Earth Science 4: Tectonics, Volcanoes, and Earthquakes

Earth Science 4: Tectonics, Volcanoes, and Earthquakes on Teachers Pay Teachers

P R O G R A M S

1. COLLIDING CONTINENTS 

The history and a projection of the future of the Earth's land masses caused by continental drift is explained by the theory of plate tectonics.

2. How Earth Made Us | How the Earth Changed History

Professor Iain Stewart examines the role of geology in the history of mankind in this documentary program. Each of the classical elements plays a role - for instance, he points out that mankind has been drawn to fault lines for centuries, since this is the best place to find minerals, oil, soil suitable for farming, etc. But with these riches comes great danger, of course, since locating communities on the fault lines makes them vulnerable to earthquakes. Subsequent episodes review the cycle of freshwater, the force of the wind, and fire both as a source of energy and a terrifying force of nature. From crystal caves in Mexico to holes in the Iranian desert and a mysterious lake in Oregon, Stewart travels the globe to hammer his point home.

DEEP EARTH | BENEATH THE CRUST

In this first episode, Iain explores the relationship between the deep Earth and the development of human civilisation. He visits an extraordinary crystal cave in Mexico, drops down a hole in the Iranian desert and crawls through 7,000-year-old tunnels in Israel.

His exploration reveals that throughout history, our ancestors were strangely drawn to fault lines, areas which connect the surface with the deep interior of the planet. These fault lines gave access to important resources, but also brought with them great danger.

3. DEADLIEST VOLCANOES 

Millions of people around the world live in the shadow of active volcanoes. Under constant threat of massive volcanic eruptions, their homes and their lives are daily at risk from these sleeping giants. From Japan's Mount Fuji to the "Sleeping Giant" submerged beneath Naples to the Yellowstone "supervolcano" in the United States, we will travel with scientists from around the world who are at work on these sites, attempting to discover how likely these volcanoes are to erupt, when it might happen, and exactly how deadly they could prove to be.

4. DEADLIEST EARTHQUAKES 

In 2010, epic earthquakes all over the planet delivered one of the worst annual death tolls ever recorded. The deadliest strike was in Haiti, where a quake southwest of Port-au-Prince killed more than 200,000. In exclusive coverage, a NOVA camera crew follows a team of U.S. geologists as they enter Haiti in the immediate aftermath, hunting for crucial evidence that will help them determine what happened underground and what the risks are of a new killer quake. Barely a month later, Chile was struck by a quake 100 times more powerful, unleashing a tsunami that put the entire Pacific coast on high alert. In a town devastated by the rushing wave, NOVA follows a team of geologists as they battle aftershocks to take measurements. Could their work, and the work of geologists at earthquake hot-spots, lead to a breakthrough in predicting quakes?

Question sets are available for individual programs. The complete bundle is available at a discounted price. Student documents and answer keys are provided as Google Docs on Google Drive.