New
New
Year 6

The location of major earthquake zones

I can describe and explain the location of major earthquake zones.

New
New
Year 6

The location of major earthquake zones

I can describe and explain the location of major earthquake zones.

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Lesson details

Key learning points

  1. Every 30 seconds there is an earthquake somewhere in the world - including in Britain.
  2. Maps can be investigated to locate major earthquake zones.
  3. Earthquakes occur near the boundary of tectonic plates.

Keywords

  • Tectonic plates - The huge pieces that Earth’s crust is broken into are known as tectonic plates.

  • Plate boundaries - The point where two tectonic plates meet is known as a plate boundary.

  • Mantle - The mantle is the layer between Earth’s outer core and crust. It is the largest layer of Earth and is mostly semi-molten lava.

Common misconception

Earthquakes only occur at tectonic plate boundaries.

Earthquakes can occur anywhere in the world, but they are most commonly found at tectonic plate boundaries.

Get up-to-date details of earthquakes in the UK and globally using the British Geological Survey and US Geological Survey websites.
Teacher tip

Equipment

Computers can be used to access the USGS website.

Content guidance

  • Depiction or discussion of violence or suffering

Supervision

Adult supervision required

Licence

This content is © Oak National Academy Limited (2024), licensed on Open Government Licence version 3.0 except where otherwise stated. See Oak's terms & conditions (Collection 2).

Lesson video

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6 Questions

Q1.
How many countries make up the UK?
Correct Answer: 4, Four
Q2.
View the diagram and order the layers of Earth starting with the inner most layer.
An image in a quiz
1 - Inner core
2 - Outer core
3 - Mantle
4 - Crust
Q3.
The strength of an earthquake is also called its...
Correct Answer: magnitude
Q4.
Which scale is commonly used to measure the magnitude of earthquakes?
Richter scale
Mercalli Scale
Correct answer: Moment magnitude scale
Q5.
Earthquakes with a magnitude of 7-10 on the moment magnitude scale are classed as...
minor
moderate
Correct answer: major
Q6.
Earthquakes with a magnitude of 1-3 on the moment magnitude scale are classed as...
Correct answer: minor
moderate
fair
major

6 Questions

Q1.
Approximately, how often do earthquakes occur around the world?
every 10 seconds
Correct answer: every 30 seconds
Every 1 minute
Q2.
What are tectonic plates?
Correct Answer: huge pieces of Earth's crust, pieces of Earth's crust, parts of Earth's crust, pieces of Earth's outer layer
Q3.
What does the yellow circle represent in the diagram shown?
An image in a quiz
Correct answer: Earthquakes in the UK
All natural disasters that have occured in the UK
Cities in the UK
Predicted earthquakes in the UK
Q4.
The point where two tectonic plates meet is known as a....
Correct Answer: tectonic plate boundary, plate boundary
Q5.
Where do the majority of earthquakes occur?
continent boundaries
country boundaries
sea and land boundaries
Correct answer: tectonic plate boundaries
Q6.
Which of Earth's layers is being melted and moved causing tectonic plate movement?
Correct Answer: mantle, The mantle