Earthquakes – A Teacher′s Package on Earthquakes for Grades 7–12

Published by the American Geophysical Union as part of the Special Publications Series.

Earthquakes are mysterious events. They are as unpredictable as they are powerful, and not even seismologists fully understand the forces within the Earth that set them in motion. As an educator, you can capitalize on that mysterious appeal to engage your students' interest.

Ultimately, however, the purpose of this curriculum is to demystify earthquakes, and to counter the fatalism that frequently accompanies ignorance about natural phenomena. Interactive lessons invite students to discover what is known about quakes--the considerable body of knowledge that deals with their causes, the patterns of their occurrence, and what human beings can do to minimize their catastrophic effects on themselves and their communities.