Earthquakes are as fascinating as they are earth-shattering, but how much do you and your kids really know about them?
Temblors are more than disasters — they’re geological events with a lot of nuance. It’s easy to focus on their outcomes: The ground shakes, seismographs jiggle, and people can be hurt and property damaged. But most people probably don’t know how they happen.
Enter Earthquakes for Kids, a website from the U.S. Geological Survey. The USGS has assembled a long list of quake-related resources aimed at children, but adults can get something out of them, too.
The site includes sections on the science of earthquakes, pertinent ideas for science fairs, cool facts and more. Visitors can explore earthquake history, check out photos or brush up on their vocabulary.
Standout animation
A standout feature is a collection of animations. These easy-to-understand videos show phenomena such as amplification (which happens when the shaking of the ground is amplified, for example, in softer surfaces), liquefaction (which takes place when an earthquake causes soils to lose their strength and act like a fluid) and wavefront (the boundary between a seismic wave and earth material).
The facts section is another great feature. It’s a collection of statistics and historical information that will make your kid feel like an earthquake specialist. (Can you define “seiche”? Didn’t think so. It’s what happens when the water in lakes and swimming pools sloshes around in response to an earthquake.)
One thing the site doesn’t do is tell children how to prepare for or respond to an earthquake. For that, head to ready.gov/kids. The site has information on how to deal with all kinds of natural disasters.
