In this activity, students go to the United States Geological Survey (USGS) National Earthquake Information Center on the Internet and download actual seismic data for their birth date. Students then transfer this data to a spreadsheet and then project it onto a world map, from which they can make inferences concerning hot zones and tectonic plates

At the end of this activity, students should have the understanding that earthquakes occur in particular areas around the globe and that scientists use earthquake data as one way to identify plate boundaries. Additionally, this activity can serve as an introduction or connection to other geophysical events such as volcanoes.