Earthquakes and volcanoes are some of the most destructive geologic events that happen to our earth. Below are questions that will help you learn more about what causes them. Follow the links at the beginning of each section to find the answers. Good Luck!

Earthquakes

Watch the animation to answer these questions. http://www.pbs.org/wnet/savageearth/animations/hellscrust/index.html

1. What is the layer beneath the earth's crust called?

2. What is a subduction zone?

3. How are mountains formed?

http://www.pbs.org/wnet/savageearth/earthquakes/index.html

4. Where do most earthquakes happen?

5. What is a strike-slip fault?

Exploratorium: Faultline http://www.exploratorium.edu/faultline/index.html

http://www.exploratorium.edu/faultline/basics/tectonics.html

6. Why do quakes happen more often in some parts of the United States than others?

7. What did Alfred Wegener name his "supercontinent"? (hint: look at the map of the world 225 million years ago)

http://www.exploratorium.edu/faultline/basics/faults.html

8. What two plates meet at the San Andreas fault?

9. Name 2 of the 3 ways plates can collide.

10. What kind of fault happens under the ocean?

http://www.exploratorium.edu/faultline/basics/measure.html

11. What does a seismometer measure?

12. What is an advantage of using new digital seismometers?

13. What scale is used to measure the energy of an earthquake?

http://earthquake.usgs.gov/eqcenter/recenteqsww/

14. According to the world map, when and where did the most powerful earthquake take place in the last 7 days?

Volcanoes

Cascades Volcano Observatory

http://vulcan.wr.usgs.gov/Outreach/AboutVolcanoes/framework.html

Section: What is a volcano?

15. How are volcanoes built?

Section: Why do volcanoes occur?

16. What is magma?

17. What is lava?

Section: Where do Volcanoes Occur?

18. Where do volcanoes occur most frequently?

Section: When Will a Volcano Erupt?

19. Name two things that might happen to warn us that a volcanic eruption could occur.

Current Eruptions

http://www.volcanolive.com/archive.html

20. Name two facts about the Kilauea volcano that made news in January, 2004?

21. What kind of volcano is the Kilauea volcano in Hawaii?

22. Name a volcano that erupted in the same month as your birthday.

Section - Volcanoes: Earth's Volcanoes – Mt. Shasta

http://vulcan.wr.usgs.gov/Volcanoes/Shasta/description_shasta.html

23. What state is Mt. Shasta in?

24. How tall is Mt. Shasta?

25. When do scientists think the most recent eruption of Mt. Shasta was?

Section - Mt. St. Helens: After the Eruption: Lava Domes: The Dome

26.When did Mr. St. Helens last erupt?

27. How old is Mt. St. Helens? (Hint: scroll down to find Eruptive History)

28. How tall is Mt. St. Helens lava dome? (look in the Lava Dome section)

Comments or suggestions? Contact Sherry Ziolkowski
Updated on March 25, 2008