Now view the USGS seismicity map available at http://neic.usgs.gov/neis/general/seismicity/world.html. Compare the class map to the USGS earthquake map. This map illustrates all of the earthquake data collected 1975-1995, which outlines the tectonic plate boundaries. For more information about relationships between earthquake locations and tectonic boundaries, see http://www.seismo.unr.edu/ftp/pub/louie/class/100/plate-tectonics.html

You may find that not all the points on your graph fall along the plate boundaries, especially earthquakes located near the poles. Because the earth is a globe, any flat map of the earth will be somewhat distorted, and this distortion is greatest at the poles.

Modifications The USGS collects data on earthquake and volcanoes to monitor geologic activity around the globe. In addition to plotting earthquake data, you may also to include volcano data on the world map. You can then compare the proximity of earthquake and volcanic activity. Through this activity, you should be able to identify that there is a relationship between the two phenomena. A world volcanic database is available at the National Geophysical Data Center (NGDC) (a division of the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration [NOAA]) (http://www.ngdc.noaa.gov/seg/hazard/volcano.shtml). Similar to the earthquake database used in this activity, filters are provided on the volcanic database so that you can input your birth year to gather volcanic data.


Procedure 1  |   2  |   3  |   4  |   5  |   6   |