This activity uses software called Seismic Eruption that plots all the earthquakes and volcanic eruptions that have occurred around the world since 1960. These data are linked directly to the most current data collected by the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS).

Where do most earthquakes and volcanoes occur in the world?

Go to http://www.geol.binghamton.edu/faculty/jones/.

Scroll halfway down the page and look for the following link: SeismicEruptionSetup.exe. Click on that link and the software will download to your desktop.

NOTE: Seismic Eruption software runs on PC’s only.

This activity addresses NSES standards for earth and space science and inquiry at grades 5-8 for structure of the earth system
(http://books.nap.edu/readingroom/books/nses/6d.html#es).

1. Click the Seismic Eruption icon on your desktop.
2. Click the Start button in the middle of the page. A new window will come up. Click the Go at the bottom of the page. A second window will open.
3. Click the World button in the center of the screen to watch all earthquakes that have occurred in the world from January 1, 1960, until the present time.
4. Set the program to display six months per second by clicking the up arrows on the speed control below the map.
   
5. Go to the Control Menu, select Time to Pause at end… A dialog box will appear. Type as many 9s in the box as you can.
   
6. Observe the earthquakes as they are plotted around the world.

1. Make sure both Earthquakes and Eruptions check boxes below the map have checks next to them.
2. Click the Plates button in the lower right to view the earth’s plates.
3. Click the Repeat control button below the model.

1. What do the different sized circles represent?
2. What do the different colored circles represent?
3. Which parts of the world appear to have the most frequent earthquakes: the North Atlantic or the North Pacific? (Compare the number of earthquakes in one area of the world to another for the same period of time.)
4. Can you describe a pattern in the distribution of earthquakes and volcanoes?
5. Why is it easier to predict where an earthquake will occur than it is to predict when it will occur?

Take a few moments to respond to the following: If someone asked you to describe what you learned about the distribution of earthquakes and volcanoes around the world, what two or three things would you tell them?