earthquakes_and_volcanoes_non_fiction_report_text.pdf | |
File Size: | 183 kb |
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Earthquakes! taken from Weather Kids
Click here to answer the question: How do earthquakes form? |
Earthquake Vocabulary
Teachers can click here to get printable index cards. |
What is an Earthquake?
Earthqakes begin in the Earth's crust along faults.
Earthquakes are the sudden shaking and rolling of the earth’s surface. They are one of the Earth's natural methods of releasing energy. More than a million earthquakes shake the world each year. In the United States, cities like San Francisco in California are most at risk of having an earthquake because they are on the San Andreas Fault. However, earthquakes happen in many other places all over the world. Earthquakes can be felt over large areas although they usually last less than one minute. Earthquakes cannot be predicted - although scientists are working on it!
What Causes an Earthquake?
This is a picture of the 20 tectonic plates.
There are about 20 tectonic plates along the surface of the earth that move continuously and slowly . When the plates in the Earth's crust move against each other, huge rocks shift with great force, causing an earthquake.
Think of it this way: Imagine holding a pencil horizontally. If you were to apply a force to both ends of the pencil by pushing down on them, you would see the pencil bend. After enough force was applied, the pencil would break in the middle, releasing the stress you have put on it. The Earth's crust acts in the same way.
As the plates move they put forces on on each other. When the force is large enough, the crust is forced to break. When the break occurs, the stress is released as energy which moves through the Earth in the form of waves, which we feel and call an earthquake.
What is a Fault?
A fault is an area of stress in the earth where tectonic plates slide past each other, causing a crack in the Earth's surface. There are the major types of faults: dip-slip, dip-slip reverse, and strike-slip.
What are Plate Tectonics?
The theory of plate tectonics is how continents slowly move from place to place. The moving plates break apart, collide, and grind against each other. The Earth's crust and upper mantle are made of of several large, rigid plates that move against each other. The plates are all moving in different directions and at different speeds. Sometimes the plates crash together, sometimes they pull apart. They can also rub against each other. When this happens, the results could be earthquakes.
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Volcanoes! taken from Weather Kids
Lern how volcanoes form by clicking here.
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Volcano Vocabulary |
What is a Volcano?
Listening Question (vocabulary)
Molten rock is...
a) melted rocks
b) hard rocks
c) fast moving rocks
Here are the basic parts of an erupting volcano
A volcano is a mountain that opens downward to a pool of molten rock called magma. The pool of rock is below the surface of the Earth. When pressure builds up inside the volcano, eruptions occur. Gases and rock shoot up through the opening and spill over or fill the air with lava fragments. Eruptions can cause, lava flows, hot ash flows, mudslides, avalanches, and falling ash. Volcano eruptions have been known to knock down entire forests. An erupting volcano can trigger dangerous events like tsunamis, flash floods, and earthquakes,.
What are the Different Stages of Volcanoes?
Listening Question (inference): Which kind of volcano is the most dangerous?
a) active,
b) dormant
c) extinct
Scientists have categorized volcanoes into three main categories: active, dormant, and extinct. An active volcano is one which has recently erupted and there is a possibility that it may erupt soon. A dormant volcano is one which has not erupted in a long time but there is a possibility it can erupt in the future. An extinct volcano is one which has erupted thousands of years ago and there’s no possibility of eruption.
Why do Volcanoes Erupt?
Listening Question (detail): Volcanoes occur because...
a) earthquakes shift the plates.
b) tectonic plates move against each other and cause friction.
c) volcanoes shift the tectonic plates very quickly.
an erupting volacno
The Earth's crust is made up of huge slabs called plates, which fit together like a jigsaw puzzle. When these plates move, the friction causes earthquakes and volcanic eruptions near the edges of the plates.
What is the Ring of Fire?
Listening Questions (main idea): The Ring of Fire is famous because...
a) It has 90% of the worlds volcanoes.
b) It has more than half of the worlds dormant volcanoes, and most of the worlds earthquakes.
c) It has more than half of the worlds active volcanoes, and most of the worlds large earthquakes.
The Pacific Ring of Fire is an area of frequent earthquakes and volcanic eruptions encircling the basin of the Pacific Ocean. The Ring of Fire has 452 volcanoes and is home to over 50% of the world's active and dormant volcanoes. 90% of the world's earthquakes and 81% of the world's largest earthquakes occur along the Ring of Fire.
positive_and_negative_effects_of_a_volcanic_eruption.pdf | |
File Size: | 273 kb |
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Download Volcano Types Vocabulary
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What are the different types of volcanoes?
Here are four kinds of volcanoes: cinder cones, composite volcanoes, shield volcanoes and lava volcanoes. |