Teachable Moments

Magnitude 5.8 California

A magnitude 5.8 earthquake occurred in the Owens Valley, underneath the bed of Owens Lake, just east of Mt. Whitney, 17.7 km (11 miles) southeast of Lone Pine, CA at a depth of 4.7 km (2.9 miles).

Magnitude 7.4 Oaxaca, Mexico

A magnitude 7.4 earthquake has occurred in Oaxaca, Mexico at a depth of 26.3 km (16 miles). Shaking was felt hundreds of kilometers away in Mexico City.

Our final investigation could be used now, but we know many of you are done for the school year. Thus, we designed it to also be used in the fall since hurricane season spans from June to November. Yes, Hurricanes!  The techniques of seismology can be applied in a variety of contexts to explore many aspects of Earth’s system!  From glaciers, sea ice, fluvial systems and caves, seismology has a role to play.  In this exercise, students explore how the seismometers detect approaching storms and use their knowledge of hurricanes to interpret the seismic data.

Magnitude 7.4 Kermadec Islands

A magnitude 7.4 earthquake occurred in the Kermadec Islands, about 730 km (454 miles) from Tauranga, New Zealand at a depth of 10 km.  There is no tsunami threat from this earthquake.

Here is our ninth seismology mini-investigation to support those of you still leading e-learning as a result of stay-at-home orders!  This might be used either as an extension or introduction to the idea that an earthquake’s magnitude is determined by physical features of the fault.  The correlation between magnitude and energy released is a strong emphasis.  Students use some basic math and a few assumptions to calculate the magnitude of their own jumpquake!