Download Final Exam 345

As I planned this unit there were quite a few questions that I needed to answer in order to properly
prepare and organize this unit. Here are the things that I had to consider:
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What is the purpose of this unit?
What do students know before beginning this unit?
What needs to occur before the beginning of this unit?
Based on what they know, where should I start?
What areas should I spend the most time on?
What should students know by the end of each lesson within this unit?
What should students be able to do by the end of each lesson within this unit?
What types of enrichment activities should I use?
How will I adjust and differentiate instruction to meet each student’s needs?
What types of assessments should I use to find if students have reached their goals?
How should I organize those assessments?
o Pre-assessment
o Mini-assessments (quizzes)
o Summative assessments
What will I do when students are unsure or confused?
Purpose of this unit: The purpose of this unit is to teach students about Plate Tectonics and how plate
tectonics impact the earth, specifically the part that we are most connected to-the lithosphere. Within
this unit, students will learn about plate tectonics, how earthquakes occur and how volcanoes are
formed. This unit will use engaging activities such as web quests, labs and group projects to gain an in
depth knowledge of the content and exhibit their understanding.
Desired outcomes: Students will gain an understanding of plate tectonics, earthquakes and volcanoes.
Their understanding will extend their ability to connect how these phenomena impact our world.
Unit Title: Plate Tectonics, Earthquakes and Volcanoes
Scheduled Daily Time: 90 minutes
Number of days needed to complete this unit:
10-12 days (Will use two extra days if needed)
Daily Lesson Plans: I have included lesson plans for 10 days. I have allowed two extra days for time
adjustment as I have included some activities that could possible take extended time or require a bit
more guidance in order for students to complete successfully. I will use the daily lesson plans and
standards to develop or adjust the unit. As we cover content, I will then be able to determine the actual
pace needed for students to be successful. I have color coded the plan to indicate types of assessments:
Formal: Formal Assessments
Informal: Informal Assessments and Reading Activities
Key Vocabulary:
Mantle convection
Ridge push
Slab pull
Magma
Lava
Richter magnitude
Moment magnitude
Seismic Waves: primary, secondary, surface
Oceanic Crust
Continental Crust
Ocean trench
Ocean ridge
Rift valley
Mountain range
Hotspot
Plate Boundaries: convergent, divergent, transform
Subduction
Geo hazards: landslide, tsunami, mudflow
Epicenter
Focus
Faults: reverse, strike-slip, normal)
Landforms: Appalachian Mountains, fall zone, shorelines, barrier islands, valleys
Subject area: Honors Earth and Environmental Science
Essential Standards to cover:
EEn.2.1.1 Explain how plate tectonics, volcanoes, and earthquakes impact the lithosphere
EEn.2.1.2 Predict the locations of volcanoes, earthquakes, and faults based on information contained in
a variety of maps
EEn.2.1.4 Explain the probability of and preparation for geohazards such as landslides, avalanches,
earthquakes and volcanoes in a particular area based on available data.
Sectional Standards Explained:
EEn.2.1.1
 How do mechanisms such as mantle convection, ridge push and gravity pull drive movement of
lithospheric plates?
 What is the relationship between the type of plate boundary and the locations of various
features such as ocean trenches, mountain ranges and mid-ocean ridges?
 Compare magma and lava. Locate volcanoes and relate back to plate boundaries. Explain
volcanic effects on the lithosphere and relate back to plate boundaries including mudflows and
ash in the atmosphere.

Describe the anatomy of an earthquake. Locate earthquakes-epicenter and focal point-and
relate to different types of plate boundaries. Explain how the release of energy of various types
of earthquakes relates to magnitude, P and S waves.
EEn.2.1.2
 Infer the locations of volcanoes, earthquakes and faults (strike-slip, reverse and normal). Relate
fault locations/types to plate boundaries).
EEn.2.1.4
 What precautions can be taken to protect life from various geohazards such as landslides,
earthquakes and tsunamis?
Daily Big Ideas:
What will students understand?
 Students will understand how plate movement affects the lithosphere.
 Students will understand how evidence across continents supports the theory of plate tectonics.
