Since large fault ruptures require the build-up of a great deal of stress, many years pass between repeated surface ruptures on a single fault. The average time between such ruptures, known as the recurrence interval of that fault, is a useful measurement for assessing both the slip rate of the fault and the risk the fault presents. This activity contains three exercises. In the first, students study ... Full description.

This activity has two parts: the first part will demonstrate the weaknesses of simple fault models (like block diagrams) in depicting the process of fault rupture accurately; and the second part is centered around a fairly simple animation of rupture propagation, seen by an oblique map view, that attempts to show more accurately what we should envision when we think about fault rupture. This activity ... Full description.

This National Park Service (NPS) site provides links to geology field notes providing information about National Parks, National Monuments, and National Recreation Areas that have to do with plate tectonics. The site also has illustrations and descriptions of different plate boundaries. The parks are divided into categories depending on which type of plate boundary they are located on. This includes ... Full description.

This activity is designed to familiarize the learner with the concepts of strike and dip, to make further studies of faults and fault models easier. It also introduces learners to a few key elements of seismology, which will be seen again later in much greater detail. Knowledge of how to solve basic trigonometric equations is needed for this activity. To describe a fault plane in simple terms, geologists ... Full description.

This activity is the first in a two part sequence designed to increase students' understandings about earthquakes. It will address the following questions: What is an earthquake?; What is the role of a model in science?; and How are scientific ideas constantly changing? The activity involves the construction of a model ('The Earthquake Machine') that allows students to explore stick-slip behavior ... Full description.

Any single method for measuring the slip rate of a fault is subject to substantial errors, both in the accuracy of the method itself and in the interpretation of the results. Adding to the difficulty of reaching agreement between methods is the fact that the properties of faults (including slip rate) can change over time, or along the length of a fault. This exercise shows how different approaches ... Full description.

In this exercise, students will study the three types of faults, investigate the association between faults and earthquakes, and examine the relationship between earthquakes and plate tectonics. There is a set of animations that illustrate the types of seismic waves, an exercise in which students determine the location of an earthquake epicenter using arrival times of P and S waves, and an exercise ... Full description.

This guide provides directions and descriptions for stops on a walking tour of the Calaveras Fault in Hollister, California. Maps and photos are used to show offset and damage to man-made structures caused by creep along the fault. Full description.

Ths portal allows users to view or download spatial data on regional and global geology, geochemistry, geophysics, and mineral resources. The data can be accessed by using interactive map browsers of either the United States or the world, or by linking to an FTP site where the user can download metadata, contact information and data files. Data are available in several formats, including ArcInfo shapefiles ... Full description.

In this exercise, students investigate structural evolution and fault zone linkage along a plate boundary; specifically, the Dead Sea Transform. They will use satellite imagery, seismicity data, field data, and structural measurements to assess the overall kinematics (changes in the position of objects with time), investigate fault segment length and style, contrast deformation in the northern and ... Full description.