SCUOLA MEDIA VOLTA - BOLOGNA A. S. 2012-2013

Content and language integrated learning

SUBJECT: CONTINENTAL DRIFT AND PLATE TECTONICS

CLASS: 3°A – 3°C - 3°D – 3°H

PLATE TECTONICS

EARTHQUAKES

Large earthquakes are usually connected with plate boundaries. Earthquakes happen often but most are too small for us to notice. Seismometers record earth movements.

An earthquake is a sudden shockwave caused by rocks being under stress from the movements of plates at plate boundaries.

Eventually the stress in the rock builds up enough to deform and reach breaking point. At that point, the stored up energy is released in the form of shockwaves.

Measuring an earthquake

In the past, the Richter scale was used to measure the power of earthquakes. Earthquakes are now measured using the Magnitude scale . This measures the size of the seismic waves during the earthquake.

The amount of damage caused by an earthquake is measured by the Mercalli Scale . This is a measure of intensity , and changes according to which area you are measuring –damage nearer the epicentre would usually be greater than further away.

L’Aquila earthquake, magnitude 6.3

Why do earthquakes occur? Learn about them (and create one yourself) in this activity.

The Earth ’s structure and plate movement

Animation

http://www.bbc.co.uk/bitesize/ks3/geography/physical_processes/plate_tectonics/activity/

CASE STUDY: EARTHQUAKE in HAITI

Haiti is part of a large Caribbean island called Hispaniola. TheDominican Republic is located to the east of Haiti and covers over half of the island.

Cause of the earthquake

Haiti lies right on the boundary of the Caribbean and North American plates. There was slippage along a conservative plate boundary that runs through Haiti.On 12 January 2010, a magnitude 7 earthquake hit Haiti at 16:53 local time.

Social impacts of the earthquake (effects on people)

• 3 million people affected.• Over 220,000 deaths.• 300,000 injured.• 1.3 million made homeless.• Several hospitals collapsed.

Haiti earthquake, on 12 january 2010, magnitude 7.0 - homeless camp

Economic impacts of the earthquake (effects on money and jobs)

• 30,000 commercial buildings collapsed.• Businesses destroyed.• Damage to the main clothing industry.• Airport and port damaged.

Haiti earthquake, on 12 january 2010, magnitude 7.0 - Homeless camp

Immediate or primary effects: injuries from falling buildings.

Secondary effects: some of them didn’t happen until many months later cholera outbreaks .

The effects of this earthquake were particularly bad because:

• There were very few earthquake-resistant buildings.• Buildings and other structures were poorly built.• The epicentre was near to the capital.• There were few resources to rescue or treat injured

people.

Response to the earthquake

Haiti is a very poor country without the money and resources to redevelop.

It is one of the least developed countries in the world with most Haitians living on $2 or less per day, about £1.30.

Because there were few earthquake-resistant buildings , the devastation was massive. Many buildings simply collapsed or were damaged beyond repair.

Primary responses

Neighbouring Dominican Republic provided emergency waterand medical supplies as well as heavy machinery to help with search and rescue underneath the rubble, but most people were left to dig through the rubble by hand.

Emergency rescue teams arrived from a number of countries, eg Iceland.

Medical teams began treating the injured – temporary field hospitals were set up by organisations like the International Committee of the Red Cross.

Secondary responses

Money was pledged by organisations and governments to assist in rebuilding, but only slow progress had been made after one year.

• After one year, there were still 1,300 camps .• ‘Cash for work’ programs are paying Haitians to clear rubble.• Small farmers are being supported – so crops can be grown.• Schools are being rebuilt.

L’Aquila, Italy, on 6 April 2009

Social and economic impacts of the earthquake (effects on people, money and jobs)

• 308 deaths.• 1,500 injured.• Around 50,000 made homeless.• Damages to between 3,000 and 11,000 buildings.

COMPARE EARTHQUAKES

L’Aquila homeless camp

L’Aquila homeless camp

L’Aquila, the first homeless camp. Local people spending the night in a shelter set up in a gymnasium of L'Aquila sport center university.

4. EARTHQUAKES ACTIVITY

WORDS

Seismometers – a machine that detects seismic waves caused by earthquakes

Shockwaves– a rapid flow of energy that is sent through the earth after an earthquake

Richter scale – The measure by which the strength of earthquakes is measured

Magnitude scale – A measurement to show the size or severity of something like an earthquake

Intensity – the concentration of strength of something, eg an earthquakeEpicentre – the point on the Earth’s surface directly above the focus of an

earthquake

Write in column B the right words from column C. Watch out!! There are many idiom expressions

Column A English words

Column B Italian words

Column C Choice

seismic waves hanno preso un colpo

bustling subìto danni

Underneath (adv) 1 su cinque

what lies beneath (prep.) doesn’t affect us

sono stati colpiti

are rubbing up against each other

un po’ più forte

bear in mind un movimento tellurico piuttosto discreto

of different strengths onde sismiche

suffered damage un’enorme

a fair bit of tectonic movement

se la malasorte ci mette lo zampino

(they) took a knock si strofinano l’una contro l’altra

1 in five 4 persone su 5

pretty hard affollato/animato

as bad luck would have it

quello che sta al di sotto non ci riguarda (non influisce su di noi)

a huge conseguenze sia fisiche che umane

(they) were hit tieni a mente/bada bene/badate bene

4 out of 5 people di solidità diverse

physical outcomes and human ones

detto ciò/ciò detto

speaking of which sotto (avv.)

Multiple choice test 1. Where would the most damage be caused in an earthquake?

Close to the epicentre

Far away from the epicentre

In rural areas

2. What is an earthquake?

An earthquake is the shaking and vibration of the Earth's crust due to movement of the Earth's plates.

An earthquake is the eruption of molten rock from inside the Earth's crust.

An earthquake is the creation of new land formed by molten rock pushing through gaps in the Earth's crust.

3. At what sort of plate boundaries might earthquakes take place?

Constructive plate boundaries

Destructive plate boundaries

Conservative plate boundaries

All plate boundaries

4. What causes earthquakes?

Earthquakes are caused when tension is released inside the Earth's crust.

Earthquakes are caused when the Earth moves closer to the Sun.

Earthquakes are caused when plate boundaries pull away from each other.

5. The point inside the Earth where the pressure is released is called the:

epicentre

focus

cone

6. The point on the Earth's surface that is directly above an earthquake is called the:

epicentre

focus

cone

7. Energy released by an earthquake is in the form of:

rocks

shakes

seismic waves

8. The amount of damage caused by an earthquake is measured using what?

Richter scale

Mercalli scale

Barometer

http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/science/nature/7533950.stm

http://www.bbc.co.uk/bitesize/ks3/geography/physical_processes/plate_tectonics/activity/

http://www.bbc.co.uk/schools/gcsebitesize/geography/natural_hazards/

http://www.bbc.co.uk/bitesize/ks3/geography/physical_processes/