Did you know?

The largest recorded earthquake in the world was a magnitude 9.5 (Mw) in Chile on May 22, 1960.

Before electronics allowed recordings of large earthquakes, scientists built large spring-pendulum seismometers in an attempt to record the long-period motion produced by such quakes. The largest one weighed about 15 tons. There is a medium-sized one three stories high in Mexico City that is still in operation.

Check out the following website to see the effect of an earthquake with a magnitude of 9.5 (just like the one in Chile)…

Be sure to try the following:

• Click on the book for more information;
• Read the information by hovering your mouse over the information boxes;
• Flick the switch between ‘Illustration’ and ‘On Shaky Ground’.

Website: http://www.iknowthat.com/mhscience/Earthquakes/Fixed.htm

Now it’s your turn, with a partner, use the Internet to research an earthquake that has occurred within your lifetime. Investigate the following:

• What happened?
• Where did it happen (can you include a link to a map)?
• When did it happen?
• Who was affected?
• What was the magnitude on the Richter scale?
• Why did it happen?
• Any other interesting information

Use your notes to create a blog response, so that others can find out more about earthquakes. Before researching be sure to read through the posts of others to choose a different earthquake to investigate.