SIP Activity Template - Pacific Science Center Web viewMaps are a way of organizing data that can...

EarthquakesSphere Demo

©2023 Pacific Science Center

Created as part of the Exploring Earth Systems Science grant; This project was made possible in part by the Institute of Museum

and Library Services grant number MA-10-13-0107-13.

Please direct questions to: [email protected]

Terms of use: These materials are for non-commercial use only, and cannot be sold. These materials are for your organization’s internal use only. Additional

requests should be made before sharing beyond your organization. If these materials or a portion of these materials are copied as is, please

credit as follows: “Earthquakes demonstration created by Pacific Science Center, Exploring Earth Systems Science grant. This project was made possible in part by the Institute of Museum and Library Services grant number MA-10-13-0107-13”.

If new activities are created that are based on this original activity, please credit as follows: "Activity modified from the Earthquakes demonstration created by Pacific Science Center, Exploring Earth Systems Science grant. This project was made possible in part by the Institute of Museum and Library Services grant number MA-10-13-0107-13”.

Earthquakes: Sphere Demo ©2015 Pacific Science Center, p. 1

DescriptionEarthquakes is a live, 20 minute demo best for grades 6-8, featuring Science on a Sphere, a dynamic interactive data modeling tool. In this show, the audience will use science practices such as planning investigations and analyzing data to explore earth systems. Using hands-on props and interaction with a live science interpreter, they will learn about plate tectonics and magnitude, as well as discuss earthquake preparedness. After the show they can ask questions and explore an earthquake kit.

Props and Materials

Permanent iPad Laser pointer Science Toolbox Signs for science toolbox

o Ask a Questiono Analyze Datao Investigateo Design a Solutiono Communicate Information

Easel Whiteboard Vocabulary signs

o Tectonic Plateso Subduction Zoneo Tsunami

4 metal vocabulary sign holders Paper map 3 books Big yellow key Legend for earthquake data-set Plastic dinner plates

2 foam tectonic plates Pasta bundles 2 blue tarp circles


Tsunami Evacuation Route sign Red Cross emergency kit

Consumable

Material: Quantity: Resupply Information:Dry erase marker 1 Office/grocery storePasta Lots

Packing iPad: Put away in the cabinet in the office, making sure it is locked. Laser pointer: Put away in the Sphere cabinet. Science Toolbox and Toolbox signs: Keep the signs inside the Toolbox and

leave the Toolbox in the cart. Easel and whiteboard: Lean the easel against the wall right in front of the

demo cart in the cart closet. Put the whiteboard on top of the demo cart. Paper maps, books, dinner plates, and dry erase marker: Leave these in the top

drawer inside the demo cart. Big yellow key: Leave this on top of the demo cart. Metal sign holders: Put them in bottom plastic drawer on the metal shelf to

the left when you walk into the cart closet. Vocabulary signs, legend, pasta, blue tarp circles, tsunami evacuation

route sign: Put these in the plastic drawer labeled “Earthquakes”. Red Cross emergency kit: Put this on the metal shelf to the left when you

walk in the cart closet.

Maintenance Treat the Toolbox and vocabulary signs with care. They can easily break or get

scratched. Use educator duties to make more pasta bundles.

KeyG GuestP PresenterBold italics indicate action.Italics indicate a note to the presenter.

indicates a cue


Data-sets

Earthquake video Blue Marble Earthquakes last 30 days Scotese Paleo Drift Blue marble with plate boundary overlay Japan earthquake and wave propagation Tsunami movie


Earthquakes

Concepts Maps are a way of organizing data that can help scientists find patterns and form

theories about Earth processes. Tectonic plates are large slabs of slowly moving rock that form the Earth’s crust.

The place where plates meet is called a plate boundary, and plates moving against each other can cause earthquakes.

Magnitude is the measure of energy release during an earthquake. Earthquakes are measured in a logarithmic scale.

People can prepare for earthquakes by implementing early warning systems, improving the infrastructure of towns and cities, earthquake-proofing their own homes, and having earthquake kits available.

Learning Objectives Using a key to decipher a map, visitors will look for patterns where earthquakes

and tsunamis occur, forming hypotheses about why these events happen. Visitors will manipulate models of tectonic plates and compare them to data

about where earthquakes occur to conclude that plates moving against each other cause earthquakes.

