This set of hands-on activities helps students investigate ground deformation and earthquake hazards in the Pacific Northwest using physical models, real-world data, and map analysis. A brief demonstration with a compression spring illustrates how the subduction of the Juan de Fuca plate beneath the North American plate causes varying motion across the region. In longer activities, students measure compression, analyze GPS vector maps, and identify seismic hazard zones. By interpreting real-world data, students develop a deeper understanding of tectonic forces and connect these concepts to earthquake preparedness strategies.

TEASER:  Intro to IRIS's "Geographic Region" series. Our "World Series" addresses regional tectonic forces and resulting recent and historic earthquakes around the world (ex. Japan, Alaska, Peru-Chile, Central America, Mexico, Pacific Northwest).

Seismic waves travel through the earth to a single seismic station. Scale and movement of the seismic station are greatly exaggerated to depict the relative motion recorded by the seismogram as P, S, and surface waves arrive.

A gridded sphere is used to show:
1) the seismic stations don't need to be lined up longitudinally to create travel-time curves,
      as they appear in the first animation, and
2) a single station records widely separated earthquakes that plot on the travel-time curves.

Earth science is not simple. It frequently deals with difficult concepts, abstractions, mathematical laws, and theory. With this series of animations under 2 minutes, we hope to address common misunderstandings, misconceptions and myths.

We use exaggerated motion of a building (seismic station) to show how the ground moves during an earthquake, and why it is important to measure seismic waves using 3 components: vertical, N-S, and E-W. Before showing an actual distant earthquake, we break down the three axes of movement to clarify the 3 seismograms. 

This lesson will help to answer the question: 'What is 3D Seismic Data?'. Students will learn about the advantages of a 3D seismic survey, and how to plan a survey of their own. In addition, students will learn about the techniques used to process 3D seismic data, most notably the method of coherency.

This lesson defines and describes the steps utilized in seismic interpretation: reconaissance, mapping major offsets, mapping horizons, and mapping small-offset faults. After the students have learned about these different steps in detail, they then apply this knowledge to an exercise. With their knowledge and application, the students should be able to generate a geologica framework.

A cow and a tree in this narrated cartoon for fun and to emphasize that seismic waves traveling away from an earthquake occur everywhere, not just at seismic stations A, B, C, and D. A person would feel a large earthquake only at station A near the epicenter. Stations B, C, D, and the cow are too far from the earthquake to feel the seismic waves though sensitive equipment records their arrival.

This companion to the animation "Four-Station Seismograph network"  shows the arrival of seismic waves through select wave paths through the Earth (P and S waves) and over the surface of the Earth. The movement at distant stations occurs at a microscopic scale. While that doesn't result in noticeable movements of the buildings, the arrivals are recorded on sensitive seismometers.

A gridded sphere is used to show a single station recording five equidistant earthquakes.

This poster outlines the lessons learned from the 1906 San Francisco earthquake and discusses 100 years of large earthquakes, including the Sumatra earthquake that caused a devastating tsunami.

The African Plate is a major tectonic plate that includes much of the continent of Africa, as well as oceanic crust which lies between the continent and surrounding ocean ridges.

Alaskan tectonics are dominated by the Pacific-North American plates. The megathrust boundary between the plates results in both the 4,000-km-long Aleutian Trench and in the arc of active volcanoes that lie subparallel to the trench.

The 1964 Great Alaska Earthquake occurred on Good Friday, March 27th. Liquefaction in and around Anchorage tore the land apart. At magnitude 9.2, it was the second largest quake ever recorded by seismometers.

IRIS has developed a "World Series" of animations of seismically significant areas to address tectonic forces and the resulting earthquakes. These have been placed into Google Earth and exported as a kmz file. 

Fault types and rock deformation.  The faults and folds in rocks provide evidence that the rocks are subjected to compressional, tensional, and/or shear stress. Silly Putty™ allows students to discover that the structure we see in rocks provides evidence for they type of stress that formed. Students apply this idea by examining images of faults and folds experimentation with sponge models.

An asperity is an area on a fault that is stuck or locked. Scientists study areas along long fault zones that have not had earthquakes in a long time in order to determine where the next earthquake may occur. As long faults move, all areas of it will, at some point, become "unstuck" causing an earthquake relative to the the size of the asperity that finally breaks.

This demonstration, squeezing uncooked spaghetti noodles in a wood template set in a vise, effectively shows how asperities (stuck patches) on a fault rupture at different times.

View looking into a fault zone with a single asperity. Regional right lateral strain puts stress on the fault zone. A single asperity resists movement of the green line which deforms before finally rupturing.

Students will discover how scientists in the oil and gas industry risk a prospect. A manager wants to know what we think is the most likely volume of HC we expect, and the chance that this prospect will actually have that amount of HC. The bigger the possible “prize,” the more risk the manager would be willing to take on. What are the steps that petroleum geoscientists take to examine what the play will produce?