In this activity, students use data on historical earthquakes to identify when and where they occurred and make predictions about future earthquakes.
By the end of this activity, students should be able to:
- use data to plot a timeline of large earthquakes that have happened in New Zealand over the last 170 years
- look for patterns in earthquake events but learn that it is not possible to predict when an earthquake will occur
- plot the locations of historic earthquakes (using latitude and longitude) and relate them to the positions of known geological faults
- calculate averages and estimate tenths.
Download the Word file (see link below) for:
- introduction/background
- what you need
- what to do
- student handout: Looking for patterns
- earthquakes in New Zealand over the last 170 years
- earthquake timeline
- plotting earthquakes using longitude and latitude co-ordinates
- outline map of New Zealand
- main active faults in New Zealand.
Related content
Frank Evison was one of New Zealand’s esteemed scientists who was a pioneer in the field of earthquake prediction. During his lifetime, our understanding of earthquakes improved dramatically. Frank believed passionately that, as a scientist, he had a duty to society, and his dedication to producing a reliable method of earthquake forecasting continued until his death in 2005. See his life, work and how it changed scientific thinking in our heritage scientist profile and interactive timeline.
Try the related activity Earthquake intensity – students study damage descriptions from past New Zealand earthquakes and decide on Modified Mercalli Intensity numbers for them.
Useful links
To find out more about being prepared for earthquakes and other natural disasters, visit www.getthru.govt.nz.
The data used in this activity is a summary of information from the GeoNet website, supplied by GNS Science.
Visit GeoNet’s Historical events sectionweb page to view a list of notable earthquakes.
Acknowledgement
This activity was developed for the Earthquake Commission (EQC), now known as the Natural Hazards Commission, and has been kindly provided for use on the Science Learning Hub.
Natural Hazards Commission Toka Tū Ake
Find out more about the Natural Hazards Commission Toka Tū Ake at www.naturalhazards.govt.nz.