Using pasta, visitors will compare energy released during a magnitude five earthquake versus a magnitude nine earthquake, thereby gaining a better understanding of logarithmic scale.

By comparing tsunami data to earthquake data, they will learn that tsunamis are an effect of earthquakes under the sea.

By exploring an earthquake kit and brainstorming about earthquake-proofing and infrastructure, visitors will be able to communicate about earthquake preparedness.

Set-up1. Open the Sphere cabinet, turn off daily demo, and call up the show

announcement playlist.2. Push the benches so that there are several rows facing the Sphere.3. Set up the easel with the whiteboard on it to one side.4. Roll the demo cart to the other side.5. Set up the metal sign holders along the railing of the sphere.6. Make sure the correct cards for the Science Toolbox are in the Science Toolbox,

and put the toolbox in the cart.7. Make sure you have the correct vocabulary cards, and put them in the cart for

future use. 8. Make sure you have the correct legend for the big yellow key, and put the key in

the cart for future use.9. Put the paper, plastic, and tectonic plates in the cart. Also put the paper map, 3

books, pasta, blue tarp circles and Red Cross emergency kit in the cart so that they are easily accessible for when they will be used in your demo.

10.Open the Earthquakes playlist, and have the Wii-mote and laser pointer ready.


Script

Pre-Show Cue next dataset, which will be a blank/black sphere.

This will let you keep the attention of your audience for the intro portion of the show.

IntroP: Hi! My name is ______________. Can everyone say, “Hi, ______________?”

G: Hi, _______________.

P: I’m really glad you made it today. Maybe you can help me with something. I’ve been thinking a lot about earthquakes. Have any of you ever been in an earthquake? Just shout it out.

G: Yes. No. I don’t know.

P: Okay, I see some of you have and some of you haven’t. What happens during an earthquake?

G: Rocks fall. Everyone dies.

P: This sounds interesting. Let’s take a look at this video to see what happens during an earthquake.

Earthquake video.

P: I see buildings falling, shaking, chaos. Whew! If this happened in Seattle, we’d probably have trouble getting through the streets. We probably wouldn’t have power; we’d have limited access to food and water. I wouldn’t get my morning coffee, and I would miss the next episode of Downton Abbey. Is all of this going to happen in Seattle?

G: Yes. No. I don’t know.

P: This is a tough question.

Science ToolboxP: Whenever I have a question about something, I use my Science Toolbox! I carry it with me everywhere, even when there’s an earthquake! Take out toolbox and pretend to dig through it. The tools in here help me figure out what to do step by step. Ooh, let’s try this one. What does it say? Put up ‘Ask A Question’ tag.

G: Ask a question!

P: Our question was, “Will an earthquake happen in Seattle, and if so, will I still be able to get coffee and watch Downton Abbey?” Let’s see what else is in here that we might need. What’s this one? Pretend to dig through it and put up ‘Analyze data’ tag.

G: Analyze data!


Science on a SphereP: Data is information, and as it turns out, we have a lot of information about the Earth and stuff that happens on it. I have books, diagrams, maps. Take out books, diagrams, and map. Oh, maybe I can use this map to find out where earthquakes happen. Look at map. Hm. Yes. Oh, I see. What, did you want to see? Turn the map around so the audience can see. This is kind of small. Maybe we can just spend the next twenty minutes looking at this one at a time. Oh, you don’t like that idea? You know what, this map isn’t really accurate anyway. It’s flat and the world is round. I wish I had something really big and round that everyone could see. Something we could all look at at the same time to analyze data about Earth.

G: Look behind you, stupid.

P: No, I’m not sure my head is big enough. It doesn’t have a lot of data in it anyway. Oh, you mean this?

Cue NOAA logo.

P: What a great idea! This is called “Science on a Sphere” and it was gifted to Pacific Science Center by NOAA, which is the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration. Can we get a big round of applause for NOAA?

G: Clap clap clap

P: We can use the sphere to look at information about the entire Earth. A map like this isn’t useful for finding your way to Starbucks or grandmother’s house. You can’t see smaller things such as roads or buildings, but you can see information about larger things, such as landmasses, oceans, and the weather.

Reading a data-setP: What were we investigating again?

G: Earthquakes!

P: Fantastic! Let’s look at earthquakes!

