National Teachers Enhancement Network: Lesson Plan

Lesson Plan: The Relationship Between Earthquakes and Plate Boundaries
Subject: Earth and Space Science / Plate Tectonics / Earthquakes
Classtime: 60 minutes
Grade Level: 4-9

Materials/Technology:

student Internet access
maps of the Western Hemisphere and the World showing plate boundaries. If a
map is not available, use the following site to obtain a map:
http://wwwneic.cr.usgs.gov/neis/plate_tectonics/plates.html.
map of North America for classroom display
pins of various colors to represent the magnitudes of earthquakes

Safety, Handling, Disposal:
Internet access should be closely monitored.

Learner Outcomes:
Students should be able to:

Use previous knowledge of plate tectonics to determine specific explanations as to
the locations of most earthquakes.
Use observational data along with historical seismic activity to determine possible
locations with limited seismic activity.

Problem/Purpose:
Analyze the relationship between plate boundaries and the occurrence of earthquakes.

Background/Inquiry:
This activity should serve as an introduction to plate tectonics and using the Internet to
access data. Plate Tectonics is the study of crustal plates and their boundaries. The
majority of earthquakes occur along these plate boundaries. These earthquakes range in
size from those only detected by seismic stations to those that cause loss of life and major
property damage.

Hypothesis: Students will generate a hypothesis that relates to the lab. Example: 'More
earthquakes occur along plate boundaries than in the middle of these plates.'

Procedure:
Advanced teacher prep -

Make copies of the maps ahead of time.

Student procedures -

Obtain a blank map of the Western Hemisphere from instructor. Use this map for
procedures 4, 5 and 6.
Go to the following earthquake web site and bookmark it for use with procedures
3-7: http://wwwneic.cr.usgs.gov/current_maps.shtml.
At the Internet site scroll down to Alaska, click on it.
On the map of the Western Hemisphere, mark the locations of earthquake activity
in Alaska. Hit the back button. Scroll down to U.S. and click on it.
On the same map, mark the location of earthquake activity in the continental U.S.
Hit the back button. Scroll down and click on Western Hemisphere.
On the same map mark the location of earthquake activity in the Atlantic Ocean.
Hit the back button. Scroll down and click on World.
Obtain a map of the world, showing plate boundaries. Mark the location of current
earthquake activity worldwide.

Results/Analysis:
Check maps to see if all earthquakes are properly located.

How many earthquakes occurred in Alaska?
How many earthquakes occurred in the Continental U.S.?
Were there any earthquakes in the middle of the Atlantic Ocean?
How many earthquakes occurred on plate boundaries compared to areas away
from the boundaries?

Conclusions:
The conclusion should state the relationship between earthquakes and plate boundaries.

Assessments:

Maps with questions answered correctly.
Write a brief explanation for the location of the earthquakes on their maps.
Explain how they would chose a place in the U.S. to live if minimum seismic
activity was the primary concern.
Explain why it is important to use historical records in studying earthquakes.

Integration: Computer skills, map reading.

Reflections:
Share your thoughts on this lesson with the NTEN team.

Please send an e-mail to Patti Harrison.

Extensions:

Have students use different colored pins (each colored pin represents a different
magnitude) to mark earthquakes on a large map of the U.S. each day for two
weeks. At the end of the two weeks, trace in the plate boundaries and explain any
earthquakes that are not on a plate boundary.
Have the students go to the Virtual Earthquake here: VirtualEarthQuake. This
site will give them information on S and P waves. The student will find out how
this information is used to locate the epicenter and magnitude of an earthquake.
After completing the exercise at this site, they will get a certificate if they have
been successful.

References/Resources:
URLs used:

Credits
Contributing Teacher: Randall Mogen
NTEN Course: K-12 Earth Science
Instructor: Jerry Nelson
Developing Team:
T.L. Buck Buchanan, Patti Harrison, Don Samuelson, John Usher, Don Wilson
HTML Programmers: Tyson N. Trebesch, Ryan Huddleston, Ken Eklund, Ching-Kwong Chia

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