EARTHQUAKE
INVESTIGATION
Why does the ground suddenly move?
Learning Target
I WILL...
Explain how stored energy in Earth's crust can cause an earthquake and how that energy travels through Earth.
Missouri Science Standard
6–8.ESS2.A.2
Construct an explanation using evidence for how geoscience processes change Earth's surface at different time and spatial scales.
Supporting wave connection
Use models to understand how waves transfer energy through materials.
Something Happened Underground
10:14:02 AM
Rocks suddenly move along a fault underground.
10:14:05 AM
People several miles away feel shaking.
10:14:12 AM
People even farther away begin feeling shaking.
You Already Know This.
→ ←
Convergent
Plates move toward each other.
← →
Divergent
Plates move apart.
↑ ↓
Transform
Plates slide past each other.
DISCUSS
Can earthquakes happen only at transform boundaries?
Become the Fault
EVERYONE
Put your palms together.
Push them firmly together.
Now try to slide them past one another.
Build the Stress
STRESS
Force acting on rock that can cause it to change shape or move.
Student version: Force building in the rock.
Build the Earthquake Story
Watch Like a Scientist
YOUR THREE QUESTIONS
1. What causes rocks to suddenly move?
2. What carries earthquake energy away?
3. How can people far away feel the earthquake?
Video: Earthquakes — Causes and Effects
What Did You Notice?
QUESTION 1
Where does an earthquake begin?
QUESTION 2
What point is directly above it?
QUESTION 3
What travels outward?
Focus vs. Epicenter
FOCUS
The underground location where the earthquake begins.
EPICENTER
The point on Earth's surface directly above the focus.
What Actually Travels?
SEISMIC WAVES
Waves of energy that travel through Earth after an earthquake releases energy.
Say it together:
The earthquake releases ENERGY. Seismic waves carry that energy through Earth.
Earthquake Freeze
PLATES MOVE — move hands slowly.
ROCKS GET STUCK — freeze.
STRESS BUILDS — tense hands.
FAULT SLIPS — slide hands.
ENERGY RELEASED — spring hands apart.
SEISMIC WAVES — ripple arms outward.
GROUND SHAKES — controlled shake.
ROUND TWO
Teacher says only ONE step.
Students must call out what happens NEXT.
Draw the Earthquake Story
Create a science drawing that shows how an earthquake begins underground and how the energy reaches the surface.
YOUR DRAWING MUST SHOW:
1. Earth's surface
2. A fault underground
3. The focus
4. The epicenter
5. Seismic waves moving outward
6. Arrows showing movement
THE CHALLENGE
Your picture should answer:
HOW DOES ENERGY GET FROM THE FOCUS TO THE SURFACE?
YOU MAY ADD:
🏠 A house or city on the surface
🌳 Trees
⚡ Cracks or shaking
🌊 Wave lines showing seismic energy
➡️ Arrows showing rock movement
IMPORTANT
This is NOT about being the best artist.
It is about making the science visible.
Drawing Time:
Explain Your Drawing
PAIR SHARE
Show your drawing to a partner.
Point to your focus.
Point to your epicenter.
Trace the path of the seismic waves with your finger.
USE THIS SENTENCE
The earthquake begins at the __________. Energy travels through Earth as __________, and the point directly above the earthquake is the __________.
SCIENCE CHECK
What part of your drawing shows the cause?
What part shows the effect?
How did you show that energy moves away from the focus?
Sound of an Earthquake
If an earthquake were a piece of music, what would it sound like?
DISCUSS
How could sound represent the actual science?
Earthquake Detective Challenge
Scientists discover two blocks of rock along a fault that have not moved for years.
GPS measurements show the surrounding crust is still slowly moving.
Suddenly the fault shifts.
Seconds later, seismic stations several miles away detect shaking.
DISCUSS WITH YOUR TEAM
Why didn't the rocks move immediately?
What was building?
What happened when they finally moved?
What carried the energy?
Why doesn't everyone on Earth feel every earthquake the same way?
Think about...
Distance
Think about...
Amount of energy
Think about...
Earth materials
Think about...
Depth
Scientists use earthquake waves to learn about things they cannot directly see.
Tell the Whole Story
DISCUSS
Which parts happen slowly?
Which part happens suddenly?
Question 1
Where does an earthquake begin?
Question 2
What is the point on Earth's surface directly above the focus?
Question 3
What builds when rocks are stuck but forces continue acting?
Question 4
What carries earthquake energy through Earth?
Question 5
Rocks get stuck → stress builds → ______ → seismic waves travel
Explain It Like a Scientist
Sentence Starter
The ground shakes because _____________________________ ____________________________________________.
ENERGY
TRAVELS.
An earthquake releases energy. Seismic waves carry that energy through Earth.
NEXT MYSTERY
Scientists have never traveled to Earth's core.
So how do they know what is inside Earth?
THE EARTHQUAKES TELL US.
EXIT TICKET SCORE: 0 / 5