Earthquakes last 30 days.

P: These aren’t earthquakes! They’re just a bunch of big colorful circles, and I know for a fact earthquakes aren’t pink and blue! I’m going to need a key to find out what they mean, I need a key. Hm. I think I have a key somewhere. Take out key. Do you think this will help?

G: You are preposterous. Ha ha ha!

P: Actually, this is exactly the kind of key we need! Turn key over to show the color code. This kind of key tells me what the size and color of these circles mean. Select a guest. Hi, what’s your name?

G: Tony Stark.


P: Excellent, Tony Stark. Can you tell us what color means? Hand the key to the guest.

G: Color indicates depth.

P: Excellent! Color indicates depth, and size indicates the magnitude, which is a number scientists use to describe the strength of the earthquake. Let’s give Tony a big round of applause!

Tectonic PlatesP: Now that we know what information this map is showing us, let’s analyze it. Do you notice any patterns in where these earthquakes are occurring?

G: Yes!

P: Right. They seem to be occurring along certain lines. Let’s point out one of those lines. Can you tell me your name?

G: Janet VanDyne.

P: Okay, Janet. Give them the laser pointer and show them how to use it. Can you draw a line that has earthquakes along it? Great! Everyone give Janet a big round of applause!

G: Clap clap clap

P: Janet just pointed to the edge of a plate. You know, I think I have a plate here with me! Pull out paper plate. Do you think I mean paper plates? Pull out a red plate. Maybe I mean a red plate! G: No!

P: You’re absolutely right. The kind of plate I’m talking about is a tectonic plate. Take out tectonic plate card and place it on the whiteboard under “Before.” Tectonic plates make up the crust of the Earth. They are large slabs of rock that move and shift, changing the surface of the Earth. They can be smallish or big—sometimes the size of whole continents, and we’re standing on one right now! Quick, grab a hold of something so you don’t fall over! Steady yourself against the railing of the sphere. What are you all doing? I just said that there are huge slabs of rocks moving under us right now—aren’t you afraid? No? You’re right, because tectonic plates move at a really slow rate, so we don’t see them move that much over our life time. If we had millions and millions of years, we could see the plates moving a whole lot.

Scotese Paleo Drift

P: This animation is a mock-up of how the Earth looked millions of years ago. The water and land are slightly different colors than the last map we looked at, but this blue stuff is water, and the brown stuff is land. Notice that all of the land appears to be in one big continent. Now as we move through time, the land masses appear to be moving. This is because both land and ocean are on plates, which were moving very slowly. This gradual shifting formed the surface of the Earth as we know it


today, and even though we can’t feel it, these plates are still moving. Let’s go back to the continents we’re familiar with.

Blue marble with plate boundary overlay.

P: Let’s take a closer look at how plates move. Could I get two volunteers to come help me? Take out plates and choose two volunteers. What are your names?

G: Loki Laufeyson. Thor Odinson.

P: Great! Okay, I want each of you to hold one of these plates. This is more like what tectonic plates look like. Here we have some land with lakes and grass, and the blue stuff is ocean. We walk and drive our boats and grow plants and float bouys on this side, and this other side is the interior of the Earth. Make wavy motions above and below plates. Now like I said, these plates are always moving. The place where two plates meet is called a plate boundary. There are different kinds of plate boundaries, but the one we’re looking at is called a subduction zone. Take out the subduction zone card and put it under tectonic plates. In a subduction zone, a denser plate moves under a less dense plate. This ocean crust is denser than the other plate, so what will happen to this plate?

G: It will go under the other plate.

P: Okay, Thor, move this plate under the other one. What is happening?

G: It’s stuck.

P: Right. The plates are still moving, but they are stuck together. The rocks are being squeezed, and—like a spring—building up stress. This stress can build up over hundreds of years. What happens if you keep on moving your plate?

G: It popped free.

P: Right. The plates break apart very quickly in a matter of moments or minutes. When the contact between the plates breaks, all that stress is released. This is an earthquake. Everyone give Thor and Loki a big round of applause!

