Dynamic Earth
According to scientists, Earth is 4.6 billion years old. In that time, the planet has gone through many different transformations. Land has been built up, worn down, and built up again. Only to be worn down. The process is never-ending. Here is Washington State, one can find evidence of this process. From Republic and the billion years old continental shelf to the coal fields of western Washington where jungle plant and animal life thrived and died only to be mined as some of the best coal found in the United States. There are ancient fossil beds; gold, silver, titanium, and tungsten mines sprinkled throughout the Okanagan area. The peninsula sports the only rain forest north of the equator. Eastern Washington bares the scars of multiple flash floods from ice dams located near Missoula, Montana. Let's not forget the Cascade Mountains, home to 5 out of the 15 volcanoes that range from the Canadian border into northern California. And if that wasn't enough, 60 miles off the coast and running parallel to Washington, Oregon, and California is the Cascadian Subduction Zone. This massive subduction zone is responsible for the Cascade Mountains and the earthquakes felt throughout Washington. Further, this zone is known for it megathrust earthquakes, the last of which flooded coastal areas and destroyed villages 300 years ago. This is where we live!
earthquakes around the world
What is an earthquake? Where do earthquake occur? These two questions guided students as they viewed the Volcano Discovery website to track down and record 10 earthquakes in the past 30 days. Using a Google spreadsheet, students recorded their data. Next, we used the graphing tool to graph magnitude vs. depth to determine if earthquakes were stronger or weaker depending upon how deep they were. Volcano Discovery website
Ring of fire documentary
In order to understand the forces driving the subduction zone, one must be able to understand the much larger picture of the Ring of Fire. This is where most of the earthquakes and volcanoes are found. The Cascadian Subduction Zone, off the coast of Washington falls into the Ring of Fire.
Folklore & history
Geologic events that have happened in Washington's past were not recorded because the Native Americans used oral traditions instead of written words. It wasn't until Washington became more settled, that events were finally written down. However, scientists can use Native American lore to help them piece together events in the past. One such event was the 1700 earthquake and tsunami. This event was handed down by oral tradition by many of the coastal tribes.