Lesson 2.3: Earthquakes
Completion requirements
Lesson 2.3: Earthquakes
In this lesson, you pause in your journey through prehistoric events. It’s time to study modern earthquakes.
- Read pages 343 and 344 of the textbook. Answer the questions as you encounter them.
Check your answers with those in the “Practice Answers” in the online course.
In the next activity, you will study an animation of subduction, and you will discover how subduction is accompanied by earthquakes.
- Read the activity on page 345 of the textbook. Follow the directions, and answer the questions.
Check your answers with those in the “Suggested Answers” in the online course.
- Read “Types of Seismic Waves” on page 345 of the textbook.
Note that the two kinds of seismic waves—P-waves and S-waves—can be shown travelling down a spring. This is illustrated in the next investigation.
- Read the entire activity on page 346 of the textbook.
Be careful when using a stretched large-diameter spring. Don’t release the end of a spring from a fully stretched state; the end of the recoiling spring may strike someone. And do not lie on the floor; a runaway spring could hit you in the face!
If you do not have classmates to work with, you may use family members or friends as partners for this investigation.
Tip: You may be able to have an additional partner use a camcorder to record the waves travelling along the large-diameter spring. Then, you can use individual video frames to look at the positions of the wave at various elapsed times.
Tip: You may be able to have an additional partner use a camcorder to record the waves travelling along the large-diameter spring. Then, you can use individual video frames to look at the positions of the wave at various elapsed times.
- Follow the directions of the investigation, and answer the questions. or this path you will watch a teacher and student demonstration of this activity.
Check your answers with those in the “Suggested Answers” in the online course.
For this path you will watch a teacher and student demonstration of this activity.
For question 6, if you have no other teams to compare your results with, try to think about why there could be speed differences. Also think about possible improvements you could make. Then, base your answers on your ideas.
- View “Modelling Seismic Waves with a Spring”. Stop and start the video as required. Record your observations when prompted.
- Answer questions 1 to 5 on page 346 of the textbook when prompted.
For question 6, if you have no other teams to compare your results with, try to think about why there could be speed differences. Also think about possible improvements you could make. Then, base your answers on your ideas.
- Check your answers with those in the “Suggested Answers” in the online course.
- Read pages 347 to 349 of the textbook. Answer the questions as you encounter them.
Check your answers with those in the “Practice Answers” in the online course.
In the next activity, you will use a computer simulation to find both the epicentre and the Richter magnitude of an earthquake. You will need to stop the video to read and understand each page. This activity takes time but it is valuable.
- Read the activity on page 350 of the textbook. Follow the directions, and answer the questions.
Check your answers with those in the “Suggested Answers” in the online course.
- Read the remainder of page 350 of the textbook, starting at “Tsunamis”.
- Read “2.3 Summary” on page 351 of the textbook. Then, complete “2.3 Questions”.
Check your answers with those in the “Practice Answers” in the online course.