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Chapter 8: Earthquakes

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The Kobe Earthquake: One Year Later
Visit this excellent breakdown of the Kobe earthquake, what happened during it, and its aftermath. Prepare the "story book" as described in the exercise on this page.

TriNet ShakeMaps [Updated link coming soon.]
This page by TriNet, a California organization that monitors earthquake waves in an attempt to predict their occurrences. Their "Shake Maps" document where waves originate and how the waves travel. Visit this site and make your own shake map of a recent earthquake.

Make your own seismogram!
Scientists use seismographs to record an earthquake’s waves. Once you have reached the link to the University of Berkeley, follow the directions to construct your own seismograph.

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Local Tsunamis in the Pacific Northwest (USGS)
This page is devoted to Tsunamis and earthquakes in the Pacific Northwest. View some animations of tsunamis. Prepare an explanation of how tsunamis form and present it to the class while showing the animations.

Welcome to Tsunami!
This is an interactive site that provides detailed information about tsunamis. Use the information on this site to create a "Tsunami Update" newsletter.

Unit 3: Earth's Interior

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Igneous Rocks
View different igneous rocks and find out more about them by accessing this site. Make a display for your class using igneous samples provided by your teacher, including a description of how these rocks were formed either from volcanic activity or cooling magma within the Earth.

Volcano Watch
At this site you can read articles from Volcano Watch – a weekly newsletter written by the scientists at the U.S. Geological Survey’s Hawaiian Volcano Observatory. Where and when was the most recent lava flow from Mt. Kilauea? How are the volcanoes on Hawaii different from other volcanoes? How are they similar?

Mount St. Helens
This site contains images, movies, information, and history on the Mount St. Helens eruption. Make a computer presentation using this information and present it to your fellow students.

Tacoma Narrows Bridge Disaster
While not caused by an earthquake, the Tacoma Narrows Bridge disaster was caused by vibrations. Wind in a valley spanned by the Tacoma Narrows Bridge causes the bridge to vibrate so much it collapsed. View the video of this film and write a journal entry to explain how the cause of this disaster is similar to how earthquakes destroy structures.

SAVAGE EARTH Online
PBS produced "Savage Earth," a television series about volcanoes, earthquakes, and tsunamis. Review this site and view videos and other presentations of these natural disasters. Use your school's multimedia equipment to produce your own "Savage Earth" show.

National Earthquake Information Center
The National Earthquake Information Center is located 10 miles west of Denver, Colorado. It is the most important national data center and archive for earthquake information. Find out when and where the last earthquake in the world occurred.

Central California San Francisco Bay Earthquake Hazards Project
Here is a review of the geology behind earthquakes and what is being done to predict the "Big One" on the San Andreas Fault. Explain to a friend the four types of field studies being conducted.

Volcano World
This site provides excellent information about volcanoes. Go to Volcano Starting Points and search Volcano World for more information on Mount Fuji. When was the last time Mount Fuji erupted? Make a poster of the latest eruptions around the world.