Earthquake Links

Earthquakes are movements of the earth's crust that occur when the earth's plates slam into or slip past each other, releasing huge amounts of energy. Earthquakes happen around the clock and around the world, but may be weak, far beneath the ground, or in the middle of the ocean. Planet Diary features the quakes that are (literally) Earth-shattering.

Use this link to support Chapter 5: Weathering, Soil, and Mass Movements in Prentice Hall Earth Science:

• Mass Movements (text page 146): Mass Movement Dynamics (USGS)

Use this link to support Chapter 11: Mountain Building in Prentice Hall Earth Science:

• Himalayas (text page 512): The Himalayas: Two Continents Collide (USGS)

Try these Planet Diary Earthquake Activities:

• Earthquakes in Your State
  Find out where earthquakes occur in relation to Earth's tectonic plates. You'll also check out the seismic history of your local area.
• Seismic Waves
  Compare different kinds of seismic waves, including P, S, and L waves.
• Movements of Earth's Plates
  Explore past movements of Earth's tectonic plates. You'll also calculate future movements along the San Andreas Fault.
• Tsunamis: Earthquakes Deadly Partners
  Learn the stages in the formation of a tsunami and find out about new technology for tsunami monitoring and alerts.

Worldwide Earthquake Activity
Find out where earthquakes shook the planet today and over the past seven days, and how strong these quakes were.

IRIS Seismic Monitor
View an interactive map showing location and magnitude of recent earthquakes.

USGS National Earthquake Information Center
Get current information and maps of earthquake activity from the U.S. Geological Survey.

Earthquake Learning Links
You'll find earthquake related puzzles, animations, and other cool stuff at this USGS page.

NGDC Natural Hazards Data
Search for earthquakes according to intensity, magnitude, deaths, and cost of damage at this extensive Web site from the National Geophysical Data Center. This site also hosts databases of tsunamis. The Significant Earthquake Database even contains estimated coordinates and magnitudes of earthquakes dating back to 2150 B.C.

Southern California Earthquake Data Center
Find California recording stations and view their live readout (data is only displayed if activity is currently occuring). You can also view replays of the Landers and Northridge earthquakes.

What is Richter Magnitude?
This is a technical explanation of Charles Richter's famous scale, provided by the University of Nevada, Reno.

Tsunami!
Read about the physics of tsunamis, see footage of recent tsunamis, and see a simulation of a 1923 tsunami that hit a Japanese village at this Web site from the University of Washington.

National Seismic Hazard Mapping Project
The U.S. Geological Survey has prepared earthquake hazard maps: areas in orange have the highest probability of experiencing significant ground movement, while areas in white have almost none.

ABAG Earthquake Maps and Information
If you live in the San Francisco Bay Area, check out this interactive map from the Association of Bay Area Governments. It will tell you how much damage your neighborhood could sustain during a slip along any of the faults in Northern California.

Tsunami Hazard Mitigation
Would you know what to do if you heard a tsunami warning?

Exploratorium Faultine
Check out the history of quakes in the San Francisco Bay Area. You can also try these activities:

• Slinky In Hand
• Resonator
• Resonator Rings

Seismology at the Science Fair Projects
The U.S. Geological Survey lists a few science project ideas.