Download All About Earthquakes

14-1 (03)
release dates: March 29-April 4
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Distributed by Universal Press Syndicate
© 2003 The Mini Page Publishing Company Inc.
By BETTY DEBNAM
from The Mini Page by Betty Debnam © 2003 The Mini Page Publishing Company Inc.
On Shaky Ground
All About Earthquakes
In October
1989, a major
earthquake hit in
the Santa Cruz
Mountains in
California, on the
San Andreas Fault.
It was a magnitude
6.9, and caused 63
deaths and about $6
billion in damage.
(“Magnitude” is a
measure of how
powerful an
earthquake is.) This
freeway was torn
apart by the quake.
photos courtesy U .S. Dept. of the Interior, U.S. Geological Survey
An earthquake is the sudden
release of energy caused by the
movement of the Earth’s crust. During
an earthquake:
• the Earth shakes and cracks;
• there are landslides;
• sandy areas with a lot of water
might turn to liquid for a matter of
seconds up to a few minutes. The
liquid can be forced upward as high as
20 feet.
It blasts through cracks and holes
much as a volcano erupts. The holes it
makes are called “sand boils” or “sand
blows.”
When
Where in the U.S.
There are some areas where
earthquakes occur more frequently.
For example, there might be two
earthquakes in an area in 100 years.
But in other places there could be
1,000 years between quakes.
The chances of an earthquake are
much less in the eastern than in the
western United States. However, at
least some spot in every state has felt
the effects of an earthquake.
Where in the world
The largest earthquake to hit in the U.S.
was in the waters off the coast of Alaska in
1964. It was a 9.2 magnitude and caused
much damage in Anchorage, including this
elementary school, which was destroyed
by a landslide during the quake.
Earthquakes usually occur where
they have happened in the past.
Most earthquakes occur in areas
around the Pacific Ocean. This area is
called the “Ring of Fire.”
Major earthquakes have struck in the
states shaded in the map, and in Puerto
Rico and the Virgin Islands.
Predicting a quake
Today scientists can often
determine where earthquakes might
happen and how big they might be.
But they don’t know exactly when
they’ll occur. They only have about 100
years of useful information on
earthquakes, not enough for accurate
predictions.
The shaded area shows the most active
earthquake areas.
On Nov. 3, 2002, the largest known
earthquake to hit on land in the U.S.
struck in Alaska. It was a magnitude
7.9. Luckily, there was little damage
because this earthquake hit in
wilderness areas. It sloshed water in
lakes as far away as Louisiana.
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14-2 (03); release dates: March 29-April 4
Distributed by Universal Press Syndicate
from The Mini Page by Betty Debnam © 2003 The Mini Page Publishing Company Inc.
More About Earthquakes
Earthquake safety
Tsunamis
Earthquake fact-a-roonies
• under
supporting
archways, but not
in a doorway
where a swinging
door might cause
injuries.
• against inside
walls.
• under heavy
pieces of furniture
such as desks or
heavy tables.
• Stay away from things
that could break or fall on
you.
Outside: Move
away from buildings
and electrical wires.
Once in the open,
stay there until
the shaking stops.
from The Mini Page by Betty Debnam © 2003 The Mini Page Publishing Company Inc.
Mini Spy . . .
photo courtesy FEMA, NOAA NewsPhoto
• Stay where you are. If outdoors,
stay outdoors. If indoors, stay
indoors. Most people get hurt when
they are entering or leaving
buildings.
If you are inside: Learn the safe
spots in each room.
The high waves of a tsunami threaten to
capsize this boat.
Tsunamis (soo-NAHM-ees) are
huge, fast-moving water waves
usually caused by earthquakes
under the ocean. The name comes
from a Japanese word meaning
“harbor wave.”
They can also
be caused by
underwater
landslides and
volcanic eruptions,
as well as by nuclear explosions and
meteorites landing in the ocean.
Tsunami waves can be 100 feet
high and travel at speeds of about
600 miles per hour.
Earthquakes in Chile have caused
tsunamis that killed people in
Japan.
TM
Mini Spy and her friends are looking at a map of where earthquakes
usually occur. See if you can find: • exclamation mark • strawberry
• bell • key
• umbrella
• snail
• number 3
• number 7
• sailboat
• word MINI
• two hearts
• number 2
• coffee pot
• alligator
• man in the
moon
• question
mark
• whale
Brown
Basset ws
The Ned’s
Houn
TM
• The biggest earthquake
ever recorded in the world
was in Chile, South
America, in 1960. It was a
magnitude 9.5. The seismic
waves from that quake
shook the whole Earth for
several days.
• Experts
believe that
each year
there are
about a halfmillion
earthquakes
big enough to be detected by
instruments. People feel only about
100,000 of these. Only about 100 of
them cause much damage.
• There are about 10,000
earthquakes each year in
Southern California. People
don’t even feel most of them.