G: Clap clap clap

P: We can demonstrate subduction zones with our hands. Between my hands is the plate boundary. Lay your hands flat and make your fingertips touch each other. One plate goes under another, and sometimes it gets stuck. Sometimes this can even cause bunching. Move one hand under the other, and curl the top hand. This bunching is how we got the Olympic Mountains, because there is an ocean plate under the Pacific Ocean that is moving under the plate under Washington. The ocean plate is called the Juan de Fuca, and it’s moving under the North American plate. Use laser pointer to identify Juan de Fuca plate. Now we know what causes earthquakes—do you think one will happen in Seattle?

G: Yes. Existence is futile. We’re all going to die.

P: Right. An earthquake will happen along the Oregon and Washington coast, because the Juan de Fuca plate is moving under the North American plate. We will


feel this earthquake in Seattle—but do we know how bad it will be? Will I still be able to get coffee and watch Downton Abbey?

MagnitudeP: In order to answer that question, we’re going to look at what an earthquake is and what can happen during an earthquake. We’ve already looked at some information about different earthquakes, here.

Earthquakes last 30 days.

P: We know an earthquake happens when a plate breaks away from another plate, releasing energy, and the circles on the Sphere represent earthquakes of different magnitude. Magnitude measures the amount of energy released when the plates break apart. Magnitude is measured on a logarithmic scale. To help us understand what that means, I’m going to need some pasta. Take out the pasta box. Lots of us love pasta, right? Now, we’re going to be applying some stress or force to this pasta. When we apply enough force to break the pasta, all the energy we put into the pasta will be released. This release of energy will represent energy released during an earthquake. Do you think real earthquakes are more powerful than breaking pasta?

G: Yes.

P: Of course. A real earthquake releases more energy than breaking pasta would. We’re just going to use pasta to represent how logarithmic scales work. So, for the purposes of this demonstration, let’s pretend that one piece of pasta is a magnitude five earthquake. For this I’m going to need another volunteer. What’s your name?

G: Natasha Romanoff.

P: Hello Natasha! Now, this piece of pasta will be rock, and you’re going to apply force to that “rock” until the energy is released. Can you break that piece of pasta for me?

G: This is not a challenge.

P: Great job, Natasha! Do you all think a lot of energy was released when she broke that pasta?

G: Not really?

P: Right. That was a magnitude five earthquake, and not a whole lot of energy was released—but you would still feel tremors in the Earth. Okay, now let’s move on to a magnitude six earthquake. This is 32 pieces of pasta. Can you break this, Natasha?

G: I can take down the Winter Soldier with my pinky; I think I can handle a little pasta.

P: Fantastic! Notice that a lot more energy was released. Okay, moving on to a magnitude seven earthquake, we have 32 bundles of 32 pieces of pasta—that’s around a thousand pieces of pasta. Natasha, could you break this?


G: I also saved the world in the movies be tee dubs.

P: Use your judgment about whether to break this pasta. It is very messy, and we don’t want to waste all of our pasta. Breaking the huge bundle is best with large crowds to impress, so keep in mind you should only do this on special occasions. Yeah, you probably could break this, but it’d be really tough—which means a lot of energy would be released. Now, what about a magnitude eight earthquake—that’s a thousand times a thousand pieces of pasta—around 30,000 pieces of pasta! How big do you think that bundle of pasta would be? Show me with your hands!

G: Smaller than Cap’s shield.

P: Cool. Take out the small blue tarp. That much pasta would be roughly the size of this blue circle. Imagine breaking that in half! Lastly, let’s imagine a magnitude nine earthquake. How big do you think that would be?

G: Roughly Hulk sized.

P: Natasha, I’m going to need your help with this—please hold the other side of this blue circle. Open the big blue tarp. Imagine this is the top of a huge bundle of spaghetti standing straight up. Think you could break that in half, Natasha?

G: Let me get my grenade launcher.

P: The reason a magnitude nine earthquake is so important is because this is the earthquake we know is going to happen here. We know this because of our position on those tectonic plates we talked about—we’re due for a big release of energy soon. Alright Natasha, thank you! Everyone give her a big round of applause!

G: Clap clap clap

P: Okay, I said this magnitude nine earthquake is going to happen—but when? It could happen at any time, like right now! Wait for it. Someday that’s going to work. Or it could happen later. The trouble is, we don’t know when. The energy builds up over time, like pulling on a rubber band. You’re never quite sure when the rubber band will snap, but you know if you pull on it hard enough, it will. Okay, we know we’re going to have a bad earthquake here—do you think anything else could happen as a result of that earthquake?

