Earthquake

TEKS 7.10B

Earthquakes

KEY IDEAS

• How does stress cause faults at plate boundaries?
• What causes earthquakes and seismic waves?
• What are the impacts of earthquakes?

Words to Know

fault
earthquake
seismic waves
Richter scale

​T




O





D- given a table, students will organize and draw the impacts of earthquakes.


A

Y- What caused the car to sink into the ground?






O

Multiple Choice

Which of the following is a correct statement about how tectonic plates cause earthquakes?

• The movement of tectonic plates releases seismic waves that radiate from the focus of an earthquake

• The movement of tectonic plates creates tsunamis, which can cause earthquakes.

• Seismic waves constantly flow through tectonic plates. When the waves reach a plate boundary, they cause an earthquake.

• Earthquakes are not caused by tectonic plates.

Copyright © Savvas Learning Company LLC. All Rights Reserved. Savvas is not responsible for any modifications made by end users to the content posted in its original format.

How does stress cause faults at plate
boundaries?

Convergent Boundary Divergent Boundary Transform Boundary

When rocks are pushed, pulled, or rub against each other, it
causes stress to build up. Stress is a kind of force that can
change the shape or volume of rock. After enough stress
builds up, rock in Earth’s crust breaks, creating a fault.
Different stresses cause different types of faults to form.

Multiple Choice

Which of the following shows the movement of Earth’s crust at a strike-slip fault?

Multiple Choice

At convergent boundaries, __________ builds up stress. When the stress is released, a ________ fault forms and an earthquake can occur.

• tension; normal

• compression; reverse

• tension; strike-slip

• compression; normal

Copyright © Savvas Learning Company LLC. All Rights Reserved. Savvas is not responsible for any modifications made by end users to the content posted in its original format.

Stress and Faults

THEME Cause and Effect Complete the table to describe how
stress affects rock.

Fault

Fault Type

strike-slip

Stress Type

compression

Description

rock is squeezed together
until it breaks

rock is pushed in opposite
directions

rock is pulled and stretched

Open Ended

Compare and contrast how plate tectonics cause earthquakes at the three different types of plate boundaries.

Copyright © Savvas Learning Company LLC. All Rights Reserved. Savvas is not responsible for any modifications made by end users to the content posted in its original format.

What causes earthquakes and
seismic waves? continued

At tectonic plate boundaries, stress builds up until the plates
move. An earthquake is the shaking caused by the sudden
movement of plates at a fault. During an earthquake, energy is
released as seismic waves, which are vibrations that travel
through Earth. The Richter scale rates an earthquake’s
magnitude, or size, by how big its seismic waves are.

Multiple Choice

Compare an earthquake that registers 3.1 on the Richter scale with an earthquake that registers 5.6. How are the tectonic plate movements that cause each similar and how are they different?

• Both earthquakes are caused by volcanic activity.
• A 3.1 earthquake is caused by human activities, while a 5.6 is natural.
• The tectonic plate movements for both are identical in energy release.
• The tectonic plate movements causing a 3.1 earthquake are smaller and less intense compared to those causing a 5.6 earthquake, which involves larger shifts and more energy release.

Poll

At which location(s) would you expect earthquakes to occur?

• 1

• 2

• 3

• 1, 2, and 3

Multiple Choice

1. The image shows tectonic plate boundaries and earthquakes around the world.

Choose the correct way to end this sentence. Earthquakes can occur at_________.

• convergent and divergent boundaries.

• divergent and transform boundaries.

• convergent and transform boundaries.

• all types of plate boundaries

​Talk #1 - Students will view the image of Earthquake Mud on page 264 . Students will share what they know and notice about the image.

Copyright © Savvas Learning Company LLC. All Rights Reserved. Savvas is not responsible for any modifications made by end users to the content posted in its original format.

What are the impacts of earthquakes?
continued

Seismic waves cause shaking that can trigger landslides,
avalanches, and tsunamis. Earthquakes can damage or destroy
buildings, roads, and bridges. Violent shaking can turn loose,
moist soil or sand into liquid mud that flows. This causes the
ground to weaken, causing structures to sink, tilt, or crumble.

Copyright © Savvas Learning Company LLC. All Rights Reserved. Savvas is not responsible for any modifications made by end users to the content posted in its original format.

Earthquake Causes and Effects

THEME Cause and Effect Identify two causes of
earthquake damage and their effects.

Causes and Effects

Seismic waves move outward
from an earthquake focus.

Flowing liquid mud develops,
and buildings sink into it.

causes

Seismic waves violently
shake loose moist soil.

Roads and bridges shake
and get damaged.

effects

Labelling

Identify two causes of earthquake damage and their effects.

Drag labels to their correct position on the image

Seismic waves move out from the focus.

Seismic waves shake loose moist soil.

Mud develops, and buildings sink

Roads and bridges shake and get damaged.

Copyright © Savvas Learning Company LLC. All Rights Reserved. Savvas is not responsible for any modifications made by end users to the content posted in its original format.

Earthquake Causes and Effects Answers

THEME Cause and Effect Identify two causes of
earthquake damage and their effects.

Causes and Effects

causes

Seismic waves move outward from
an earthquake focus.

Seismic waves violently shake
loose moist soil.

effects

Roads and bridges shake and get
damaged.

Flowing liquid mud develops, and
buildings sink into it.

Copyright © Savvas Learning Company LLC. All Rights Reserved. Savvas is not responsible for any modifications made by end users to the content posted in its original format.

Exit Ticket

​Push in your chairs, turn in your work and have a great day!