Another Earthlearningidea using an empty box to investigate faulting. This activity models how tensional forces can cause fractures in rocks, sometimes creating rift valleys like the one in Iceland in the photo. This activity could be used to extend a physics lesson on forces or to aid understanding of surface features such as fault scarps (steep slopes along a fault plane) and rift valleys.Click here to view a short video clip of the activity or see the post below.
Please let us have your thoughts and comments.
2 comments:
We think this activity is very interesting because it is connected to our normal life. There are lots of earthquakes in Taiwan, where we live in.
After we read this article, there are some thoughts come in mind. We think that the materials of this activity are easy to get. And this model makes students understand quickly in our teaching activity.
This activity is good for learning knowledge of faults. But we still have some questions :
1. What is the range of the grain size that we use in this experiment?
2. If we replace the dry sand and flour to different viscosity, what would happen?
3. If we pour water into the box, will the slippage get faster or slower?
These questions above can be the additional thought for students in our teaching in the future.
Chen yun yung, Chu tse hua, Chung wan chun, Shin ting ling, Tsay jong yuan, and Wu shin min,
Department of Earth Sciences, National Taiwan Normal University
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