Lego Houses

Students have to construct two identical buildings out of Lego bricks. One of the buildings must be a firm construction, while on the other one, the bricks must be attached loosely. Both must be placed on the same base. During the demonstration, students will imitate an earthquake, with sudden moves of the base. Normally, the firm construction will still be intact, while the loose one will have fallen to pieces. Through this demonstration, students can raise the importance of the construction in preventing tragedies.

Tectonic Plates

Earthquakes are caused by the movement of huge, underground rocks, called tectonic plates. The points where two tectonic plates meet are susceptible to hard shakes and are called seismogenic areas. Students will need two medium-size cardboard boxes to act as tectonic plates. Using thin cardboard and paper glue, students will create two simple houses, one relatively safe, on the middle of one box and one lying right on the crack, half on one box and half on the other. Simulate the quake by rubbing the side of the boxes together. This way, you will show the extra danger a house faces when it sits on earthquake-susceptible areas, compared to a similar construction in a safer place.

Researcher's Point of View

Researchers who study earthquakes spend time studying measurements made from specialized devices, called seismometers or seismographs. In various movies, these scientists have been depicted waiting on the device, until its needle starts trembling, causing panic. You can recreate this sequence, by making your own seismograph. Create a ball of clay and pierce it with a pencil. Hang the pencil from a T-shaped bird stand with a string, barely allowing it to touch the base. On the base, keep rolling a long piece of paper. The line on the paper will be smooth, until the earthquake strikes, with a help of a classmate who will shake the base.

Earthquakes and Tidal Waves

Earthquakes can cause disastrous tidal waves. Students can demonstrate this catastrophic chain of events by taking a plastic basin and creating simple house structures out of cardboard. Right before the presentation, students must add about a cup of water at the basin. Imitating the movement of the tectonic plates, students will move the basin, allowing the water to hit the cardboard houses and destroy them.