USGS photo Alaskan Earthquake 1964-------- USGS photo 1906 San Fransisco Earthquake
Earthquakes are one of the most exciting events that occur on planet earth. They shake the foundation of our planet. They can cause catastrophic damage,tremendous loss of life and generate giant sea waves called tsunamis. Earthquakes generate fear and many cultures created myths to explain why the earth shakes. For example in India four elephants are standing on the back of a turtle that is balanced on a cobra, when one of the animals move the earth shakes. Another from Japan is a giant catfish lies under the sea with the islands of Japan on it's back. A demigod holds a heavy stone on the catfish to keep it from moving. When the demigod is distracted the catfish moves and the earth shakes. In western culture people believe that God caused earthquakes to punish man. Earthquakes have been changing the earth since it's formation. Without earthquakes the land would be leveled by the forces of weathering and erosion. The forces from earthquakes build mountains, raise shorelines and raise ocean floors above sea level. Earthquakes occur everyday, but very few cause catastrophic damage. In the United States two major earthquakes forced scientists to change how they study the earth. The 1906 San Fransisco earthquake and the great Alaskan earthquake of 1964 led to changes in understanding the earth. New instruments were developed to register earthquake waves, a scale was developed to rank earthquakes, and the plots of earthquakes revealed the location of plate boundaries. Earthquakes originate inside the earth at the focus. The point above the focus on the earth's surface is the epicenter. An earthquake is the shaking caused by the release of energy that travels in waves. Instruments called seimographs record energy waves. Energy waves include longitudinal and transverse waves, p-waves and s-waves. P-waves are longitudinal waves and reach the earth's surface first. They are longitudinal and move like sound waves with compression and rarefaction motions. P- waves cause little damage. The s-wave is a transverse wave with crests and troughs. S-waves move the earth's surface like an ocean wave and can cause a incredible damage. The printout of these waves is called a seismogram.
Earthquake waves are detected by seismographs throughout the world. The data from 3 or more stations are used to locate the epicenter of the quake. The data generated by the seismic waves allows the geologists to better understand the science involved in earthquakes. Above is a seismogram comparing the 1906 earthquake with the 1989 Loma Prieta earthquake. By analyzing the seismogram data we see that the 1906 quake released more energy than 
the 1989 quake. Both the San Fransisco and the 1964 Alaskan quake were caused by the movement of plates. The plate movement for each quake was different. The San Fransisco earthquake was caused by the Pacific and North American Plate sliding past each other. The picture to the right shows the plate boundaries at the Carizzo Plain. The white line is the fault with the Pacific P
late on top and the North
the 1989 quake. Both the San Fransisco and the 1964 Alaskan quake were caused by the movement of plates. The plate movement for each quake was different. The San Fransisco earthquake was caused by the Pacific and North American Plate sliding past each other. The picture to the right shows the plate boundaries at the Carizzo Plain. The white line is the fault with the Pacific P
late on top and the North American Plate on the bottom. The Alaskan quake of 1964 was caused subduction at the boundary of the Pacific and North American Plate. The photo on the left shows the plate boundary with a white line. Both quakes were powerful and devastating. and brought about changes in earthquake study. The public became more informed and better educated about earthquakes and geology. These types of earthquakes create interest in geosciences, generate questions by our students and the general public. A powerful side effect of some earthquakes is the tsunami. After the Christmas tsunami of 2005 I was able to quickly produce a unit on the tsunami. We incorporated data from the tsunami into my physical science unit on energy and waves. The students discovered the cause of the earthquake, tsunami and found the same geology off the coast of Oregon and 
Washington. The students were able to realize that the same event that happened in Indonesia could someday happen to our Pacific coast. Tsunamis have changed and become part of cultures. The picture on the right shows the famous Japanese painting of a tsunami. Tsunamis mistakenly called tidal waves can be created by earthquakes, landslides and volcanoes. Tsunamis are giant sea waves that can travel over the ocean at speeds of over 500mph. When these waves reach the shore the energy is forced up and a wall of water washes over the land. If the trough of the wave reaches the shore first the water draws back and exposes the land normally underwater. The value of education saved many lives in 2005. A girl with her family vacationing in Thailand at the time of the tsunami wtinessed the drawback of the water. In her science class she had learned about the drawback of water before a tsunami hit. She recgonized what was about to happen and warned the people to seek high ground which resulted in the saving of lives. Tsunamis cause the greatest loss of life. A tsunami generated by the 1883 eruption of Krakatoa killed 36000 people. The greatest loss of life in the 1964 Alaskan quake was from the resulting tsunami. Because of the 1948 tsunami that hit Hawaii without warning the tsunami early warning system was created. In 2005 no warning system was available for the Indian Ocean, today there is. It took the loss of 250,000 lives to create a warning system. 
