Earthquakes
Understanding the forces shaping New Zealand
Earthquakes help shape New Zealand and are a constant threat in many parts of the country. The more we understand about what causes them, the more we can be prepared.
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Finding your way around
There are several different ways to discover the site's resources and their related content, along with ideas for grouping them for teaching opportunities:
- The collections contain groups of related resources about Earthquakes.
- The Connections tool is a visual interactive pathway to discovering the resources and related content for Earthquakes.
- The printable context overview will assist teachers to find pathways through this context and to plan lessons and units of work.
Collections | Connections | Context overview (PDF 68 kB)
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FEATURED ITEMS
The Alpine Fault
The Alpine Fault in the South Island is an on-land boundary between two tectonic plates. Researchers are investigating past earthquakes, mountain formation and the structure of the Earth’s crust.
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FEATURED ITEMS
Seismic waves
Seismic waves are waves that travel through or over the Earth. They are usually generated by movements of the Earth’s tectonic plates (earthquakes) but may also be caused by explosions, volcanoes...
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FEATURED ITEMS
How do base isolators work?
Base isolation is a technique developed to prevent or minimise damage to buildings during an earthquake. It has been used in New Zealand, as well as in India, Japan, Italy and the USA.
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FEATURED ITEMS
Dr Laura Wallace
Dr Laura Wallace is a geophysicist at GNS Science, one of the scientists working on slow slips, among other things. Her work has taken her to many exciting places around the world.
FEATURED MEDIA
Try, Try, Try!
Collections
NZ Research
This collection provides information about the work of New Zealand’s world-class science and technology sectors in relation to...
Science Ideas and Concepts
Scientific study requires a basic knowledge and understanding of ideas and concepts. This collection explains the ideas that are...
Looking Closer
People
This collection introduces some of the people working or studying in the areas explored in Earthquakes. Click on a name to find out more...
Teaching and Learning Approaches
Student activities are the main feature of this collection, along with a variety of resources for teachers to use in exploring...
Question Bank
An inquiry approach is a method often used in science education. The question bank provides an initial list of questions about Earthquakes...
Key Terms
This resource provides explanations of the key concepts encountered when exploring Earthquakes – the ‘basics’ that every student...
Sci Media
This collection is where you can find all the images, video clips, animations and interactives that relate to Earthquakes.
