Review Seminar: Unit 4 Project “Dangerous and Natural Energy” Freddie Arocho-Perez Kaplan University SC300: Big Ideas in Science

General Instructions Use the information from the Unit 4 Project link. You will read/learn about earthquakes. You will investigate the possibility of earthquakes occurring in the area in which you live.

Part 1 Begin this project by reading about earthquakes here: ence.php ence.php

Part 1

An earthquake is what happens when two blocks of the earth suddenly slip past one another. The surface where they slip is called the fault or fault plane. The location below the earth’s surface where the earthquake starts is called the hypocenter, and the location directly above it on the surface of the earth is called the epicenter. Part 1

The earth has four major layers: – inner core – outer core – mantle – crust The crust and the top of the mantle make up a thin skin on the surface of our planet.

Part 1 The skin is not all in one piece – it is made up of many pieces like a puzzle covering the surface of the earth. These puzzle pieces keep slowly moving around, sliding past one another and bumping into each other. These puzzle pieces are tectonic plates, and the edges of the plates are called the plate boundaries.

Part 1 Scientists use the seismogram recordings made on the seismographs at the surface of the earth to determine how large the earthquake was. Seismograms are used for locating earthquakes and to see the P wave and the S wave.

Part 1 The largest recorded earthquake in the United States was a magnitude 9.2 that struck Prince William Sound, Alaska on Good Friday, March 28, The largest recorded earthquake in the world was a magnitude 9.5 (Mw) in Chile on May 22, The earliest reported earthquake in California was felt in 1769 by the exploring expedition of Gaspar de Portola while the group was camping about 48 kilometers (30 miles) southeast of Los Angeles. It is estimated that there are 500,000 detectable earthquakes in the world each year. 100,000 of those can be felt, and 100 of them cause damage.

Part 1 The world's deadliest recorded earthquake occurred in 1556 in central China. It struck a region where most people lived in caves carved from soft rock. These dwellings collapsed during the earthquake, killing an estimated 830,000 people. In 1976 another deadly earthquake struck in Tangshan, China, where more than 250,000 people were killed. Alaska is the most earthquake-prone state and one of the most seismically active regions in the world. Alaska experiences a magnitude 7 earthquake almost every year, and a magnitude 8 or greater earthquake on average every 14 years.

Part 2 You will use the United States Geological Survey (USGS) tools to help determine if you are in danger, based upon where you live. Visit the USGS interactive map: This displays the regions of the United States that are most likely to experience a significant earthquake in the next fifty years. The scale moves from white (almost zero risk) to red (very high risk).

Part 2

Answer the following questions: – What patterns to you see in the distribution of earthquakes across the continental United States? – Locate your home on this map and make a note of the relative risk to you by indicating the color where you live.

Part 3 The USGS also reports on earthquakes around the world. Visit this interactive map to find the latest global earthquake data from the past seven days: eqsww/ eqsww/

Part 3 Answer the following questions: – What patterns do you see in the distribution of earthquakes around the world? – Click on one of the earthquakes on the map and make a note of its magnitude and region. – Would you be willing to live in one of the red areas on the map? Explain. – If you and your family were forced to relocate to a red area, how could you use the USGS resources on earthquake readiness ( to help your family prepare themselves?

Part 3 – Examine the list of the most destructive earthquakes on record: hp hp What are the two most recent earthquakes on this list? What does this list tell you about the power of science to control or predict earthquakes? – Even though science cannot predict or prevent earthquakes, what seismological tools do we have to sense the planet's rumblings? What events do you think might have encouraged the development of these tools? – How is this kind of geological energy different from biological energy (such as the calories creatures get when they consume food)? How are they the same?

How to Submit the Project Your work should be written in 500-words, using APA style formatting, including all appropriate citations, references. Save your copy of the assignment in a location and with a name that you will remember. Be sure to use the "Save As" option to include your first and last name in the title of the document. For example, your assignment might be called Shawn_Edwards_Project4.doc

How to Submit the Project When you are ready to submit it, click on the Dropbox and complete the steps below: – Click the link that says Submit an Assignment. – In the "Submit to Basket" menu, select Unit 4: Project – In the "Comments" field, include at least the title of your paper. – Click the Add Attachments button. – Follow the steps listed to attach your Word document. – To view your graded work, come back to the Dropbox or go to the Gradebook after your instructor has evaluated it. Click the Dropbox to access it. – Make sure that you save a copy of your submitted assignment.