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Visualizing Relationships with Data: Exploring plate boundaries with Earthquakes, Volcanoes, and GPS Data in the Western U.S. | Lessons on Plate Tectonics
Index
Goal
Students are able to explain the relationships between earthquakes, volcanoes, and plate boundaries in the western United States and Alaska.
Context
Audience
This activity was developed for middle school and high school students, grades 6 - 12. However, its focus on data makes it adaptable for introductory college courses.
Teaching Time
One class sessions (45 - 55 minutes) or homework.
Skills and concepts that students must have mastered
Students should be familiar with using the internet.
How the lesson is
situated in the course
This activity can be used at any time in an earth science class. However, in the sequence of lessons about plate tectonics, it is an optional activity to use data to learn about plate tectonics
Next Generation Science Standards
Performance Expectations: MS-ESS3-2, and HS-ESS1-5.
Objectives
Students will be able to:
- Describe how the locations of earthquakes, volcanoes, and velocity vectors from GPS stations inform us about plate boundary zones
- Describe and draw a velocity vector
- Analyze regional plate motion.
- Interpret crustal deformation based on velocity vector map.
- Describe the difference between a plate boundary and plate boundary zone
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Figure 1. Setting up your map using EarthScope Voyager Jr....Read more » -
Figure 2. Learning about reference frame by looking at direction of vectors in Alaska (North America plate) compared to the Pacific plate....Read more » -
Figure 3. Map of earthquake locations in North and Central America....Read more » -
Figure 4. Map showing deformation (strain) of the plates and plate boundary zones of the western states and Alaska....Read more »
Summary
Learners use the UNAVCO GPS Velocity Viewer, or the included map packet to visualize relationships between earthquakes, volcanoes, and plate boundaries as a jigsaw activity.
Organization
This activity consists of four parts:
- Preparing the online map for study
- Compare and analyze earthquake and volcano locations
- Analyze regional crustal motions using GPS Vector Data
- Put it all together to interpret plate motions and boundary types
Materials
Websites for activity
Teacher materials: Western United States
Individual files:
8 MB • v: August 2016
Student materials
Student Worksheet
Western United States [pdf]
[docx]8 MB • v: August 2016
Western United States blank map
[pdf]
2 MB • v: August 2014
Teacher materials: Alaska
Presentation: 
Alaska: Visualizing Relationships Between Earthquakes, Volcanoes, and Plate Tectonics [pptx]
24 MB • v: March 2017
Student materials
Student Worksheet
Alaska [pdf]
2 MB • v: March 2017
Alaska blank map [pdf]
Maps for paper-based instruction Western United States:
Individual maps with earthquake locations, volcano locations, velocity vectors, and blank map [pdf]
2 MB • v: August 2014
Module Development
Funding for this unit came from the Plate Boundary Observatory, NSF, NASA, the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act, and UNAVCO. Authors are Roger Groom (Mt. Tabor Middle School), Cate Fox-Lent (UNAVCO), Shelley Olds (UNAVCO), and Nancy West (Quarter Dome Consulting).
Last modified: 2020-04-16 04:16:32 America/Denver