Lesson 4
What is happening to Earths’ surface and the material below it during an earthquake?
MS-ESS1-4, MS-ESS2-1, MS-ESS2-2, MS-ESS2-3
4.A Develop a profile model across the North American plate to explain the changes seen in bedrock after an earthquake by showing what is found at and below the observable surface.
4.B Construct an explanation using qualitative evidence from class investigations to explain what is happening to the bedrock below the observable surface when an earthquake causes a shift or break in the land.Success Criteria
Based on your previous investigations, what would you expect to be similar about what you would find a couple of miles below the surface at Mt. Everest and the Mountains around Ridgescrest, CA?
How could developing a model of what happened at and below the surface at Ridgecrest help us figure out what might have happened at Mt. Everest?
As a Team...
On a piece of paper, construct a cross section model of the land at and below the surface of Ridgecrest and surrounding area.
Use the map images below to aid in creating your map.
In Your Notebook...
Draw a cross-section of the Ridgecrest area together.
Use Seismic Explorer to look for data about where fault lines are found, how deep they are, and where they are hundreds of miles long.
Cross-Section of the Contiguous United States
This represents a section of the North American Plate
LOOK AT EARTHQUAKES ON SEISMIC EXPLORER TO PREDICT WHERE OTHER PLATES ARE LOCATED
Use earthquake patterns to visualize where other plates might be located across the globe.
In Your Notebook...
Add vocabulary
bedrock
plate
Brainstorm with a partner what could be happening to the bedrock below Mt. Mitchell, which is part of the same plate on Earth that Ridgecrest is part of, if it is moving 2 cm per year.