The power and spectacular beauty of an erupting volcano brings excitement and wonder to students and the public. Many people did not know in 1980 that active volcanoes existed in the continental United States. People who lived in the area of MSH did not realize that their volcano could erupt. Like earthquakes, volcanic eruptions create interest in the geosciences. The same questions of how, and why are asked again. In 1988 I was on of 30 selected to study MSH. The highlight of the program was a trip into the crater of MSH. Standing in the crater and on dome I understood the power of the blast. I knew that my job was the share my excitement and awe with the students and the public. People are interested in volcanoes. I have been priviliged to give more than 200 presentations about MSH and the Cascade Range to a wide diversity of groups
. This one event ignited an interest in volcanology. The Cascades have culltural history. The Native Americans called MSH fire mountain.
Washington. The students were able to realize that the same event that happened in Indonesia could someday happen to our Pacific coast. Tsunamis have changed and become part of cultures. The picture on the right shows the famous Japanese painting of a tsunami. Tsunamis mistakenly called tidal waves can be created by earthquakes, landslides and volcanoes. Tsunamis are giant sea waves that can travel over the ocean at speeds of over 500mph. When these waves reach the shore the energy is forced up and a wall of water washes over the land. If the trough of the wave reaches the shore first the water draws back and exposes the land normally underwater. The value of education saved many lives in 2005. A girl with her family vacationing in Thailand at the time of the tsunami wtinessed the drawback of the water. In her science class she had learned about the drawback of water before a tsunami hit. She recgonized what was about to happen and warned the people to seek high ground which resulted in the saving of lives. Tsunamis cause the greatest loss of life. A tsunami generated by the 1883 eruption of Krakatoa killed 36000 people. The greatest loss of life in the 1964 Alaskan quake was from the resulting tsunami. Because of the 1948 tsunami that hit Hawaii without warning the tsunami early warning system was created. In 2005 no warning system was available for the Indian Ocean, today there is. It took the loss of 250,000 lives to create a warning system. 
The power and spectacular beauty of an erupting volcano brings excitement and wonder to students and the public. Many people did not know in 1980 that active volcanoes existed in the continental United States. People who lived in the area of MSH did not realize that their volcano could erupt. Like earthquakes, volcanic eruptions create interest in the geosciences. The same questions of how, and why are asked again. In 1988 I was on of 30 selected to study MSH. The highlight of the program was a trip into the crater of MSH. Standing in the crater and on dome I understood the power of the blast. I knew that my job was the share my excitement and awe with the students and the public. People are interested in volcanoes. I have been priviliged to give more than 200 presentations about MSH and the Cascade Range to a wide diversity of groups
. This one event ignited an interest in volcanology. The Cascades have culltural history. The Native Americans called MSH fire mountain.
Mt. St. Helens was the volcano that erupted but interest in the Cascade Range volcanoes included Mt. Rainier and Crater Lake. New studies on Rainier showed the
mountain due to chemical reactions on the rock is decaying from the inside. Mt. Rainier is now one to the top 10 deadliest volcanoes in the world. Due to the amount of glaciers on the mountain the main fear are large lahars. Orting,WA is built on old mudflows from past eruptions of Rainier. The town and local schools have volcano evacuation drills each year. The photo on the left shows Orting and Mt. Rainier.
