Module Overview

1. Download real-time data earthquake data (location, depth, magnitude) from the Internet.

2. Load the earthquake data into a Geographic Information System package (ArcView is the one selected for this module).

3. Examine the pattern of epicenters by mapping the earthquake data, along with cities, fault lines, and plate boundaries.

4. Answer a series of questions on risk assessment and why people live in hazardous areas, plate tectonics, and human impacts.

Concepts:

• The earth is a dynamic place, both in terms of its human systems and its physical systems.

• People often settle in the most hazardous locations on the planet.

• Assessing risk and the decision to migrate is complex, involving community and individual decision-making.

National Geography Standards Supported:

• The World In Spatial Terms
  1. Map use and geography tools.
  2. Analyze spatial patterns.
• Human Systems
  1. Analyze human systems.
• Physical Systems
  1. Physical Processes.

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