Coral Growth and Earthquake Prediction

Which piece of text evidence best explains why scientist Kerry Sieh believed that a great undersea earthquake would take place near Indonesia in the early 2000s?

• "For hundreds of years, the Sunda Megathrust Fault had been storing energy that would be released in massive undersea earthquakes."

• "They’d figured out that major earthquakes shook the region about every 200 years. The last big quake was in the early 1800s, which meant another could come at any time. "

• "As the students in their red-and-white uniforms sat quietly listening, geologist Kerry Sieh explained that under the ocean, 60 miles from their island, was a ticking time bomb."

• "Sieh explained that, for more than a decade, scientists from the California Institute of Technology had been studying a section of the fault just to the south."

Tags

CCSS.RI.4.8

CCSS.RI.5.8

CCSS.RI.6.1

CCSS.RI.6.8

CCSS.RL.6.1

Which sentence from the text contains figurative language?

Remember: A metaphor makes a comparison without using like or as.

• "They’d never felt giant earthquakes or seen tsunami waves."

• "Though Sieh couldn’t say exactly when it would happen, he was almost certain there would be at least one major earthquake in the students’ lifetimes."

• "As the students in their red-and-white uniforms sat quietly listening, geologist Kerry Sieh explained that under the ocean, 60 miles from their island, was a ticking time bomb."

• "They’d figured out that major earthquakes shook the region about every 200 years."

Tags

CCSS.RI.6.10

CCSS.RL.4.6

CCSS.RL.5.10

CCSS.RL.5.6

CCSS.RL.6.10

Why do you think the students and teachers were so surprised by what the scientist was saying to them during his visit to their school?

Tags

CCSS.RI.1.1

CCSS.RI.2.1

CCSS.RI.3.1

CCSS.RL.2.1

CCSS.RL.3.1

What method did Kerry Sieh use to predict potential earthquakes near the Tello islands?

• Studying the growth patterns of Porites coral heads

• Using satellite imagery

• Monitoring seismic activity

• Consulting historical records

How do Porites corals indicate the occurrence of past earthquakes?

• They form doughnut-shaped rings due to the ocean floor's movement

• They change color after an earthquake

• They stop growing during an earthquake

• They break apart during an earthquake

What pattern did Sieh discover about the earthquakes near the Mentawai Islands and Tello?

• Earthquakes occurred in pairs about every 100 years

• Earthquakes occurred every 50 years

• Earthquakes were random with no discernible pattern

• Earthquakes occurred in pairs every 200 years

Why is it significant that the last pair of earthquakes occurred almost 200 years ago?

• It indicates that earthquakes are becoming less frequent

• It suggests that another big quake might be due soon

• It means the area is now safe from earthquakes

• It shows that the corals have stopped growing

Tags

CCSS.RI.5.2

CCSS.RI.6.2

CCSS.RL.4.2

CCSS.RL.5.2

CCSS.RL.6.2

What tool did scientists use to study the coral heads?

• Microscopes

• Diving equipment

• Underwater chainsaws

• Sonar technology

Why did Sieh study the growth patterns of corals near the Sunda Megathrust Fault?

What geological feature marks the collision between the oceanic and continental plates in the Indian Ocean?

• Mid-Atlantic Ridge

• San Andreas Fault

• Sunda Megathrust Fault

• Ring of Fire

Tags

Understanding