earth Science Lessons — lessons developed by an elementary school teacher, but good for all ages, slide-style with color diagrams and photographs (Oregon State University)
Earthquake Education Services — lesson plans, information on Wasatch Front (Univ. of Utah)
Earthquake Practice Quiz — online quiz (Florida Intl. Univ.)
Earthquake Quartet #1 — USGS seismologist Andrew Michael explores both music and audio playbacks of the earth shaking and finds new ways to learn about the earth, earthquakes, musical instruments and music. (USGS)
Earthquake Quiz — Online quiz (UC Santa Barbara)
Earthquake Quiz — online quiz (Univ. of Houston)
Earthquake Unit — six challenges with lesson plans, online activities, and links to resources about the basics, earthquake probabilities, preparedness, earthquakes in the past, and seismic waves (San Francisco USD)
Earthquakes & All Shook Up — design and build an earthquake-proof structure (Newton's Apple)
Education & Outreach Software — Downloadable software to manipulate seismograms and for visualization. (Binghamton Univ Geological Sciences)
Educational Activities — Origami, building models, historical seismologists (New Mexico Bureau of Mines & Resources)
EQ Fear (PDF) — make a list of common fears and address each one (USGS)
EQ Kit Treasure Hunt (PDF) — hide EQ kit items around classroom or school and have a treasure hunt (USGS)
EQ Myths (PDF) — investigate EQ myths; what myths exist and why do people believe them (USGS)
EQ Plan (PDF) — discuss a plan for what to do if there is an EQ; especially good for schools in EQ-prone areas (USGS)
EQs on the Surface (PDF) — use topo maps, seismicity maps, and fault maps to understand the connection between the surface features, locations of EQs and mapped faults (USGS)
Evidence for Plate Tectonics-Teaching Box — Collection of interrelated learn concepts that focuses on finding the evidence for plate tectonics using digital resources, education standards, and comprehensive lesson plans. (DLESE)
Exploring Earthquakes in Space and Time Through the Internet and GIS — GIS-related earthquake lesson plan (USGS & Rocky Mountain Mapping Center)
Exploring the Dynamic Earth: GIS Investigations in the Earth Sciences — book with high quality lessons with maps, images, instructor's manual, teaching tips, etc. (www.brookscole.com)
Fault Features (PDF) — a pan, dirt and some fabric create a model to demonstrate surface features of faults, use the Wallace Creek trail guide to see real fault features, or take a field trip (USGS)
Forces of Nature — companion to the "Forces of Nature" IMAX movie about Earthquakes, Volcanoes, Hurricanes and Tornadoes; interactive learn plus lesson plans for the classroom (National Geographic)
Forces of Nature -- Teacher Study Guides — These study guides are mean to complement the giant_screen film "Forces of Nature" (Destination Cinema)
Geology Central — links to resources for Geology and Geophysics (Geology Central)
Getting Ready for the Big One — stigate types of earthquake waves and their effects (DiscoverySchool.com)
GSA Free Teacher Resources — A good resource for educators that includes lesson plans, info on state standards, awards, and reading suggestions (Geological Society of America)
How to Build a Model Illustrating Sea-Floor Spreading and Subduction — USGS Open File Report 99-132 (online) This report describes how to build a model of the outer 300 km (180 miles) of the Earth that can be used to develop a better understanding of the principal features of plate tectonics, including sea-floor spreading, the pattern of magnetic stripes frozen into the sea floor, transform faulting, thrust faulting, subduction, and volcanism. (USGS)
Human Wave (PDF) — learn about the motions of P & S waves with a fun participating exercise (USGS)
Ideas for Activities Using Live Seismograms — ideas for how to use real-time earthquake information in the classroom (USGS Albuquerque Seismological Laboratory)
Inside Geology - Chapter 10: Earthquakes — companion webpages to the book chapter; links to numerous topical class lectures, web sites, references, news items, organizations, and glossaries (Houghton Mifflin Company College Division)
Inside Geology - Chapter 11: Geophysical Properties of Planet Earth — companion webpages to the book chapter; links to numerous topical class lectures, web sites, references, news items, organizations, and glossaries (Houghton Mifflin Company College Division)
Inside Geology - Chapter 12: Plate Tectonics: Creating Oceans and Continents — companion webpages to the book chapter; links to numerous topical class lectures, web sites, references, news items, organizations, and glossaries (Houghton Mifflin Company College Division)
Inside Geology - Chapter 9: Folds, Faults and Mountains — companion webpages to the book chapter; links to numerous topical class lectures, web sites, references, news items, organizations, and glossaries (Houghton Mifflin Company College Division)
Investigating Earthquakes Through Regional Seismicity — excellent graphics, animations and activities (Southern California Earthquake Center (SCEC) & USGS)
Isoseismal Maps (PDF) — learn the difference between intensity and magnitude and gain experience with contouring on maps (USGS)
Journey to the Center of the Earth — Created by 100 5th grade students (John F. Pattie Elementary)
Large Plate Puzzle (PDF) — cut a large world map into puzzle pieces along plate boundaries, students discuss individually land then for the whole map after the class puts pieces together; simple but powerful, discussion Q/A included (USGS)