 Students will understand how convection currents affect plate movement.
 Students will understand the different types of plate boundaries create land formations.
 Students will understand the impact that natural events have on humans and the environment.
Daily goals:
What will students know?
 That plate movement can affect the climate in areas depending on the amount of water that is
exposed.
 Volcanoes release a gas that is a component of acid rain.
 Volcanic eruptions directly impact the weather and climate of an area.
 Earthquakes can cause major long term impacts on whole countries and have economic impacts
felt around the globe.
Sectional goals:
By the end of each section, students should be able to do the following on their own:
 Identify major plate boundaries around the world and discuss how those plates affect the
geography and populations located along those boundaries.
 Locate the epicenter of an earthquake.
 Use maps, charts and graphs to plot volcano and earthquake prone zones.
 Use technology to gather information about major natural events in history and be able to
convey that information to their peers.
 Work together in groups to show their understanding of the content.
Essential Questions:
 Why is the study of plate tectonics important?
 How can humans prepare for the impact of plate movement (earthquakes, tsunamis, volcanic
eruptions, landslides)?
Assessments:
Informal:
 Daily warm-ups
 Layers of the Earth Foldable (will also be used for notetaking)
 Graphic organizers
 Lab activities
o Volcanoes
o Quake it, Don’t Shake it
 Graphic organizers
 Guided Reading
 Plate Tectonics Vocabulary
 Volcano Vocabulary
 Earthquake Vocabulary
 Plate Boundaries coloring and questions
 Kahoot.it
Formal:
Two Formal Tests by Objective
 Objective 2.1.1: Earth’s Layers and Plate Tectonics
 Objective 2.1.2: Volcanoes and Earthquakes
Group Project (News Report Project) which will cover Objective 2.1.4
Reading and Graphing Activities:
Locating an Earthquake Epicenter
Plot Zones: Volcanoes
How will I monitor and know when to re-loop and adjust during lesson?
 Daily warm-ups: these will come from the previous day’s notes that students will use to
answer the questions. I will re-loop in the current day or next day’s lesson based on
scores or students verbally telling me that they need help with the content.
 Quizzes: Will use these as a review of concepts and to monitor understanding. Based on
scores I will provide enrichment activities and revisit concepts during warm ups.
 Review games
Ways to determine background knowledge:
 Pre-assessment quiz
o No more than 20 questions
 KWL chart that will be adjusted and filled in as class covers the content
 Question answer review
Vocabulary:
Tier 1: Basic vocabulary terms that students should be familiar with through various forums
Tier 2: Terms that students will need to learn and understand in order to develop their content
knowledge.
Tier 3: Higher level terms that are content specific and may be seen as difficult
Materials needed:
 Textbook
 Paper
 Pen/pencil
 Colored pencils
 Scissors
 Glue stick
 Chrome book
Day 1:
K-W-L Chart
Pre-assessment
Present News Report Project (Groups of 5-7): Presentations will take place
 Students will act out a news report about a natural disaster (earthquake, tsunami, or
volcano)
 Students will choose event from list provided (no one can present on the same event)
 Group members will perform different roles and collaborate on how to present
 Roles for project include anchor, news reporter, geologist, geographer,
seismologist/volcanologist, historian and safety expert.
 Students will evaluate members of their group to be a part of individual’s final grade
 Group members will use rubric as a guide
Activity:
Foldable: Layers of Earth
Lecture Notes: Layers of Earth
 Students will use foldable to place lecture notes in
 Power Point: Earth’s Interior
Homework: Students will complete notes at home using power point, text book or internet (my wiki
page)
Plate Tectonics K-W-L Chart to be worked on as a class.
What do you know?
What do you want to know?
What have you learned?
Make an Earth’s Layer’s Foldable!
PLEASE follow the directions carefully! Use the examples to help you if you
need help.
1. Color the four layers using this guide:
Inner core – red
Upper mantle – yellow
Outer core – red-orange
Oceanic crust – dark brown
Lower mantle – orange
Continental crust – light brown
Asthenosphere – light orange
Ocean – blue
2. Cut out the layers of Earth, all 9 labels, and the title (The Earth’s Layers).
3. Fold one piece of computer paper into 4 strips. Cut out the strips. Leave
your second piece of computer paper alone!
