User tools
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.
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FEATURED ITEMS
Continental drift
Continental drift is the concept that the Earth’s continents move relative to each other, with the Earth’s surface being broken into plates. Read about the theory and evidence that supports...
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FEATURED ITEMS
Moulding the Earth
When strain builds up in the Earth as a result of stress from tectonic movement, materials like clay can change shape rather than fracture. This change is not reversible when the stress is removed...
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FEATURED ITEMS
Strengthening Parliament House
When New Zealand’s Parliament House and Library Buildings were refurbished in 1992, the most important part was protecting them from earthquakes. Base isolation was installed to ensure the...
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FEATURED ITEMS
What are slow slips?
Slow slip events are a recently discovered aspect of the geological forces shaping New Zealand. The search to explain them is closely linked to advances in data collection technology.
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FEATURED ITEMS
How safe is my house?
In this activity, students experiment with placing a model house on different base isolator materials and predicting how long it will take to fall.
FEATURED MEDIA
Try, Try, Try!
Dr Bill Robinson of Robinson Seismic, inventor of the lead rubber bearing, explains one...
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
This collection contains a wide variety of resources and information about Earthquakes, which supports the resources in the other...
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...
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.