Plate Tectonics
Magnitude
Seismograph
Plate Boundaries
Faults
Richter Scale
Moment Magnitude Scale
What is the problem?
Earthquakes continue to impact the earth and create great damage to structures, impacting humans throughout the world. When looking at a map of earthquakes that have occurred in the past, I notice there are areas where earthquakes occur more frequently. I wonder why certain areas have more earthquakes than others. My teacher said tectonic plates move along fault lines. I wonder if the direction the plates move, the soil surrounding the faults or water content in the area affects the movement of the plates.
My teacher also said when buildings are closer to an earthquake there is more damage. I wonder if there is a way to determine the distance buildings would be from the earthquake or if my predictions would be inaccurate. I want to determine how scientists are able to predict earthquakes more accurately.
What is your hypothesis? What variables will you include in your study?