In this activity, students use maps to plot a graph of earthquakes under New Zealand to show the shape of the North Island subduction zone and compare this to the distribution of earthquakes in the South Island.
By the end of this activity, students should be able to:
- read a map legend to understand the distribution of earthquakes in New Zealand
- use earthquake distribution data for plotting
- gain an understanding of the subduction zone where the Pacific plate is plunging below the Australian plate
- draw a simple sketch of what the plate boundary might look like at the bottom of the South Island.
Download the Word file (see link below) for:
- introduction/background
- what you need
- what to do
- student instructions
- map of New Zealand showing location of earthquakes
- spread of earthquakes at different depths.
Related content
Discover more about plate tectonics.
Related activities
The teaching resource Earthquakes New Zealand features seven activities designed to help students develop an understanding about earthquakes in New Zealand, including why we get them and how we measure them. The four below are particularly relevant to this activity.
- Earthquake location – students are introduced to some of the methods scientists use to record earthquakes. They obtain data from tables and graphs, carry out simple calculations and draw results on a map.
- New Zealand plate boundary models – students make and/or observe two 3D moving models of the different tectonic plate boundaries under the North and South Islands representing the North Island subduction zone and the South Island Alpine Fault.
- Plates and quakes – students take on the roles of seismologists, vulcanologists and geographers, using maps to look for patterns in the worldwide distribution of earthquakes, volcanoes and topographic features.
- World of quakes – students take on the roles of seismologists and vulcanologists, using maps to look for patterns in the worldwide distribution of earthquakes and volcanoes.
Useful links
See the Sensor Map Search section on the GeoNet websites.
Acknowledgement
This activity was developed for the Earthquake Commission (EQC), now known as the Natural Hazards Commission, and has been kindly provided for use on the Science Learning Hub.
Natural Hazards Commission Toka Tū Ake
Find out more about the Natural Hazards Commission Toka Tū Ake at www.naturalhazards.govt.nz.
