
WEBSITES ON
EARTHQUAKES & VOLCANOES
Access these sites through your computer’s Internet connection. Open the underlined address. Information can be printed or downloaded to your computer. Be sure to follow links to other sites and find your way back with the “back” button.
All of the sites listed were
active as of
NOTE: Earthquakes and Volcanoes
are part of the study of Geology. A
Geology website list is being prepared.
Be sure to check both lists for Geology sites.
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WEBSITES
VOLCANO
WORLD START HERE!
Bills itself as the premier
source of volcano information on the web and it just might be. Sections: Current Eruptions, Volcanoes,
CASCADES VOLCANO OBSERVATORY
A major site on volcanoes from the U.S.G.S. Includes current events, hazards assessment, Living with Volcanoes, NASA Images and much more. Excellent
EARTHQUAKE
ABC – A CHILD’S VIEW OF EARTHQUAKE FACTS AND FEELINGS
http://pasadena.wr.usgs.gov/ABC/
An ABC children’s book created by students to
show what they’ve learned and how they feel about earthquakes. There is a parallel ABC book for parents so
they can use the book with their children.
There is a Guide for Teachers: “This book is appropriate to use
with children of all ages. How you share it will depend on the age of the
child, the setting, and your personal way of responding to books. You may wish
to skip around informally or you may choose to read straight through and return
to favorite parts for discussion. This guide suggests possible ways to use the
book in a classroom setting. It would be useful to peruse the glossary (A
Parent's Guide to Earthquakes ) to gain some background before you read the
book to the class; then you could add bits of appropriate information when you
pause to discuss children's questions or comments. The bullets below indicate
questions or challenges you might pose to yo
EARTHQUAKE 101
http://www.fcs-net.com/biddled/index.html
Good information for students on earthquakes along with fun activities such as a crossword puzzle and logic problems. Sections: Activities, An Earthquake’s Effects, Earthquake Waves, Glossary of Terms, Earthquakes of the Past and Future, Links, Myths and Legends, The Causes of Earthquakes, and Recording Earthquakes. Excellent
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EARTHQUAKES FOR KIDS
http://earthquake.usgs.gov/4kids/
An outstanding
site for kids on earthquakes.
Sections: Latest Quakes, Science
Fair Project Ideas, Puzzles & Games, Today in Earthquake History, Online
Activities, Earthquake Image Glossary, Earthquake Topics, Did You Feel It?,
Learn More About Earthquakes, Cool Earthquake Facts, The Science of
Earthquakes, Become an Earthquake Scientist, Ask a Geologist, Are You Ready?,
and FAQ. Excellent
FEMA FOR KIDS: EARTHQUAKES
http://www.fema.gov/kids/quake.htm
A FEMA site for kids explaining earthquakes and telling them what they can do if they experience one. Sections: Shake with the Quake Story; Rumble Tumble Story; The Northridge Earthquake; Fact or Fiction?; Home Hazards Hunt; Historic Earthquakes; Tasty Quake (an activity where student simulate an earthquake using jello); Map of Earthquake Risk States; Earthquake Disaster Math; Disaster Intensity Scales; Water, Wind and Earth Game; and Jess & Sam’s Earthquake. Also includes a Photos section. Excellent
HOW
VOLCANOES WORK
http://www.geology.sdsu.edu/how_volcanoes_work/
“This website is an educational resource that describes the science behind volcanoes and volcanic processes.” Sections: Eruption Dynamics, Volcanic Landforms, Eruption Products, Eruption Types, Historical Eruptions, Volcanism on Other Worlds, Volcano Crossword, and Volcano Links. Also includes two animations. Includes self-tests. Excellent
IDEERS – ENGINEERING FOR EARTHQUAKES
“The EERC at the University of Bristol has developed this Earthquake Engineering Competition challenging secondary school students to design and make small scale models of buildings that can stand up to strong earthquakes. You can make your own model, or run the competition in your school, and bring your models to be tested on the EERC shaking-table.” Although this competition is physically out of reach of students, it can be duplicated within the school setting. Excellent