4. Glue the strips on your second piece of computer paper. Glue the four
layers of Earth onto the 4 strips of paper. Glue on your labels.
5. Add the part of the lithosphere bracket that was cut off.
6. You are finished with your foldable…now wait to add notes. 
Day 2:
Warm-up
Review: Layers of the Earth using foldable and notes within the foldable
Power Points: Plate Tectonics Introduction and Plate Boundaries
Activity: Theory of Plate Tectonics Cutout and Identification
Homework: Plate Boundaries Handout
Warm up Review 11/30/15
____ 1. What layers of Earth make up the lithosphere?
a. the crust and lower mantle
b. the upper and lower mantle
c. the continental crust and oceanic crust
d. the crust and upper mantle
____2. Earth’s thin, rocky outer layer is its ____.
a. core
c. crust
b. outer core
d. mantle
____3.In the plate tectonics theory, the lithosphere is divided into ____.
a. 50 major plates and many smaller plates
b. 7 major plates and many smaller plates
c. many small plates, but no large plates
d. 100 major plates
____ 4. Which of the following was NOT used in support of the continental drift hypothesis?
a. fit of South America and Africa
c. ancient climate
b. fossil evidence
d. paleomagnetism
____ 5. At a transform fault boundary, ____.
a. new oceanic crust is formed
b. oceanic lithosphere is destroyed
c. new continental crust is formed
d. lithosphere is neither destroyed nor produced
Homework: Tectonic Plates and Boundaries
Day 3:
Warm-up: Plate Tectonics
Guided Reading: Plate Tectonics Wegener
Review: Plate Boundaries
Web Quest: Plate Tectonics
Warm-up/Review 12/01/2015
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1.What kind of plate boundary occurs where two plates grind past each other without destroying or producing lithosphere?
a. convergent boundary
c. transitional boundary
b. transform fault boundary
d. divergent boundary
____
2.A divergent boundary at two oceanic plates can result in a ____.
a. subduction zone
c. rift valley
b. volcanic island arc
d. continental volcanic arc
____
3.Which of the following results when divergence occurs between two oceanic plates?
a. an ocean trench
c. a subduction zone
b. a volcanic island arc
d. seafloor spreading
____
4.What type of boundary occurs where two plates move together, causing one plate to descend into the mantle beneath the other
plate?
a. divergent boundary
c. transform fault boundary
b. convergent boundary
d. transitional boundary
____
5. Continental volcanic arcs are associated with what type of plate boundary?
a. convergent oceanic-continental boundary
b. convergent oceanic-oceanic boundary
c. transform fault boundary
d. convergent continental-continental boundary
___
6. New ocean crust is formed at ____.
a. transform fault boundaries
b. divergent boundaries
c.
d.
continental volcanic arcs
convergent boundaries
Web Quest: Plate Tectonics
Name: _____________________________________________ Period: _______ Date:
____________________
Plate Tectonics Web Quest – use Mozilla Firefox or Google Chrome instead of Internet
Explorer
Part 1: Types of Plate Boundaries
http://pubs.usgs.gov/publications/text/understanding.html
1. What are the three types of plate boundaries?
2. What directions do the plates move relative to one another in a divergent plate boundary?
3. What is a spreading center and what is made at one?
4. Name one spreading center (or divergent plate boundary).
5. What are the three types of convergent plate boundaries?
6. What two kinds of crust are involved in a subduction zone?
7. What type of convergent boundary is the Himalaya Mountains formed by?
8. What happens along a transform plate boundary?
9. Name a famous transform fault in western North America.
10. Which plates are sliding past each other along the San Andreas Fault?
Part 2: Plate Boundary Interactions
http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/aso/tryit/tectonics/#
11. Drag each of the arrows in the activity to see the plate interactions. List from left to right
each type of plate boundary shown in the activity.
