Seismic Activity

Another in a series of experimental internet based lessons

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Introduction:

Below are listed several theories related to earthquakes and volcanoes for you to explore:

Earthquakes and volcanoes always occur in the same areas of the world.
Earthquakes are predictable.
Volcanic eruptions are predictable.
Most deaths associated with volcanoes are due to contact with lava.
The lava from volcanoes around the world is always the same.
Most deaths associated with earthquakes are from people being swallowed up by large fissures or cracks in the earth.
The dust cloud from a volcano can affect people many miles from an eruption.
A volcanic eruption can affect the world's weather.
People can cause volcanic eruptions.
There are several types of volcanic eruptions.
The theory of plate tectonics can explain why volcanoes and earthquakes occur where they do.

Your task:

Select one of the theories above to investigate. At the bottom of this web page are two lists of internet address links for you to explore in attempting to prove or disprove your selected theory. You may also use any text based references that you might have available.

You will need to write a paper (using a word processor or desk top publishing program) to describe your findings, cite your sources, and clearly explain your conclusion. You may want to include maps with locations marked for several theories (as shown in this example).

Be as complete as possible in your explanation.