LIFE ALONG THE FAULTLINE: LIFE AND SCIENCE
IN EARTHQUAKE COUNTRY
http://www.exploratorium.com/faultline/index.html
Information on the Loma Prieta earthquake and how earthquakes work. Sections; Loma Prieta- Ten Years After, Why the Earth Shakes-Seismic Science, Building for the Big One, 1906: The Great Shake, Remembering Loma Prieta, and On the Road with the Faultline Project (weekly webcasts). Includes several video clips. Click on Activities at the bottom of the page for activities and experiments. Click on the Learning Studio’s activities page link for more activities. Excellent
MOUNT
ST. HELENS
http://volcano.und.nodak.edu/vwdocs/msh/msh.html
Photos and descriptions of
http://www.educeth.ch/stromboli/index-en.html
Information on
the Italian volcano,
VOLCANO
http://www.42explore.com/volcano.htm
Information on volcanoes for students. Divided into Easier and Harder. Provides links to further information and several projects to complete. Excellent
THE
http://volcanology.geol.ucsb.edu/
“The
purpose of the
VOLCANO VIRTUAL FIELD TRIP
http://www.field-trips.org/sci/volcano/index.htm
A “virtual field trip” tours a volcano as students learn how they are formed, why they erupt and the forces at work. The Teacher’s Resources has lesson plans. Excellent
VOLCANOES ONLINE – A THINKQUEST SITE
http://library.thinkquest.org/17457/english.html?tqskip1=1
A student-created site on volcanoes. Sections: Plate Tectonics, Volcanoes, Volcanic Database, Games, Comics, Teach, and Top Sites. The Games section includes a testing game and a crossword puzzle. The Teach section includes lesson plans. Excellent
DISCOVER OUR EARTH – EARTHQUAKES
http://atlas.geo.cornell.edu/education/instructor/earthquakes/index.html
Information for teachers and students on earthquakes. Very Good
EARTHQUAKE EFFECTS – A COMPUTER ANIMATION AND PAPER MODEL
http://www.avo.alaska.edu/Input/lahr/taurho/eqeffects/introduction.html
“This report illustrates, by means of a computer animation, how an earthquake occurs and what types of damage may result. The report is intended to help students and others visualize what causes earthquake shaking and some of the possible results of the shaking. By studying the animation and the paper model, students will come to understand that earthquakes result from faulting in the Earth and that the potential consequences of earthquakes are numerous and serious. Included in this report are a template for making a paper model, instructions for assembly, educators' guide, and animations describing possible effects of an earthquake, including the collapse of structures, fire, and a tsunami.” Includes a Teacher’s Guide, Questions (for discussion) and instructions for the paper model. Very Good
EARTHQUAKE
LEGENDS AROUND THE WORLD
http://www.consrv.ca.gov/cgs/information/publications/teacher_features/eq_legends.htm
Earthquake legends from India,
Assam, Mexico, Siberia, Mozambique, Tennessee, West Africa, Mongolia, India,
Latvia, Central America, Romania, and West Africa. Also a Turtle Tale. Very Good
EARTHQUAKES
– ONLINE EXHIBIT
http://www.thetech.org/exhibits_events/online/quakes/intro/
An online exhibit on
earthquakes. Sections: Basics,
Seismographs, Plate Tectonics, Faults, Waves, Seismograms, Inside the Earth,
History and Earthquake Safety. Very good
for elementary student reports. Very
Good
EARTHQUAKES THEME PAGE
http://www.stemnet.nf.ca/CITE/earthquakes.htm
Links for elementary students on earthquakes. Includes: What are Earthquakes?, Continental Drift, Earthquake Prediction, Earthquake Preparedness and more. Includes Teacher Resources. Very Good
Extensive
information on
MAKE A MODEL OF A VOLCANO
http://www.aeic.alaska.edu/Input/affiliated/lahr/taurho/volcano/volcano.html
“This
report contains instructions and a pattern for making a three-dimensional paper
model of a volcano. This model is intended to help students and others
visualize a stratovolcano (inside and out) and to learn some of the terms used
by geologists in describing it. By construction and examining the model,
students will obtain a greater appreciation of the relationship between the
internal structure of the volcano and its exterior shape and features. This
exercise may give the student an insight as to how a stratovolcano is formed.