Now, go to http://emvc.geol.ucsb.edu/forteachers/SeafloorSpreading.htm and scroll down to the
“Seafloor Spreading” picture and click on the picture. Wait a few seconds for it to load, and there
should be a movie.
12. What is happening to the plates at the red line in the center of the screen?
13. What is the red line?
Now, go to http://emvc.geol.ucsb.edu/forteachers/convergence.htm and click on the picture
labeled “Subduction”. Wait for it to load, and there should be another movie.
14. What two kinds of convergence are shown in the movie?
Part 3: Plate Tectonic Maps
http://denali.gsfc.nasa.gov/research/lowman/Lowman_map1_lg.jpg and you will see a
plate tectonic map of the world. Rest the mouse on the bottom right corner of the map and after a
couple of seconds an enlargement icon should appear. Click on this icon to see the map in full
size.
15. Using the key at the bottom of the map, what is happening in Idaho, tectonically speaking?
16. Scroll over to Asia and locate the Java Trench. This is where the Indian Plate and Eurasian
Plate interact. What kind of plate interaction occurs here, that was responsible for the December
26, 2004 tsunami?
Now go to http://emvc.geol.ucsb.edu/forteachers/flashmovies/Pangea.swf Wait for the movie to
download. This is a movie showing how the plates looked around 150 million years ago, when
all the continents were together forming the “supercontinent” Pangaea, and how the plates
moved through time to their present configuration.
17. What continents did North America used to be attached to during Pangaea time?
Part 4: Hot Spots
http://pubs.usgs.gov/publications/text/hotspots.html
18. Describe Wilson’s hotspot theory.
19. What is a caldera?
20. How were the Hawaiian Island formed?
Day 4:
Formal Assessment: Obj. 2.1.1 Plate Tectonics and Layers of Earth
Planet Earth: Mountains with guided questions
Lecture Notes: Earthquakes
Power Point: Earthquakes_1
Classwork/Homework Vocabulary: Earthquakes
Day 5:
Warm up
Lecture: Review Plate Tectonics, Boundaries and learn about types of faults
Power Point: Plate Boundaries, Stresses and Faults
Online Lab: Quake it, Don’t Shake it
Homework: Locating an Earthquake Epicenter
Warm up Review
1. If you saw a building collapse in an earthquake, what could you infer about the type of wave that knocked it down?
a. Surface wave
b. S wave
c. Body wave
d. P wave
2. What is the instrument used to measure earthquake waves?
a. Richter
b. Seismograph
c. Epicenter
d. Seismogram
3. What does the Ring of Fire refer to?
a. The land known as Pangaea
b. An active erupting volcano
c. The volcanoes surrounding the Pacific Ocean
d. The spreading that takes place on the ocean floor
4. How do surface waves compare to P waves?
a. Surface waves are the slowest waves; P waves are the fastest
b. P waves produce vertical and horizontal motion; surface waves produce horizontal motion only
c. P waves are the most dangerous waves; surface waves are the least dangerous
d. P waves cause volcanic activity; surface waves form trenches
5. Place the following events of an earthquake in sequence:
I. Surface waves are detected
II. S-waves are detected
III. Aftershocks are detected
IV. P-waves are detected
V. Foreshocks are detected
a. III, IV, I, V, II
b. II, IV, III, I, V
c. IV, V, III, II, I
d. V, IV, II, I, III
Day 6:
Warm up
Review: Earthquakes
Students will read Section 10.1 and answer questions 1-5
Power Point: Complete lecture notes using my wiki page on Volcanoes
Activities:
Vocabulary: Volcanoes
Label the Volcano Diagram
Warm up Review 12/5/2015
____
1.Which of the following is NOT a type of stress seen in rocks?
a. shear stress
c. compressional stress
b. tensional stress
d. transitional stress
____
2.Tensional stresses commonly cause which of the following?
a. strike-slip faults
c. thrust faults
b. reverse faults
d. normal faults
____
3.Compressional stresses can result in the formation of ____.
a. rift valleys
c. thrust faults
b. horsts and grabens
d. normal faults
____
4.Faults in which movement is mainly horizontal and parallel to the trend of the fault surface are called ____.
a. reverse faults
c. strike-slip faults
b. thrust faults
d. normal faults
____
5.The major forces that form folded mountains are ____.
a. shear stresses
c. compressional stresses
b. tensional stresses
d. volcanic in nature
Name ______________________________________________________ Period ________ Date
____________________
Volcano Diagram
Read the definitions, then label the diagram below.
