Teaching Activities

Earthquake Demonstration
This demonstration uses an "earthquake machine" constructed from bricks, sand paper, and a winch, to simulate the buildup of elastic strain energy prior to a seismic event and the release of that energy ...

Earthquakes
Achim Herrmann, George Washington University
This activity uses geoinformatics to understand the world around us with an emphasis on earthquakes.

Frequency of Large Earthquakes -- Introducing Some Elementary Statistical Descriptors
Len Vacher, Dept of Geology, University of South Florida
Spreadsheets Across the Curriculum module. Students examine the number of large earthquakes (magnitude 7 and above) per year for 1970-1999 and 1940-1999. QL: descriptors of a frequency distribution.

Shaking Ground - Linking Earthquake Magnitude and Intensity
Eric Baer, Highline Community College
An in-class activity for connecting earthquake magnitude, shaking, and intensity.

Earthquake Magnitude - Linking Earthquake Magnitude and Intensity
Eric Baer, Highline Community College
An activity that helps students link earthquake magnitude and intensity.

Exploring Earthquake Hazards with GIS
Constantin Cranganu, CUNY Brooklyn College
This activity is a straightforward application of GIS to assessment of earthquake hazards. The students get more modeling skills with GIS and a better understanding of earthquake hazards.

Tectonics, Earthquakes, Volcanoes
Camille Holmgren, SUNY College at Buffalo
This is a two-part homework exercise. In the first part, students use on-line courseware from California State University, Los Angeles to investigate seismograph records. In the second part, students complete a ...

Measuring earthquake and volcano activity from space
Shimon Wdowinski, University of Miami
This tutorial is based on real InSAR observations acquired over the Andes from 1992 to 2005. It will get the student acquainted with InSAR observations and basic concepts of space geodesy.

Mapping Plate Tectonic Boundaries
Michael Kerwin, University of Denver
This activity asks students to explore a National Geographic map showing Earth's plate tectonic boundaries. The exercise lets the students examine relationships between plate tectonic boundaries and geologic ...

2004 Asian Earthquake and Tsunami Disaster Project
Char Bezanson
Students are employees of a unit of the United Nations responsible for coordinating disaster relief after a major disaster (the 2004 Asian Earthquake and Tsunami) occurs. The agency needs to understand the ...

Determining Earthquake Probability and Recurrence
Eric Baer, Highline Community College
A homework/classroom activity where students collect historical earthquake information and use it to forecast the probability of larger earthquakes.

Earthquake Shaking and Damage
Eric Baer, Highline Community College
This student homework and problem set has students quantitatively earthquake hazard, shaking and damage.

Plotting Earthquakes with Near Real-Time Data
Bill Slattery, Wright State University-Main Campus
Students access the United States Geological Survey National Earthquake Information Center at http://earthquake.usgs.gov/eqcenter/recenteqsww/Quakes/quakes_all.php and plot the longitude latitude and depth of ...

American Museum of Natural History - Field Trip Assignment
Eryn Klosko, SUNY Westchester Community College
Self-guided field trip assignment to AMNH (largely based on the museum's teacher's guide for high school students)

Cause of the Mogul, Nevada, Earthquake Swarm, Spring 2008
Patricia Cashman, University of Nevada-Las Vegas
Students examine data from fault- and magma- related earthquakes and determine distinguishing characteristics. They then apply these criteria to determine the cause of the Mogul earthquake sequence (that most of ...