Download Webquest 14

Name: ________________________
Earthquakes Webquest
Date: ___________ Sci Pd: _______
Directions:
1. Type in the following website:
http://www.thetech.org/exhibits_events/online/quakes/overview/
2. Click on the Introduction.
3. Read the text on the screen and then click “Next” at the top when you are ready to move to
the next screen.
4. When was the earliest seismograph invented? _____________ By whom? ___________
5. On the “What a Jerk” screen, how do we know where the tectonic plate boundaries are?
__________________________________
6. On the “It’s not your fault” screen, in what direction and how fast is the Pacific plate
moving? ______________________ and __________________________
7. On the “Under Stress” screen, what force causes the blocks along faults to lock up?
_____________________________________________________________
8. What happens when the stress causes the fault to break? __________________________
9. On the “Spreading the Motion” screen, fill in the blanks: “Tectonic plates are somewhat
_______________. The motion between them is not confined entirely to their own
boundaries. The motion extends into their _______________ and is spread out among a
system of __________________ all around the plate's _______________________.
10. On the “Around the World” screen, where did the waves recorded on a horizontal pendulum
in Potsdam, Germany in 1889 by E. von Rebleur Paschwitz originate? _________________
11. On “The Slinky and the Rope” screen, P waves are also known as ____________________
waves that move like a wave through a ___________________ (slinky or rope). S waves
move in a shear motion, ___________________ to the direction the wave is travelling like a
wave moving through a _________________ (slinky or rope).
12. On the “Under a Shaking Record” screen, look at the seismograph picture. What is the
order that seismic waves occur? 1st ___________, 2nd __________, last ______________.
13. On the “Locatin’ the Shakin’ ” screen, how many seismograph stations data must you have
in order to pinpoint the epicenter of an earthquake? ______________________________
14. What information can one seismograph tell you? ________________________________
15. On the “Measuring a Quake” screen, what are two scales used to measure an earthquake?
__________________________________ and ________________________________
16. On the “Dr. Quake” screen, how much stronger is an M 7.0 earthquake on the Richter scale
than an M 6.0? ____________________________________________________
17. On “The Bigger The Better” screen, what scale should be used to measure earthquakes
greater than M 7.0 on the Richter scale? _________________________________________
18. On the “And That’s Not All” screen, what other use does seismology have besides
measuring earthquakes? ______________________________________________________
19. On the “Earth’s Seismic X-Ray” screen, what are the largest drill holes in Earth so far? ____
20. What do we call the imaging procedure of combining seismograms from different places to
gain an interior picture of the inside of Earth? ________________ ____________________
21. On the “History and Technology” screen, what agency is responsible for monitoring
earthquakes in California and maintaining the Parkfield project? _____________________
22. Right click on the “Parkfield” link and select “Open in a New Tab”.
23. Click on the U.S. Geological Survey Earthquakes Hazard Program tab to open it.
24. Look around. Where do most of the earthquakes occur in the United States? ___________
25. Now go to:
http://www.geology.sdsu.edu/visualgeology/geology101/geo100/earthquakes2.htm.
26. You should take some time to explore all the topics on this site. Use the interactive
components to help understand some basic concepts involved with earthquakes. Pay
particular attention to the animations of the types of seismic waves.
27. Notice that a P wave moves like a _________________. P waves pass through liquids,
solids and gases. They move spherically outward from the focus at speeds around 6 km/s.
S waves pass through solids and move spherically outward from the focus at speeds around
3.5 km/s.
28. Read the paragraph about S waves. The outer core is a liquid. Why don’t S waves move
through the outer core? ____________________________________________________
29. Notice that an S wave and a Rayleigh surface wave move in a similar fashion with the only
difference being that an S wave does not reach the __________________.
30. Love waves are a type of surface wave. Love waves move like a _____________________.
When you are done with your webquest, you may use headphones and explore one of the three
options below:
1) Check out the lecture notes on Earthquakes from the following link:
http://www.geology.sdsu.edu/visualgeology/geology101/VideoLectures/Earthquakes/Earthq
uakes.htm.
2) Check out these helpful animations about plate tectonics, earthquakes and other related
geology topics at http://www.iris.edu/hq/programs/education_and_outreach/animations#J.
3) Check out the animations on attenuation, divergent boundary, elastic rebound, horst &
graben, liquefaction, shadow zone and strike-slip fault on the USGS site:
http://earthquake.usgs.gov/learn/animations/.