G: Chaos. Mass hysteria. Cats and dogs living together.

P: A lot can happen as a result of eathquakes. Let’s look at one specific earthquake from the past.

TsunamisP: This is Japan in 2011.

Japan earthquake and wave propagation data-set, paused

P: This map is similar to the other one we looked at that showed us earthquakes. The color and size of the circles tells us how strong the earthquakes are. The water is a different color, but that’s because this map will show us some other information


as well. Tell me when you see a big earthquake in Japan. Point to Japan with the laser pointer.

Play data-set

G: Now! Now! Now!

P: Wait for it.

G: Now!

P: Whoa! That was a really big earthquake. What else happened?

G: Colors spread out over the water.

P: Colors spread out over the water. According to another key for this map, these colors measure the height of the waves in the water. During this earthquake in Japan, one plate moved under another, moving the sea floor up on one side and down on the other. Demonstrate with your hands. This shift of the sea floor caused the water to move. This is called a tsunami. Take out the tsunami card and put it under ‘After’. Let’s watch what happens again, and look at how far those waves travel. Where does the tsunami get to?

Play data-set

G: Washington!

P: Right. The tsunami reached the west coast of the United States, but by the time they reached us, the waves were pretty small. Sometimes, however, tsunamis can cause a lot of damage. Let’s take a look.

Tsunami movie

P: Wow, looks scary. Why might a tsunami be bad?

G: Because you’ll drown.

P: There are two really damaging things that happen during a tsunami—you’ve got the initial force of the water coming in. This can destroy streets, buildings, and homes, as well as hurt people and other living things. Later, the water recedes—this is also damaging. It can take buildings, cars, debris, and living things with it. The result is a lot of dangerously damaged buildings and roads, just like an earthquake.

Design a Solution – Earthquake PreparednessP: Now we’ve answered our original question—we know an earthquake can happen here, and we know what will happen when it does. The problem is, I don’t really want this to happen. I want to be able to get my morning coffee and watch Downton Abbey. What should I do?

G: No idea.


P: Another difficult question. I’ll check my science toolbox. What does this say? Pretend to dig around, then put up “Design a solution” tag.

G: Design a solution.

P: Do you all think I can stop tectonic plates, or change the fact that we live on a subduction zone?

G: You could move.

P: Right, but there are other things we can do to prepare before an earthquake happens. We could build buildings that can withstand earthquakes. We can also do this with roads and electricity lines, building safer, smarter structures so that we can still get electricity and go places if we need to. These are things the community can do, but you yourself can make your home earthquake-safe. You can even do things like makes sure your bookshelves and furniture won’t fall over and hurt someone during an earthquake. What about during an earthquake—can I change the magnitude of an earthquake?

G: No.

P: True, but during an earthquake, you can protect yourself using, “drop, cover, and hold.” You’re more likely to get hurt in an earthquake due to flying objects or breaking glass than a collapsing building. First, drop to the ground, so you don’t fall over. Then, find something like a heavy desk or table cover yourself. Do you all see anywhere in this room you could go to protect yourself?

G: Maybe under some of the exhibits.

P: Great. If there isn’t something to cover you, don’t try to move to another room. Cover your head with your arms. Last, the ground can jerk sideways suddenly during an earthquake. Find something heavy and sturdy to hold onto, and wait until the shaking stops. Let’s practice “drop, cover, and hold!” Demonstrate, encouraging visitors to try it with you. After the shaking stops, move very carefully. There can still be aftershocks. We learned that the other thing that can happen after an earthquake is a tsunami—do you think we can stop a tsunami from happening?

G: No.

P: I can’t stop a tsunami, but—just as we can prepare for earthquakes before they happen—we can also prepare for tsunamis before they happen. By putting breakwaters in the ocean and planting trees along shorelines, we can slow waves down. Also, be aware if you live in a flood zone. You may have seen signs like this one. If you are in an inundation zone, make sure you have a place to go when you evacuate. You can even hold practice drills with your community. When a tsunami does happen, we can have offshore buoys to measure how big the wave will be, and loudspeakers to signal when a tsunami is coming to help the evacuation process. Lastly, we can be prepared. What do you think you’d want to have with you in the event of an earthquake or tsunami?

