This article describes the theory of plate tectonics and its relation to earthquakes and seismic zones. Materials include an overview of plate tectonics, a description of Earth's crustal plates and their motions, and descriptions of the four types of seismic zones. Full description.

In this activity, students investigate the distribution of large earthquakes (magnitude greater than 6) in Southern California. Using online maps of earthquake epicenters in Southern California and the Los Angeles Basin, they will compare these distributions with historic distributions (1932-1996), and with respect to the locations of major fault traces. Full description.

Geologic features altered by earthquakes provide striking evidence of the power of seismic events. This video segment explores the research of Dr. Kerry Sieh, a geologist at the California Institute of Technology, who is dating sediment layers broken and offset by earthquakes in the past to determine the rate at which strain is accumulating towards the next event. The segment is three minutes nineteen ... Full description.

This activity is designed to provide instruction on how to collect earthquake data from on-line databases. The parameters can be changed so that data for earthquakes occurring at any time or part of the world can be accessed. Following completion of this activity the user will be able to find the epicenter and hypocenter (focus), determine the number of earthquakes in a given area or region, determine ... Full description.

This earthquake unit was designed to be used with a college course in physical geography. From this module, students learn the location of areas in the United States with the greatest potential for earthquake shaking and the hazards presented by earthquakes. They also learn how geological conditions and building construction affect the amount of destruction during an earthquake. Seismographs and the ... Full description.

Students use data provided in REV (Rapid Earthquake Viewer) to compare the amplitude of the seismic waves recorded as a result of ground shaking from recent earthquakes. They explore the concept of a logarithmic scale, and create a graph using a logarithmic axis. By graphing and comparing data for earthquakes of different magnitudes recorded at similar distances from the epicenter, students discover ... Full description.

The prediction of earthquakes may be inexact, but it is vital, especially when large cities such as San Francisco or Los Angeles are threatened. The San Andreas Fault and two other faults, the Heyward and Calaveras faults, all have the potential to deliver a massive earthquake to the San Francisco Bay area. In this video segment, a seismologist explains the historical pattern of seismic activity in ... Full description.

This lesson introduces students to the nature of earthquakes and volcanoes. They will discover how earthquake intensity is measured, where earthquakes occur (by studying real-time data), and what global patterns exist. During the course of this activity, students will conduct Web research and collect online data to aid in understanding the experience of a real earthquake through reports of eyewitnesses ... Full description.

In this activity, learners will investigate the seismicity in southern California around the time of the 1992 Landers, California earthquake, which at magnitude 7.3 was the largest earthquake to strike the region in 40 years. Scientific studies into the circumstances surrounding these events and their connection to the Landers earthquake were carried out, primarily because of the hazard that 'triggered' ... Full description.

Increasingly, scientists are discovering ways to predict and prevent loss of life associated with earthquakes. This lesson will help students to understand earthquakes. The first portion consists of an online investigation in which students read news stories about recent earthquakes and their effects. Then, they perform an activity in which seismic waves (P and S waves) are simulated using a slinky ... Full description.