Included in this report are the paper model, instructions for assembly,
educators' guide, and a simple description of volcanoes.” Includes a QuickTime movie of an
eruption. Very Good
http://www.geo.mtu.edu/volcanoes/
A site dedicated to the study of
and mitigation of the effects on humans of volcanoes. Includes:
What’s Happening Now?, Where Are Earth’s Active Volcanoes, Details of
Recent Activity, Useful Links, Volcanoes of Canada, Links, Volcanic Hazards
Mitigation, Central American Volcanoes, Remote Sensing of Volcanoes, Other
Sites and Volcanic Humor: How to Cook with Lava. Very Good
MT.
http://www.ees.nmt.edu/Geop/mevo/mevo.html
Information on
THE
“PLUS SIDE” OF VOLCANOES
http://vulcan.wr.usgs.gov/LivingWith/PlusSide/framework.html
Discusses the benefits of
volcanoes and the energy they produce.
Sections: Volcanoes and People; New Land; Fertile Soils; Geothermal
Energy; Mineral Resources; Industrial Products; Business Opportunities, Spas
and Resorts; and Recreation and Tourism.
Very Good
THE SAVAGE EARTH
http://www.pbs.org/wnet/savageearth/index.html
Companion site to the PBS program. Information on earthquakes, volcanoes, and the Earth’s crust. Includes articles, animations and videos. Sections: Hell’s Crust: Our Everchanging Planet, The Restless Planet: Earthquakes, Out of the Inferno: Volcanoes, and Waves of Destruction: Tsunamis. Very Good
The U.S. Geological Survey’s official volcano hazards site. Includes Hazards, Observatories, Fact Sheets, Photo Glossary, Volcano Videos, and an Educator’s Page with online books and pamphlets, books to purchase and videos to borrow. Very Good
VIRTUAL FIELD TRIP –
http://www.educeth.ch/stromboli/perm/hawaii/h00-en.html
A virtual field
trip to
THE
VIRTUAL TIMES – THE GREAT NEW
http://hsv.com/genlintr/newmadrd/
Accounts of the Great New Madrid
earthquake in 1811-1812. Includes
Eyewitness Accounts, Legend, General Description, Maps and Graphics, Current
Seismic Work, Newspaper References, Institutions Involved with the New Madrid
Fault Zone, Scholarly References, Photography of the Area and
Miscellaneous. Very Good
THE
VOLCANIC HOMEPAGE
http://www.v-home.alaska.edu/~jdehn/v-home.htm
Photos, animations and models on
volcanic eruptions. Sections: News,
Photos, Animations, Reference, Volcanologists, JVH, Models, and Links. Very Good
VOLCANO
http://www.enchantedlearning.com/subjects/volcano/
A site for children on volcanoes with simple illustrations, activities and crafts. Very Good
VOLCANO LIVE!
http://www.volcanolive.com/contents.html
A
daily online newsletter with information about volcanoes and eruptions. Includes live cams, video, breaking news,
photos, a glossary, famous quotes and much more. Very Good
VOLCANOES – CAN WE PREDICT VOLCANIC
ERUPTIONS?
http://www.learner.org/exhibits/volcanoes/entry.html
Good volcano information for teachers and students. Includes video clips. Sections: Introduction, Melting Rocks, Dynamic Earth, Judging Hazards, Forecasting, Coping with Risks and Related Resources. Very Good

VOLCANOES OF THE
UNITED STATES
http://pubs.usgs.gov/gip/volcus/index.html
An
online book from the U.S.G.S. on volcanoes in the
VOLCANOES – RESOURCES
http://edtech.kennesaw.edu/web/volcano.html
A
page of resources, lesson plans and activities.
Section: Informational/Research Sites, Online Lesson Plans, Online
Activities, Offline Activities &
Lesson Plans, and Online Quiz/Glossary.
