Summary
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Abstract
Visit the USGS Earthquake Hazards Program to find out about global patterns of earthquake incidents (USGS, 2006). Can mapping earthquakes help identify fault lines? They also have a list of science fair project ideas. Another great resource for earthquake-oriented science fair projects is by Jeffery Barker (Barker, 1994). Build a model to study the forces of an earthquake using sandpaper-covered blocks. What are the forces involved? How are stress and friction in balance along a fault line? How would changing the grit of the sandpaper affect your model? You can also use a Slinky to investigate the difference between P and S seismic waves. How do they compare? You can also do an experiment to test different building designs for earthquake stability. Which designs are most stable? (Barker, 1994; USGS, 2006)Bibliography
- Barker, J., (1994). Demonstrations of Geophysical Principles Applicable to the Properties and Processes of the Earth's Interior. Presented at the NE Section GSA Meeting, Binghamton, NY, March 28-30, 1994. Retrieved January 27, 2010.
- USGS. (2006). Earthquake Hazards Program. United States Geological Survey (USGS). Retrieved March 23, 2006.

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Careers
If you like this project, you might enjoy exploring these related careers:
Career Profile
Just as a doctor uses tools and techniques, like X-rays and stethoscopes, to look inside the human body, geoscientists explore deep inside a much bigger patient—planet Earth. Geoscientists seek to better understand our planet, and to discover natural resources, like water, minerals, and petroleum oil, which are used in everything from shoes, fabrics, roads, roofs, and lotions to fertilizers, food packaging, ink, and CD's. The work of geoscientists affects everyone and everything.
Career Profile
If you turned on a faucet, used a bathroom, or visited a public space (like a road, a building, or a bridge) today, then you've used or visited a project that civil engineers helped to design and build. Civil engineers work to improve travel and commerce, provide people with safe drinking water and sanitation, and protect communities from earthquakes and floods. This important and ancient work is combined with a desire to make structures that are as beautiful and environmentally sound, as they…
Career Profile
Do you dream of building big? Civil engineering technicians help build some of the largest structures in the world—from buildings, bridges, and dams to highways, airfields, and wastewater treatment facilities. Many of these construction projects are "public works," meaning they strengthen and benefit a community, state, or the nation.
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Cite This Page
General citation information is provided here. Be sure to check the formatting, including capitalization, for the method you are using and update your citation, as needed.MLA Style
Science Buddies Staff.
"Earthquakes." Science Buddies,
20 Nov. 2020,
https://www.sciencebuddies.org/science-fair-projects/project-ideas/Geo_p030/geology/earthquakes.
Accessed 23 Mar. 2023.
APA Style
Science Buddies Staff.
(2020, November 20).
Earthquakes.
Retrieved from
https://www.sciencebuddies.org/science-fair-projects/project-ideas/Geo_p030/geology/earthquakes
Last edit date: 2020-11-20
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