This page provides an overview of the role of plate tectonics in the generation of earthquakes. It provides a map of plate locations and figures that illustrate fault types and tectonic environments (extensional, transform, and compressional). Examples of surface features in the Pacific Northwest, Nevada, Indonesia, the San Andreas Fault, the Red Sea, the Zagoros Mountains in Iran, and on the planet ... Full description.

This lesson plan is part of the DiscoverySchool.com lesson plan library for grades 6-8. It focuses on how landslides occur and how scientists predict them. Students design and perform their own experiments using homemade stream tables. Using these tables they test landslide types and draw conclusions about water flow, timing, and other factors that determine how landslides occur. It includes objectives, ... Full description.

This informational tour offers students a basic understanding of geologic time, the evidence for events in the history of the Earth, relative and absolute dating techniques, and the significance of the Geologic Time Scale. Students move at a self-selected pace by answering questions correctly as they go. The teacher's guide contains all the details needed to use this computer activity, including handouts, ... Full description.

This Thinkquest offers an encyclopedic look at plate tectonics and volcanoes. Reference sections describe the interior of the Earth, continental drift, sea floor spreading, subduction, volcano types and eruptions, lava flow, and famous volcanoes. Lesson plans cover the internal structure of Earth, plate tectonic theory, and how volcanic eruptions and earthquakes affect the human environment. There ... Full description.

This is the teacher resource site for the University of California Museum of Paleontology (UCMP) program "Stories from the Fossil Record". It provides information to aide instructors in implementing the program in a classroom setting. Included are lesson plans, handouts, related activities, and background references. Also included are pre- and post-lesson assessments. Full description.

This site contains information about the general model geologists have developed to explain how most mountain ranges form. This model suggests that mountain building involves three stages, which are accumulation of sediments, an orogenic period of rock deformation and crustal uplift, and a period of crustal uplift caused by isostatic rebound and block-faulting. The later two stages of this model involve ... Full description.

This site contains information about discoveries made after World War II when ocean-going geologists adapted sensitive magnetometers developed for antisubmarine warfare for use in seafloor research. This modern technology gave geologists their greatest boost in more than a century of field work and led to the idea of sea floor spreading. This site has animations showing sea-floor spreading and a magnetometer ... Full description.

This glossary of earthquake terms features illustrations which accompany the definitions, where possible, to provide examples and additional reinforcement. Links to related terms are embedded in the text. Full description.

This interactive map shows the major fault systems of the Quaternary for the State of California. It is subdivided into 1x2 degree sheets, each of which is linked to a more detailed map. Users can select a sheet and see an enlargement of the area. Individual fault systems are numbered and keyed to a legend which provides a link to a written synopsis of information for the fault, including fault type ... Full description.

This interactive map of the United states provides access to maps of Quaternary faults and folds by state or region (for example, the Gulf Coast). Clicking on the colored areas of the map links the user to state/regional maps and further, to 1x2 degree sheets for each area. On the sheets, users can find faults numbered and indexed to a legend. Links from the legend provide access to written information, ... Full description.