Note: Also listed in Lesson Plans section. Very Good
VOYAGE
TO PUNA RIDGE
http://www.punaridge.org/Default.htm
“Join
an international team of scientists on a 36-day ocean voyage to
ABSOLUTELY
VOLCANIC
http://www.v-home.alaska.edu/~jdehn/v-home.htm
Professional photos of Hawaiian
volcanoes including lava flows. Very
good photos. Good
http://vulcan.wr.usgs.gov/LivingWith/VolcanicPast/framework.html
Search by state for volcanic activity in your area. Good
CENTRAL AMERICAN FIELD TRIP – VOLCANOES
http://www-rci.rutgers.edu/~carr/fieldtrip.html
Take a virtual field trip through photos and descriptions of Central American volcanoes. Good
DEADLY SHADOW OF VESUVIUS
http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/nova/volcano/
A NOVA site. Sections: Volcano SWAT Team, The World’s Deadliest Volcanoes, Planning for Disaster, Can We Predict Eruptions?, Resources and Teacher’s Guide. Includes a transcript of the program. Good
THE DESTRUCTION OF
http://www.eyewitnesstohistory.com/pompeii.htm
A brief
eyewitness account of the volcanic eruption which buried the Roman city of
EARTH’S
ACTIVE VOLCANOES
http://www.geo.mtu.edu/volcanoes/world.html
Lists Earth’s active volcanoes by
geographical region. Clicking on each
has location, type, air photos, topographical information, eruptive history and
more. Good
EARTHFORCE
IN THE CRUST
http://sln.fi.edu/earth/crust.html
“Learn where the earth quakes most often so that you know the greatest danger zones. Everyday, the EARTHFORCE is quaking somewhere. Browse these websites daily to see where.” Good
EARTHQUAKE ANIMATIONS
http://www.jclahr.com/science/earth_science/animate/index.html
A simple animation of a subduction zone showing how the continental plate is deformed. Good
EARTHQUAKE FACTS AND FOLLIES
http://www.ceri.memphis.edu/public/follies.shtml
A set of 25 questions about earthquakes complete with the answers. Good
EARTHQUAKE
NEWS
http://www.earthquakenews.com/
Daily news about earthquakes
worldwide. Good
THE EARTHQUAKE PREPAREDNESS HANDBOOK
http://www.lafd.org/eqindex.htm
An online handbook from the Los Angeles Fire Dept on earthquake preparedness. Good
EARTHQUAKE STUDIES
http://mbmgquake.mtech.edu/educational_materials.html
Information from the Montana Bureau of Mines and Geology on earthquakes. Good

EARTHQUAKES
http://www.germantown.k12.il.us/html/earthquakes.html
Information for students created by a 7th grade class. Click on the link at the bottom of the page for similar information about volcanoes. Good
EARTHQUAKES CROSSWORD PUZZLE
http://www.nytimes.com/learning/teachers/xwords/20001201.html
A crossword puzzle on earthquakes from the NY Times. Good
FEMA: TALKING ABOUT DISASTERS: VOLCANO
http://www.fema.gov/rrr/talkdiz/volcano.shtm
Information from FEMA about volcanoes and how to prepare for a possible eruption. Good
GENERAL INFORMATION ABOUT HAWAIIAN SHIELD
VOLCANOES
http://www.soest.hawaii.edu/GG/HCV/haw_volc.html
A clickable map shows the location of Hawaiian shield volcanoes. Links give information about some of the volcanoes. Good
GEOLOGIC TIME SCALE METAPHORS –
UNDERSTANDING GEOLOGIC TIME
http://www.athro.com/geo/hgfr1.html
“The classic analogy for illustrating the relative durations of parts of the geologic time scale is the yardstick: Imagine that all the earth's history is laid out on a yardstick. Recall that the original measure of the yard was the distance from the king's nose to the tip of his fingers. If one yard represents all of geologic time, then one swipe of a nail file across the tip of king's finger will remove all of human history...” A calculator to create your own metaphor for geologic time. Good
http://www.soest.hawaii.edu/GG/hcv.html
Information on
Hawaiian volcanoes. Sections: About HCV,
Volcano Web Links, Membership,
THE
http://www.eqe.com/publications/northridge/northridge.html
An official report of the 1994 earthquake
that struck
LAVA FLOWS VIDEO CLIPS
http://planetscapes.com/solar/cap/volc/lava1.htm