Mt. Mazama or better known as Crater Lake since the eruption of MSH has undergone new studies. A manned submersable explored the lake bottom in 1988 and discovered that heat is still being generated. Could it erupt again?
As people visit these places they are being educated about the geology. Large geologic events do increase awareness about the geology of our nation. In the United States there are two major island arcs. The Aleutian Trench and the Emperor Seamount which includes the Hawaiian Islands. The c
ulture of Hawaii is based on the local volcanoes. The goddess Pele is the base of many volcanic legends. Today Pele is honored eachday with offerings and prayer. The above image shows the entire length of the Emperor Seamount Island Arc. Why are there volcanoes here with no plate boundaries? The Hawaiian Is. have formed on top of a hotspot. As the Pacific Plate moves the islands move off the hot spot and become extinct and continue to move to the northwest. The Aleutian Is. are a volcanic arc created by the Aleutian trench subduction zone. These volcanic islands are not good for agriculture so the Aleuts culture depends upon the ocean.
mountain due to chemical reactions on the rock is decaying from the inside. Mt. Rainier is now one to the top 10 deadliest volcanoes in the world. Due to the amount of glaciers on the mountain the main fear are large lahars. Orting,WA is built on old mudflows from past eruptions of Rainier. The town and local schools have volcano evacuation drills each year. The photo on the left shows Orting and Mt. Rainier.Mt. Mazama or better known as Crater Lake since the eruption of MSH has undergone new studies. A manned submersable explored the lake bottom in 1988 and discovered that heat is still being generated. Could it erupt again?
As people visit these places they are being educated about the geology. Large geologic events do increase awareness about the geology of our nation. In the United States there are two major island arcs. The Aleutian Trench and the Emperor Seamount which includes the Hawaiian Islands. The c
ulture of Hawaii is based on the local volcanoes. The goddess Pele is the base of many volcanic legends. Today Pele is honored eachday with offerings and prayer. The above image shows the entire length of the Emperor Seamount Island Arc. Why are there volcanoes here with no plate boundaries? The Hawaiian Is. have formed on top of a hotspot. As the Pacific Plate moves the islands move off the hot spot and become extinct and continue to move to the northwest. The Aleutian Is. are a volcanic arc created by the Aleutian trench subduction zone. These volcanic islands are not good for agriculture so the Aleuts culture depends upon the ocean. Catastrophic events are useful in stimulating interest in the geosciences. These events can serve as hooks to gain interest into geology. The students can see real world events have an immediate effect on the land, and the local culture. By developing units on catastrophic events it is important not only to learn the science, but also to learn about the culture of he area. I believe each unit should include all the disciplines. Each unit should have a math, language, literature, social studies, geography, music and art component. It is important to place emphisis not only on the event but also to understand how the people of the area are going to cope. By studying the culture the students gain an apprecitation of a different group of people and to understand their beliefs and values. In this way the geosciences can bring together a variety of disciplines to better understand how different cultures view volcanism, earthquakes and tsunamis. They can appreciate the history of these sciences and how catastrophic events can lead to better science and positive changes for the public. Using geosciences we can show why it is important to understand the geology of an area before the land is developed. Hopefully our students see geology not just a class to take but that understanding the geosciences can be useful in their lives.
RESOURCES:
RESOURCES:
1. Earthquakes in Human History: The Far-Reaching Effects of Seismic Disruptions
by Jelle Zeilinga de Boer and Donald Theodore Sanders paperback 2007
2. Volcanoes in Human History: The Far-Reaching Effects of Major Eruptions
by Jelle Zeilinga de Boer, Donald Theodore Sanders and Robert Ballard paperback 2004
3. Cascades Volcano Observatory and Alaskan Volcano Observatory web site
4. Photos: USGS public domain, Google Earth, Bill Wendlandt
That's some great science writing and imagery.
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