Learning and teaching resources on hazards posed by earthquakes and tsunami and methods for mitigating those hazards are provided in this section. The treatment of earthquake hazards and damage highlights the main factors that control the violence of ground shaking produced by earthquakes. These include: earthquake magnitude; distance from the earthquake; local geology; building style; and duration of ground shaking. Using lesson plans provided, students can explore engineering approaches that minimize building damage from earthquake ground shaking. Basic concepts and properties of tsunami include: generation of tsunami by shallow great earthquakes at subduction zones; speed and travel times of tsunami in deep ocean and amplification of wave height upon landfall; and the contrast in time available for evacuation from a distant tsunami compared to a local tsunami.

To efficiently learn about Earthquake and Tsunami Hazards using the TOTLE web site and to locate teaching resources on this topic, we recommend that you start by viewing the PowerPoint presentations. First-time users should download and view these presentations to understand the logical sequence of observations and concepts. The presentation Earthquake Hazards PowerPoint Presentation provides fundamental concepts of earthquake damage and mitigation along with links the teaching resources for a middle school audience. The Tsunamis PowerPoint Presentation provides background information and links to tsunami teaching resources.

A PDF Guide to Earthquake and Tsunami Hazards is also available. This guide is an outline of the Earthquake and Tsunami Hazards topic. The guide contains links to TOTLE Earthquake ad Tsunami Hazards teaching resources and a table of contents of teaching resources on this topic.

 

 

Instructional Materials