Definitions
Ash cloud - an ash cloud is the cloud of ash that forms in the
air after some volcanic eruptions.
Magma chamber - a magma chamber contains magma (molten
rock) deep within the Earth's crust.
Conduit pipe - a conduit is a passage through which magma
(molten rock) flows in a volcano.
Side vent - a side vent is a vent in the side of a volcano.
Crust - the crust is Earth's outermost, rocky layer.
Lava - lava is molten rock on Earth’s surface.
Vent - a vent is an opening in the Earth's surface through which
volcanic materials erupt.
Volcano Vocabulary
Viscosity
Pyroclastic Material
Volcano
Shield Volcano
Cinder Cone
Composite Cone
Caldera
Particles produced in
volcanic eruptions
Particles produced in
volcanic eruptions
A small volcano built from
pyroclastic material ejected
from a single vent
A small volcano built from
pyroclastic material ejected
from a single vent
A large depression usually
caused by a volcano
collapsing
A large depression usually
caused by a volcano
collapsing
A broad, gently sloping
volcano built from fluid
basaltic lava
A broad, gently sloping
volcano built from fluid
basaltic lava
An opening in the Earth’s
crust through which lava,
ash, and gases are expelled
An opening in the Earth’s
crust through which lava,
ash, and gases are expelled
A volcano composed of
both lava flows and
pyroclastic material
A volcano composed of
both lava flows and
pyroclastic material
The measure of a material’s
resistance to flow
The measure of a material’s
resistance to flow
Day 7:
Warm up Review
Students will complete activities from the previous day (vocabulary and notes)
Activity: Plotting Earthquakes and Volcanoes
Warm up Review
____1.An earthquake’s epicenter is ____.
a. any spot along the nearest fault
b. the spot below the focus
c. the place on the surface directly above the focus
d. a spot halfway between the focus and the surface
____2.Violent shaking from an earthquake can cause soil and rock on slopes to fail and cause a ____.
a. landslide
c. sinkhole
b. fault
d. tsunami
____3.Which one of the following statements is true about P waves?
a. They cannot be recorded on a seismograph.
b. They travel only through solids.
c. They travel faster than S waves.
d. They are the most destructive type of seismic wave.
____4.In areas where unconsolidated sediments are saturated with water, earthquakes can turn stable soil into a fluid through a process called
____.
a. tidal effect
c. liquefaction
b. underwater landslide
d. fault creep
____5.The adjustments of materials that follow a major earthquake often generate smaller earthquakes called ____.
a. aftershocks
c. foreshocks
b. surface waves
d. body waves
Day 8:
Warm up Review
Review/Lecture: Volcano Notes, parts of a volcano and vocabulary
Play Kahoot: Online interactive review game
Lab: Volcanoes
Volcano and Earthquake Lab
Warm up Review 12/9/2015
`
____1.Overall, which seismic waves are the most destructive?
a. S waves
c. compression waves
b. P waves
d. surface waves
____2.Which of the following is NOT a factor affecting how violently or quietly a volcano erupts?
a. magma’s temperature
b. size of the volcano’s cone
c. concentration of dissolved gases in the magma
d. magma’s composition
____3.Which of the following is NOT a characteristic of S waves?
a. They shake particles at right angles to the direction the waves travel.
b. They travel more slowly than P waves.
c. They cannot be transmitted through water or air.
d. They temporarily change the volume of material by compression and expansion.
