Science Lesson: Drifting Continents, Dynamic Results

Abstract
Students will plot earthquake and volcano data in order to begin explaining the relationship between plate movement and connection.

Purpose – Engagement of students in the connection between geological events and plate motion.

Objectives
Students will be able to:
1. Plot volcano and earthquake locations on a map using Compass Rose Plotting.
2. Orally, draw conclusions that earthquakes and volcanoes occur in predictable locations.

National Science Education Standard:
CONTENT STANDARD D – Earth and Space Science
Energy In The Earth System
• The outward transfer of earth's internal heat drives convection circulation in the mantle that propels the plates comprising the earth's surface across the face of the globe.
Geochemical Cycles
• The earth is a system containing essentially a fixed amount of each stable chemical atom or element. Each element can exist in several different chemical reservoirs. Each element on earth moves among reservoirs in the solid earth, oceans, atmosphere, and organisms as part of geochemical cycles.
• Movement of matter between reservoirs is driven by the earth's internal and external sources of energy. These movements are often accompanied by a change in the physical and chemical properties of the matter. Carbon, for example, occurs in carbonate rocks such as limestone, in the atmosphere as carbon dioxide gas, in water as dissolved carbon dioxide, and in all organisms as complex molecules that control the chemistry of life.

The Origin And Evolution Of The Earth System
• Interactions among the solid earth, the oceans, the atmosphere, and organisms have resulted in the ongoing evolution of the earth system. We can observe some changes such as earthquakes and volcanic eruptions on a human time scale, but many processes such as mountain building and plate movements take place over hundreds of millions of years.

Teacher Background

Science Odyssey: An Intro to Plate Tectonics
http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/aso/tryit/tectonics/intro.html

Understanding Plate Boundaries
http://pubs.usgs.gov/publications/text/understanding.html

Related and Resource Websites

USGS Earthquakes Hazards Program: Magnitude Greater Than 2.5 From Around the World
http://earthquake.usgs.gov/recenteqsww/Quakes/quakes_all.html

Volcano World Current Eruptions
http://volcano.und.edu/vwdocs/current_volcs/current.html

Map of Current Earthquakes from USGS
http://earthquake.usgs.gov/recenteqsww/

Map of Current Volcanoes from Smithsonian
http://www.volcano.si.edu/gvp/reports/usgs/index.cfm?content=worldmap

Image courtacey of Global Volcanism Program

Activity

1. Prior to the lesson, print out volcano and earthquake locations from the sites listed above. Cut these into groups of 25-30 events. You should have an equal number of volcanic and earthquake data sheets and enough for each pair of students to have their own set of data. Each group’s data should be different (so for a class of 32 students you need 16 data sheets, 8 volcanic and 8 earthquake). If there is limited volcanic data online, you might want to disperse more earthquakes sites (There are hundreds each day so finding an adequate number is easy). You will also need to make an overhead transparency of the map the students are using. It needs to be the same size as the student maps.

2. As students enter the room, have the following question on the board, “What do you know about volcanoes and earthquakes?”

3. Allow students a few minutes to write and share their responses with the class.

4. Tell students that today they are going to plot the locations of earthquakes and volcanoes and that their combined data will be used to look for patterns.

5. Review plotting using Compass Rose directions with students. Since the map provided has curved longitudinal lines, remind students to curve their lines when they are plotting the events.

6. Give each pair of students one blank overhead transparency, one blank World Map, and a set of either volcano or earthquake data. Students will need to mark the crossing of the equator and prime meridian, as well as north so that the data can be lined up at the end of the lesson.

7. Tell students to carefully plot their points, again reminding them that longitudinal lines are curved. You will also need to tell them that the USGS uses Cartesian coordinates so that the first number is the latitude and the second is the longitude. Positive numbers represent North and East, while negatives represent South and West.

8. When pairs have finished plotting their data, have them bring their overheads, maps, and data sheets up to the teacher for the class discussion.

9. Put your transparency on the overhead. Tell students to quietly observe as you stack all the earthquake data sheets. What patterns do they notice?

10. Repeat this process with the volcano data. What patterns do they notice?

Closure
Have students begin to think about the way the continents have been moving. Is there a relationship between earthquakes and plate motion? [Not an apparent one, but yes. Students will probably say no and that’s ok. They’ll see the connection in the next few days.] Volcanoes and plate motion? [Students should notice that the volcanoes are on the side of South America that is moving “away” from Africa. Conversely they are on the side of Asia that is moving “away” from the Americas.] Once students see this, leave them with the question, do you think there are patterns in the way the plates move and the results? Tell them they will find out the answer in the next dew days.

Embedded Assessment
Are students working in pairs to plot data? Is data plotted correctly? Do students explain the connection between volcanoes and plate motion?

Homework
Write a 2-3 sentence conclusion in your science notebook. Conclusions should tell what you learned and be thought provoking. What do they think the earthquake locations might tell us?

Embedded Assessment