Introduction
Have you ever seen a crack in the walls or on the roads? What could have been the reason for the cracks?
No one can predict when an earthquake will occur. It could happen at no specific time or place. Strong earthquakes have caused countless deaths and damaged infrastructure around the world.
Although earthquakes are unpredictable, it is important to have a clear understanding of them. There are necessary things that people can do to protect themselves from falling objects and prevent further harm.
Task
For the activity: IS IT MY FAULT?
Using two pieces of cardboard and cornstarch visualize how stress builds up along a fault and leads to sudden rupture.
Process
- Place the two cardboards, edge to edge, to represent the tectonic plates
- Spread and flattened the cornstarch on top of the flat cardboards and drew parallel lines to represent the roads
- Slowly push/pull the cardboards in opposite directions. Observe what happens
Evaluation
- As you move the cardboards, what happens to the cornstarch?
- Draw your observation on paper and present it to the class
Conclusion
Faults are the cracks or fractures in the Earth’s crust where rocks on either side have shifted past one another. Tectonic plates are large sections of the Earth’s lithosphere that float and are constantly moving.
The movement of the tectonic plates creates stress along their boundaries within which leads to the formation of faults.
Earthquakes are the shaking of the ground caused by the sudden movement along faults within the Earth.