Environmental Science TORCH Institute
Geographic Information Systems and Environmental Science
 INTRODUCTION TO EARTHQUAKES
University of the Pacific
A Project
J. Boggs, N. Hollar, B. Schultz
 
        Introduction to Earthquakes is a project covering the earth science concepts of faults and plate tectonics. The students will be asked to plot epicenters of earthquakes occurring in California onto an outline map. They will use longitude and latitude to plot these earthquakes.  Then they will be asked to correlate the location of these epicenters to known faults. 
 
CONTENTS:  

1. Plot  Earthquake Epicenters in  
    California: Latitude and  Longitude  

2. Describe Relationships between 
    Epicenters and Faults in California  

3. Plate Tectonics   

4. Relationships between  
    Epicenters, Faults, Plate Boundaries  

5. Extensions

Objectives

 
 Science Concepts  



Plotting Latitude and Longitude
          One California Latitude and Longitude Map per student
        List of Epicenter Points of Earthquakes in California colored pen or pencil
        Teacher Transparency:    California Latitude and Longitude Map
        Answer Sheet
          1. Hand out a California Latitude and Longitude Map and the list of epicenter
            points to each student.
        2. Review with the students how to plot a point by using two coordinates.
        3. Have students plot the list of epicenters.
        4. The teacher can then place the transparency of California Latitude and Longitud
            Map onto the viewer.
        5. Let students take turns plotting epicenter points onto the transparency.
        6. The teacher can check results with the answer sheet transparency.
         7. Ask students if they see a pattern in the placement of the epicenters.
  


LIST OF CALIFORNIA EPICENTERS
 
Date Degrees Latitude Degrees Longitude
2/9/71          34 N 118 W
6/7/75          40 N 124 W
11/26/76      42 N 125 W
11/22/77      40 N 120 W
10/15/79      33 N 115 W
5/25/80        38 N 119 W
2/27/80        38 N 119 W
5/2/83          36 N 120 W
4/24/84        37 N 122 W
7/2/86          38 N 119 W
7/8/86          34 N 117 W
7/31/87        40 N 124 W
11/24/87      33 N 116 W
7/13/91        42 N 126 W
8/16/91        42 N 125 W
8/17/91        42 N 125 W
4/25/92        40 N 124 W
4/26/92        40 N 124 W
6/28/92        34 N 117 W
 

 

 


 
 


 


FAULTS IN CALIFORNIA
              California Map with Fault Lines 
              1. Have students compare epicenters with fault lines.
            2. Students should then describe a relationship between the two.
 

 

  Click the picture to see earthquake damage in San Francisco 1986.

 
 Aerial view of the San Andreas fault slicing through the Carrizo Plain in the Temblor Range east of the city of San Luis Obispo. (Photograph by Robert E. Wallace, USGS.)

 
 


Plate Tectonics
 

 
 
 


Relationships between Epicenters-Faults-Plate Boundaries
 

 Extensions:

    Have students research and plot the world's 10 most active volcanoes.  They should be able
     to correlate findings with earthquakes and plate boundaries.

    Have students reasearch a hypothesis such as: Is there a relationship between rainfall and
    the occurance of earthquakes ?  This could be done on a G.I.S. program such as ArcView.
 


 
 Acknowledgments:

        We wish to thank the dedicated teachers and staff of University of the Pacific for their instruction and the use of their facilities. None of this would have been possible, except for the dedication of Richard Filson, Director of the Torch Institute.