• The
states with
the smallest
number of
earthquakes
are Florida and North Dakota.
from The Mini Page by Betty Debnam © 2003 The Mini Page Publishing Company Inc.
Earthquakes
TRY ’N
FIND
Words and names that remind us of earthquakes are hidden
in the block below. Some words are hidden backward or
diagonally. See if you can find: ALASKA, SEISMOGRAPH,
GROUND, MOVEMENT, CRUST, SHAKES, LANDSLIDES,
FAULT, CORE, HIT, DAMAGE, SEISMIC, EPICENTER,
WAVES, PLATES, EARTH, CALIFORNIA, MERCALLI.
S E D I L S D N A L C C H I T
NATURE IS
S E V A W A K S A L A R O M M
POWERFUL!
N R E T N E C I P E L D U R O
D N U O R G S E K A H S V S E
D M O V E M E N T T L U A F T
A I N R O F I L A C E A R T H
C I M S I E S W E G A M A D N
I L L A C R E M P L A T E S H
K S E I S M O G R A P H M M K
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14-3 (03); release dates: March 29-April 4
Distributed by Universal Press Syndicate
Go dot to dot and color. Connect
letters A to O to find the San
Andreas Fault, then connect
numbers 1 to 31 to find the
state it runs through.
TM
Rookie Cookie’s Recipe
Chocolate Chip Cake Cookies
You’ll need:
• 1 package cake mix, flavor of your choice
• 1/2 cup cooking oil
• 2 eggs
• 21/2 tablespoons water
• 1 (8-ounce) package semisweet chocolate chips
What to do:
1. Grease a cookie sheet.
2. Combine ingredients and mix together well.
3. Place batter on cookie sheet in spoonfuls spaced about 2
inches apart.
4. Bake in a preheated 350-degree oven for 10 minutes.
5. Remove from oven and let cool.
Yields 2 dozen cookies.
from The Mini Page by Betty Debnam © 2003 The Mini Page Publishing Company Inc.
Meet Avril Lavigne
Avril Lavigne was born in the small
Canadian town of Napanee, Ontario. At
the age of 2, she was wowing people
with her voice. From an early age, she
knew she wanted to be a singer. She
entered talent contests, and sang in
church and at music fairs and festivals.
At the age of 16, she was discovered and signed a
contract with Arista Records.
Avril is her own songwriter. She wants to distinguish
herself from other pop artists with her unique style,
personal lyrics and rock-driven music.
“I write what I feel. I never worry what others think.
I’m going to dress what’s me, I’m going to act what’s me
and I’m going to sing what’s me,” she says.
This state has about
10,000 earthquakes
every year!
from The Mini Page by Betty Debnam © 2003 The Mini Page Publishing Company Inc.
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from The Mini Page by Betty Debnam © 2003 The Mini Page Publishing Company Inc.
from The Mini Page by Betty Debnam © 2003 The Mini Page Publishing Company Inc.
TM
All the following jokes have something in common. Can
you guess the common theme or category?
Steve: What do you call two bananas?
Susan: A pair of slippers!
Patrick: What did the banana do when
it saw a monster?
Jane: The banana split!
Jeff: What sport do bananas compete in?
Julia: Track and peel!
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14-4 (03); release dates: March 29-April 4
Distributed by Universal Press Syndicate
from The Mini Page by Betty Debnam © 2003 The Mini Page Publishing Company Inc.
More About Earthquakes
Our Earth
Epicenter
Crust
Seismic
waves
Focus
Seismic
waves
Mantle
Seismic waves
In the years before a quake, the
Earth’s crust bends, and then when
it finally snaps into a new position,
an earthquake occurs.
While the crust is snapping,
vibrations called “seismic waves”
travel from the source of the quake
to faraway places.
Seismographs (SIZE-moh-grafs)
are instruments that measure
seismic waves. They can measure
earthquakes thousands of miles away.
Seismographs send
the earthquake
signals to a
computer, where
scientists can look at the zigzag records
on the screen.
photos courtesy U.S. Dept. of the Interior, U.S. Geological Survey
The Mini Page
thanks Lisa Wald,
geophysicist,
Earthquake Hazards
Program, U.S.
Geological Survey,
for help with this
issue.
Faults
The Mercalli scale
The surface, or crust, that
surrounds the Earth is broken into
15 huge parts called plates. These
plates are like puzzle pieces.
The edges of these plates are where
faults are located. Most earthquakes
occur along these faults.
During a quake,
one plate might
move to the side. The
other plate might
move the other way.
Or one plate might
move up and the
other might move
down.
Many earthquakes
occur along the San Andreas Fault,
which stretches about 650
miles along the coast of
California.
The San Andreas
Fault is a boundary
area between two
plates that are
still moving, so it is
likely there will be
more earthquakes in that area. But
scientists cannot predict when they
might come.
