Download Does climate change affect seismic activity?

Year 9, unit 2
Plate tectonics
Name: .......................................................................... Class: .......................... Date: ......................
Lesson 3: Plate boundaries
Extension worksheet:
Does climate change affect seismic activity?
Scientists developed the theory of plate tectonics using significant evidence including
sea floor spreading, earthquakes and volcanic activity. The theory was refined over
time through a process of review by the scientific community. Sometimes claims
seem purely speculative and evidence needs to be provided to make a scientifically
based assessment of the claim. One such claim is that climate change is causing
earthquakes.
Task
1. Analyse and evaluate the arguments for and against the claim “Climate change is
affecting seismic activity”.
2. Devise a method of summarising the arguments for and against.
Use the following websites:

‘An unexpected climate scientist’ BBC One Frozen Planet (Video 4:00min)
http://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/p011vc1z

Could a changing environment set of volcanoes and quakes? Yale Environment
360 website
http://e360.yale.edu/feature/could_a_changing_climate_set_off_volcanoes_and_
quakes/2525/ (May 2012) Article and podcast (8:56 min)
Optional: Make a model of the change in the crust that could result as a
consequence of massive melting of the cryosphere.
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