____4.The most violent volcanic eruptions are associated with what type of volcano?
a. composite cones
c. cinder cones
b. fissure eruptions
d. shield volcanoes
____5.A volcano that is fairly symmetrical and has both layers of lava and pyroclastic deposits is a ____.
a. composite cone volcano
c. shield volcano
b. cinder cone volcano
d. pyroclastic volcano
____6.What type of volcano is built almost entirely from ejected lava fragments?
a. pahoehoe volcano
c. shield volcano
b. cinder cone
d. composite cone
____7. Which would produce the most severe earthquake damage along the surface of Earth?
a. an earthquake with a deep focus and a magnitude of 2.5
b. an earthquake with a shallow focus and a magnitude of 2.5
c. an earthquake with a deep focus and a magnitude of 4.5
d. an earthquake with a shallow focus and a magnitude of 4.5
____8. Volcanoes that have the most violent eruptions have magma with the following characteristics:
a. magma with a high silica content, high viscosity and higher gas content
b. magma with a low silica content, low viscosity and higher gas content
c. magma with a high silica content, low viscosity and low gas content
d. magma with a low silica content, high viscosity and low gas content
Day 9:
Formal Assessment: Obj. 2.1.2 Earthquakes and Volcanoes
Web Activity: Google Earth (to be completed once students have turned in formal assessment)
Plate Tectonics as Expressed in Geological Landforms and Events:
An Exploration using Google Earth™ and GeoMapApp
It is no coincidence that the theory of Plate Tectonics developed in the late 1960’s when, for the
first time, large-scale remote sensing datasets for the Earth, in particular seafloor geomagnetic
and gravity data sets, became widely available. To “see” and document a planet-scale process
like Plate Tectonics, one needs to be able to observed geologic phenomena at very large length
scales.
We’re going to do a little bit of this for ourselves, making use of global data for earthquakes and
volcano distribution, and a couple of new global visualization tools: Google Earth™, a freely
available “virtual globe” imaging package; and GeoMapApp, a Java-based “geographic
information system (GIS) focused on the marine setting, developed and maintained at the
Lamont-Doherty Earth Observatory’s Marine Geoscience Data System. GeoMapApp is
designed to generate Google Earth compatible kmz and kml files, so anything that can be
imaged on a map base in GeoMapApp can be overlain and manipulated on the Google Earth
virtual globe.
Getting Started Instructions:
1) Download Google Earth™ onto your home computer or laptop. Go to
http://earth.google.com and follow the instructions.
2) Download GeoMapApp onto your home computer or laptop. Go to http://www.marinegeo.org/ and follow the instructions for downloading.
3) Download the GOC-CENTAM folder of kmz files from our class site! These files were
generated using GeoMapApp, and our first activities will involve them.
Exercise 1: Studying Earthquake and Volcano Distributions in Southern North America and the
adjacent Pacific and Caribbean Oceans
1) Startup Google Earth, and open ALL the kmz files in the GOC-CENTAM folder. These will
become part of your Temporary Places folder in Google Earth, and can be saved
permanently in your My Places file.
2) Download the Smithsonian Global Volcanism Network’s Google Earth place mark file of
global Holocene volcanoes, and open this file in Google Earth.
3) Each of the above files can be turned on or off via the checkboxes in your Places menu,
and/or it can be “faded in” or “faded out” by highlighting the filename and adjusting the
horizontal scrollbar that appears below it. For now, uncheck or fade out all the kmz files
save “Earthquake Epicenters EPacific” (the Volcanoes place mark file should be left active).
This file includes the epicenters of all earthquakes of magnitude 5.0 or greater in the region
since 1964. If you double-click on this file in the menu, Google Earth will rotate and focus
the globe on the area highlighted in this file.
4) Take note of the distributions of earthquake epicenters along the western margin of Mexico
and Central America. The earthquake epicenters are color-coded by depth: green refers to
shallow-depth quakes, yellow to intermediate-depth quakes, and red to deep earthquakes.