Scientists have ways to record
how big earthquakes are. One, the
Mercalli scale, measures
the effects of
earthquakes on people,
landscapes, buildings,
roads and bridges.
It uses Roman numerals from I to
XII. Below are a few of the steps.
Site to see:
http://earthquake.usgs.gov/4kids/
Look through your newspaper for stories
and pictures about nature.
I — not felt except by a few.
V — felt by practically all and frightens a few.
XII — damage nearly total.
art courtesy U.S. Geological Survey
The focus is where the
earthquake starts.
The epicenter is the point on the
Earth’s surface just above the focus.
art courtesy U.S. Geological Survey
A. inner core of solid iron and nickel
B. outer core of melted iron and nickel
C. mantle of molten rock. This is melting
rock, in a kind of halfway stage between
being solid and liquid.
D. hard crust, from 5 miles to 40 miles
deep
The force of most earthquakes is
centered in the crust (D) and in the upper
part of the mantle (C).
One of the largest
earthquakes in the U.S.
hit San Francisco in
1906. The earthquake
and resulting fires
destroyed most of the
city.
Energy Magnitude scale
The Energy Magnitude scale
measures how much energy the
Earth releases during a quake. It is
also called the “moment magnitude.”
In the past, scientists
used a scale called the
Richter, but that was not
as accurate as the energy
scale.
The energy scale uses a special
math formula to measure
earthquakes.
1.0 to 2.0 — usually detected only by
instruments
3.0 to 4.0 — can hardly be felt
4.0 to 5.0 — generally felt, slight damage
6.0 — moderately destructive
7.0 — major earthquake
8.0 — great earthquake
Next week in The Mini Page, read all about
Library Week and award-winning books.
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photo courtesy U.S. Dept. of the In terior,
U.S. Geological Survey
Read all about
earthquakes
in
®
Distributed by Universal Press Syndicate
by Betty Debnam
Appearing in your
newspaper on ____________.
from The Mini Page by Betty Debnam
© 2003 The Mini Page Publishing Company Inc.
(Note to Editor: Above is cameraready, one column-by-41/4-inch ad
promoting Issue 14.)
release dates: March 29-April 4
14-5 (03)
from The Mini Page by Betty Debnam © 2003 The MIni Page Publishing Company Inc.
®
Distributed by Universal Press Syndicate
Standards Spotlight:
All About Earthquakes
Mini Page activities meet many state and national educational standards. Each
week we identify standards that relate to The Mini Page’s content and offer
activities that will help your students reach them.
This week’s standards:
• Students understand changes in the Earth and sky. ( Science: Earth and Space Science)
• Students understand science and technology. (Science: Science and Technology)
Activities:
1. Create a timeline that shows the earthquakes in today’s Mini Page. Draw a picture
for each item on the timeline.
2. Look at the map of the “Ring of Fire” in today’s Mini Page. Compare the map to an
atlas. Find the names of two countries from each continent that is in the
earthquake zone.
3. Collect newspaper stories about natural phenomena that occur on or in the Earth,
such as storms, wind, etc. How do scientists measure each phenomenon (for
example, wind speed, flood stages, etc.)? What instruments do they use for their
measurements?
4. What is the difference between the way the Mercalli scale and the Energy
Magnitude scale measure earthquakes? Which is more scientific? Why?
5. Use reference books and the Internet to learn more about earthquakes. Use these
questions to guide your research: How close is your community to an earthquake
zone? What kinds of destruction are caused by earthquakes? What special
problems occur when an earthquake hits in a city or other developed area? What
should people do to be prepared for an earthquake?
(standards by Dr. Sherrye D. Garrett, Texas A&M University-Corpus Christi)
(Note to Editor: Above is the Standards for Issue 14.)
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from The Mini Page by Betty Debnam © 2003 The Mini Page Publishing Company Inc.
Supersport: T.J. Ford
Height: 5-10 Hometown: Houston, Texas Weight: 165
T.J. Ford is taking the University of Texas basketball
team on a joy ride.
The lightning-fast point guard won National Freshman
of the Year honors in 2002, and this year helped the
Longhorns gain a top 3 ranking in the polls.
Ford became the only freshman in NCAA history to lead the NCAA
Division I in assists, with 8.2 per game. This season he set up his
teammates again, averaging more than 7 assists. He also averages
about 14 points and more than two steals per game. He is jack-rabbit
quick and describes his playing style as “Mister Magic.”
“He has a great understanding of the game,” Coach Rick Barnes said.
“He’s like a Kodak camera. He sees everything (on the court).”
T.J., which stands for Terrance Jerod, enjoys going to movies and
listening to music in addition to playing basketball.
In school, he is is majoring in education and has this advice for children:
“Take in a lot of knowledge and it will help you be a better person.”
(Note to Editor: Above is copy block for Page 3, Issue 14, to be
used in place of ad if desired.)
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