A QuickTime video clip of a lava flow. Good
MAKE YOUR OWN SEISMOGRAM
http://quake.geo.berkeley.edu/bdsn/make_seismogram.html
“The
MODEL
SEISMOMETER
http://www.jclahr.com/science/psn/models/index.html
Photos of a simple
seismometer. Provides enough information
to make your own. Good
“The mission of the
Includes current eruption information and more. Good
NATURAL HAZARDS PHOTOGRAPHS – EARTHQUAKE
EVENTS
http://www.ngdc.noaa.gov/cgi-bin/seg/m2h?seg/haz_volume2.men
There are several ways to view these photos, Browse, Take a Quick Tour, or an Automatic Slide Show. Good
NATURE’S FURY – EARTHQUAKES
http://www.nationalgeographic.com/eye/earthquakes/earthquakes.html
Information from the National Geographic on earthquakes. Sections: Introduction, The Phenomena, the Effect and the Science. Includes video clips, images and firsthand accounts. Good
NATURE’S FURY – VOLCANOES
http://www.nationalgeographic.com/eye/volcanoes/volcanoes.html
Information from the National Geographic on volcanoes. Sections: Introduction, The Effect, The Phenomena, and the Science. Includes video clips, images and firsthand accounts. Good
http://www.seismo.unr.edu/htdocs/abouteq.html
Information about earthquakes
from the Nevada Seismological Laboratory.
Includes FAQs, General Information, Lectures About Earthquakes (more
like essays) (example: What is Richter Magnitude?), and Educational
“One-pagers”. Good
PINATUBO
IMAGES
http://www.geo.mtu.edu/volcanoes/pinatubo/volcano/
Photos of the eruption of
THE
http://www.eyewitnesstohistory.com/sfeq.htm
A brief
eyewitness account of the earthquake that destroyed much of
http://sfpl.lib.ca.us/librarylocations/sfhistory/browse.htm
Scroll down the list to
Earthquakes for images from 1868, 1906 and 1989. Click on the individual item and then click
on View Image. Good
SEISMIC
WAVES
http://www.seismo.unr.edu/ftp/pub/louie/class/100/seismic-waves.html
An explanation of seismic waves
with illustrations. Good
UNDERSTANDING EARTHQUAKES
http://www.crustal.ucsb.edu/ics/understanding/
Information for students on earthquakes. Sections: Quiz, Globe, Accounts, Rebound, History, and Others (links). Includes animations. Good
USING THE RICHTER AND MERCALI SCALES
http://cse.ssl.berkeley.edu/lessons/indiv/davis/hs/RichterScale.html
Shows the two scales of measuring earth movements and the impact of earth movement on people. Good
VIRTUAL
MUSEUM OF THE CITY OF
http://www.sfmuseum.org/1906/06.html
Information on the devastating
earthquake that almost destroyed
THE
VOLCANIC PHOTO ARCHIVES – JAPAN
http://www.v-home.alaska.edu/~jdehn/vphoto/vfjapn1.htm
Photos with descriptions of
volcanic activity in
VOLCANISM AND VOLCANIC HAZARDS
http://www.ruf.rice.edu/~leeman/volcanic_hazards.html
Basic volcano terms and concepts. Good
VOLCANO ACTIVITIES AND FUN STUFF
http://vulcan.wr.usgs.gov/Outreach/FunStuff/framework.html
A crossword puzzle, a word search puzzle, make a mobile and more. Good

VOLCANO DICTIONARY
http://www.enchantedlearning.com/subjects/volcano/glossary/
A simple dictionary of volcanic terms for children. Good
VOLCANO
EXPEDITION TO
Follows a scientific expedition
to the volcanoes of
VOLCANO GAME
http://eicart.free.fr/volcano/
You
must save some villages from deadly lava flows by digging or adding land. Good
VOLCANO PHOTO GALLERY
http://www.decadevolcano.net/photos/photo_gallery.htm#hawaii
Very good photos of volcanoes and eruptions. Good
VOLCANO PHOTOS BY JOHN SEACH
http://www.decadevolcano.net/photos/photo_gallery.htm#hawaii
Photos of over 60 volcanoes. Good
VOLCANO QUIZZ (sic)
http://opdaf1.obspm.fr/~pascal/quizz.html
A quiz in which students place each volcano in the country of its location. Difficult. Good
“Located
on the Big Island of Hawaii, 28 miles from Hilo at an elevation of 3700 feet,
Volcano Village sits at the entrance to the Hawaii Volcanoes National Park, home
of Kilauea and Mauna Loa volcanoes; Kilauea being the most active volcano on
the planet.