If you zoom in slightly, red symbols denoting the position of recently active volcanoes should
appear – these are derived from the Smithsonian Institution’s Global Volcanism database,
which is now a bundled file with Google Earth 4.0 (if they don’t appear, be sure that the
“Geographic Features” box under the Primary Database is checked).
a. What is the general spatial relationship between earthquake epicenters and volcano
positions along the Pacific margin of Mexico and Central America? What sort of
plate boundary does this relationship indicate?
b. Why are there a large number of earthquakes recorded in the Gulf of California, and
what kind of plate boundary does this indicate?
c. Why is there a chain of earthquake epicenters cutting across Guatemala and
continuing eastward south of Cuba? What sort of plate boundary may this indicate?
d. Based on the earthquake and volcano positions, try and sketch the plate boundaries
evident in this part of the eastern Pacific. Identify all the Triple Junctions you
discover, and describe what sort they are (ridge-ridge-ridge, ridge-trench-ridge, etc.).
e. In your plate boundary identifications in d., did you discover any Microplates (i.e.,
small pieces of oceanic crust bounded on all sides by plate boundaries)? If so,
where?
Fade out the “Earthquake Epicenters EPacific” file, and turn on and/or fade in the
“CostaRicaandCocosRegion” file, which brings up a close-up view of the Pacific continental
margin along Costa Rica and Panama.
5) What happens to volcano and earthquake distributions as one moves east in Central
America from Costa Rica into Panama?
6) The cluster of volcanoes in the SW corner of the image are the volcanic centers of the
Galapagos Islands, a volcanic “hotspot” offshore from Ecuador. Hotspots reflect highvolume basaltic volcanism, and often leave a “hotspot trace” of thickened ocean crust as
oceanic plates move across them. Based on the observed bathymetry, identify the trace of
the Galapagos hotspot, and tell me which direction the Pacific plate is moving in relative to
Central America.
7) Try and identify the plate boundaries in this area, based on the earthquake and volcano
distribution. What kinds of plate boundaries are they (divergent, convergent, transform),
and what Triple Junctions do you observe?
Exercise 2: Exploring the tectonics of the Izu-Bonin-Mariana-Nankai MARGINS Focus areas
For this exercise, you will compile your own bathymetry images in GeoMapApp, and incorporate
them into your Google Earth database. GeoMapApp can be downloaded at the Marine
Geosciences Data Center website (http://www.marine-geo.org/ ). Start the application as
directed on your own PC after downloading.
1) To find the Izu-Bonin-Mariana region, select it from the MARGINS Focus Sites link under
the Places drop-down menu. Expand the field of view if necessary to include southern
Japan and the Nankai trench area.
2) On this map base, add Earthquake Epicenter data from the “Available Data” drop-down
menu. (Look under “Custom Data viewers.” There are two links for earthquakes: one
exclusively for Pacific submarine quakes, and a second more general one –the second
is preferable, but you may wish to do both).
3) Save this image (bathymetry+the earthquakes overlay) as a kmz file using the Save As
function on your computer.
4) Repeat steps 1-3 for several smaller, bathymetrically complex sites along the IBM arctrench system or the various back-arc ridges and spreading centers, at your discretion.
Use the Zoom In function (+ magnifier on the toolbar) to create close-up maps, and
reduce the spot sizes for earthquake epicenters to 0.5 or less.
5) Open all of these files in Google Earth, and examine the earthquake and volcano
distributions that they reveal to answer the following questions:
a. Where are the divergent plate boundaries in this region, and how can one identify
them?
b. Where are the convergent plate boundaries, and what features (i.e., bathymetric,
or earthquake/volcano distributions) distinguish them?
c. In Central America, the active volcanoes along the arc occur on land, while in the
Izu and Marianas arcs, they exist largely as very small volcanic islands. What
reason(s) might there be for this difference, based on what you see on the maps
and overlays?
d. Why are there no volcanoes in south-central Japan? Base your reasons on your
observations from the maps and overlays, and your interpretations of them as
regards the plate boundary arrangements in and around Japan.
Day 10:
Students will present group projects.
Next Steps:
I will use the end of the unit to tie all of the information that has been covered together. I
think that the group project in which students will act out a News Report on a natural disaster is a
great way to get and keep students engaged in the learning process. Students are also able to apply
what they have learned and convey that information in their own words.
I think the next skill that I am going to focus on is differentiating for the various learners in my
class-in particular the English Language Learners. Planning activities that will encourage
communication and engagement with non-language learners will be quite beneficial to both sides.
The use of time management in the classroom will be a key component.