Living in Earthquake Country-Teaching Box — Explores how and why earthquakes cause damage, seismic waves, the ability of scientists to predict the likelihood and severity of earthquakes at specific locations, the difference between magnitude and intensity, the occurrence of earthquakes along patches of planar faults, and the potential damage caused by earthquakes such as landslides, liquefaction, or structural failure. (DLESE)
Magnitude versus Intensity Lesson (PDF) — classroom lesson to teach the difference between earthquake magnitude and earthquake intensities (USGS)
Mantle Motions (PDF) — students act out various mantle motions in a game of fast thinking (USGS)
MARGINS Education & Outreach Resources — Mini-lessons, powerpoint presentations, research nuggets and more. (MARGINS - Lamont-Doherty)
MegaQuakes/Earthquake Simulator — dial up an earthquake and see the results (Incorporated Research Institutes for Seismology (IRIS))
Musical Plates — use realtime data to plot earthquakes and solve problems (New Jersey Networking Infrastructure in Education)
National Tragedy, Global Response Lesson Plan — explore how different people on local, national and international levels respond to a destructive natural disaster and the needs of its victims and how various facets of the media cover such an event, focusing specifically on the earthquake that deva (New York Times Learning Network)
One-page Information Sheets on Earthquake Topics — one-page information sheets about various earthquake topics (Incorporated Research Institutes for Seismology (IRIS))
Our Dynamic Plate CD-ROM — CD-ROM you can order (UC Santa Barbara)
PaleoMap Project — plate tectonics, earth history, climate history, lesson plans, software, and more (UT Arlington)
PBJ Fault (PDF) — demonstrate the different types of faults with a PBJ sandwich, and then eat it double-decker (USGS)
Plate Tectonic Movement Visualizations — Visualizations and supporting material that can be used effectively to teach students about plate tectonic movements. Visualizations include simple animations, GIS-based animated maps, paleogeographic maps and globes, as well as numerous illustrations and photos. (Carleton College/NAGT materials)
Plot that Quake! — lesson plan for using the Internet to plot earthquakes over time (Berkeley)
Potato Topo (PDF) — use a potato to make a 3-D 'topo map' and understand how it can be represented on a 1-D map, gain experience of maps and scales (USGS)
Quake-Catcher Network — A collaborative initiative for developing the world's largest, low-cost strong-motion seismic network by utilizing sensors in and attached to internet-connected computers. (Stanford)
Remote-Sensing Seismic Activities — you are the planner, and you have to consider the earthquake hazards and risks (Montgomery Cty Public Schools)
Science Explained, The — links to popular science articles about earthquake research (USGS)
Science Fair Project Ideas — specific projects with directions and ideas (USGS)
Sea-Floor Spreading and Subduction, How to Build a Model Illustrating — Three-dimensional, cut-and-paste paper model illustrating sea-floor spreading and subduction. (USGS)
Seismology Teaching Resources — Educational page with seismo links, diagrams, animations, and other teaching resources. (Arizona State University)
Seismology, Earthquakes, and Earth Structure, An Introduction to — online companion to the textbook by Seth Stein and Michael Wysession with electronic versions of all images and access to homework problems and solutions; also includes errata (Blackwell Publishing)
Shakes & Quakes — Legos and earthquakes (Earthquake Engineering Research Institute (EERI))
Soil & Earthquakes — explains liquefaction (Multidisciplinary Center for Earthquake Engineering Research (MCEER))
Southern California Integrated GPS Network Education Module — excellent graphics, animations and activities (USGS & Southern California Earthquake Center (SCEC))
Surfing for Earthquakes and Volcanoes — lesson plan using Internet (Berkeley)
Table-Top Earthquakes — USGS Open-File Report 98-767 (online) (USGS)
TASA Graphic Arts, Inc. — Plate Tectonics and How the Earth Works, The Theory of Plate Tectonics CDROMS, and more you can order (TASA Graphic Arts, Inc.)
Teacher's Guide to the San Francisco Bay Area Geophysics Maps — USGS Open File Report 95-479 (online) (USGS)
Toilet Paper Geologic Time Scale (PDF) — use toilet paper to understand the enormous extent of geologic time compared to recent time; timeline included (USGS)
Tracking Earthquakes Around the World — plot earthquakes on map using Internet resources (DiscoverySchool.com)
Understanding Tsunamis — learn about tsunamis with a model (DiscoverySchool.com)
USGS and Science Education, The — webpages, links, booklets, maps, fact sheets, classroom lessons, etc. online and to order, mostly free (USGS)
UTIG : GK-12 Program — lesson plans for earthquakes, tsunamis, plate tectonics, and more (Univ. of Texas, Austin)
Virtual Earthquake & Other Labs — you're the scientist, and you have to locate the earthquake and determine the magnitude (Calstate LA)
Visualizations of Geologic Hazards — Visualizing the Earth, its processes, and its evolution through time is a fundamental aspect of geoscience. The use of visualizations - diagrams, images, animations, maps, and more - is an essential tool in helping students to visualize the Earth and its processes. (Carleton College/NAGT materials)
Volcano World's Activities for Plate Tectonics — slide-style coverage of the basics (Oregon State University)
Who Dunit? and the Law of Superposition (PDF) — solve a crime, and then use those same skills to understand the Law of Superposition (older layers of the earth on bottom) with a fun WhoDunit? investigation and then use your skills to solve a geological mystery (USGS)

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