VOLCANO
WATCH SATELLITE IMAGES
http://www.ssec.wisc.edu/data/volcano.html
Satellite images of currently
active volcanoes around the world.
Includes animations. Good
VOLCANO’S DEADLY WARNING
http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/nova/volcano/
A NOVA site. Sections: Volcanoes Talking (interview), Emergency Response Team, Anatomy of a Volcano (slideshow), and Seismic Signals (interactive). Includes a Transcript of the program. Good
VOLCANOES AND VOLCANISM
http://www.vulkaner.no/v/index_e.html
A Norwegian site on volcanoes includes photos and current eruptions. Includes webcams. Good
VOLCANOES CROSSWORD PUZZLE
http://www.nytimes.com/learning/teachers/xwords/20010201.html
A crossword puzzle from the NY Times on volcanoes. Good
THE WORLD-WIDE EARTHQUAKE LOCATOR
http://www.geo.ed.ac.uk/quakes/schools.html
“The World-Wide Earthquake
Locator was developed in the Department of Geography at the
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LESSON PLANS
THE ACTIVE EARTH – LESSON PLAN
http://www.nationalgeographic.com/xpeditions/lessons/07/g35/earth.html
A lesson plan for grades 3-5 on natural disasters. “This lesson provides an introduction to some natural disasters, such as earthquakes, tornadoes, and hurricanes. Students will read about and view pictures of these phenomena and will create posters or a mural depicting the things they have seen.” Excellent
AMIDST THE RUBBLE OF RUINED CITIES: PROPOSING METHODS TO REBUILD
http://www.nytimes.com/learning/teachers/lessons/19990127wednesday.html?searchpv=learning_lessons
A lesson plan for grades 6-12 on
the aftermath of a major earthquake. “This
lesson is designed to promote an understanding of how a natural disaster,
specifically an earthquake, can devastate the essential aspects of a country’s
infrastructure. Students will work in committees to develop and propose
solutions to rebuild various elements of
AT THE SITE OF THE QUAKE: EXAMINING THE RECENT EARTHQUAKE IN
http://www.nytimes.com/learning/teachers/lessons/20020327wednesday.html?searchpv=learning_lessons
A lesson plan on earthquakes for
grades 6-12. “In this lesson, students
research and design an educational earthquake Web site, using the current
disaster in
BIG
http://www.nationalgeographic.com/xpeditions/lessons/07/gk2/igneous.html
A lesson plan for grades K-2 on
volcanoes. “In this lesson, students will
look at the anatomy of a volcano and the environment around it. Students will
learn about the rocks that are formed when a volcano erupts—igneous rocks.
Students will take a virtual visit to the
A BURNING DESIRE TO MOVE? EXPLORING INCENTIVES TO DEPART THE RED ZONE
AROUND
http://www.nytimes.com/learning/teachers/lessons/20030827wednesday.html?searchpv=learning_lessons
A lesson plan on volcanoes for
grades 6-12. “In this lesson, students
consider the dangers of living around active volcanoes. They develop media
campaigns to encourage different groups of residents around
CAKE BATTER LAVA – ACTIVITY