G: My cat.


P: It’s a great idea to have food, water, a way to stay warm, ways to protect yourself, and flashlight or matches. There’s a lot more stuff you can put in an earthquake kit, which I can show you if you want to come up later. But the most important thing is something I always bring with me—my Science Toolkit.

Communicate Information and ConclusionP: Now that I’ve answered my question, what does my Science Toolkit say to do next? Put up “Communicate information” tag.

G: Communicate information.

P: Awesome. Since we know that there can be an earthquake here, and know what will happen when there is an earthquake, we’re ready to spread the word about how to be safe. I hope you’ll help by finding out more and talking to people about earthquakes! That’s our show everyone; give yourselves a big round of applause!

G: Clap clap clap

P: I’ll be up here for the next little bit if you want to come chat or have any questions. Thanks and have a great rest of your day!


Appendix

ResourcesSpecific:

Rapid Responseo http://earthquake.usgs.gov/

Emergency response:o http://www.cdc.gov/niosh/topics/emres/earthquake.html

Tsunami:o http://www.tsunami.noaa.gov/ o http://www.tsunami.gov/info.php

General: Earthquakes:

o http://ceetep.oregonstate.edu/

Next Generation Science Standards

Science Practices: Kindergarten

o Use observations (firsthand or from media) to describe patterns in the natural world in order to answer scientific questions. (K-LS1-1)

Fourth Gradeo Analyze and interpret data from maps to describe patterns of earth’s

features. (4-ESS2-2) Middle School

o Analyze and interpret data to provide evidence for phenomena. (MS-ESS2-3)

Disciplinary Core Ideas: Fourth Grade

o The locations of mountain ranges, deep ocean trenches, ocean floor structures, earthquakes, and volcanoes occur in patterns. Most earthquakes and volcanoes occur in bands that are often along boundaries between continents and oceans. Maps can help locate the different land and water features areas of Earth. (4-ESS2-2)

Middle Schoolo Plate Tectonics and Large-Scale System Interactions. (MS-ESS2-3)

High Schoolo Plate tectonics is the unifying theory that explains the past and current

movements of the rocks at Earth’s surface and provides a framework for understanding its geologic history. Plate movements are responsible for most continental and ocean-floor features and for the distribution of most rocks and minerals within Earth’s crust. (HS-ESS2-1)

Crosscutting Concepts: Kindergarten

o Events have causes that generate observable patterns. (K-PS3-1), (K-PS3-2)

Fourth Grade


http://www.tsunami.noaa.gov/

http://www.cdc.gov/niosh/topics/emres/earthquake.html

o Patterns can be used as evidence to support an explanation. (4-ESS2-2)

Middle Schoolo Cause and effect relationships may be used to predict phenomena in

natural systems. (MS-ESS2-5)

Credits

Contributors:Joy DeLyria, Interpretation Programs Supervisor (script creator)Aleksandr Robbins, Interpretive Science Educator (pasta activity)Alice Enevoldsen, Planetarium Supervisor (content creator)Jessica Aranson-Cook (content creator)Lauren Slettedahl, Interpretation Programs Coordinator (consulting, props)Zeta Strickland, SIP and DC Manager (consulting, content)

Works Cited

"Basic Disaster Supplies Kit." Ready. Department of Homeland Security. Web. 1 Mar. 2014. <http://www.ready.gov/>.

Chernicoff, Stanley, and Ramesh Venkatakrishnan. Geology: An Introduction to Physical Geology. 2nd ed. New York: Worth, 1995. Print.

"Plate Tectonics." National Geographic, 2015. Web. 1 Mar. 2014. <http://science.nationalgeographic.com/science/earth/the-dynamic-earth/plate-tectonics-article/>.

"Teaching Resources." Cascadia Earthscope Earthquake and Tsunami Education Program. Oregon State University. Web. 1 Sept. 2014. <http://ceetep.oregonstate.edu/>.

"The Tsunami Story." Tsunami. NOAA. Web. 1 Mar. 2014. <http://www.tsunami.noaa.gov/tsunami_story.html>.


SIP Activity Template - Pacific Science Center Web viewMaps are a way of organizing data that can...

Documents

Transcript of SIP Activity Template - Pacific Science Center Web viewMaps are a way of organizing data that can...