New
New
Year 8

Living in earthquake regions

I can explain to what extent people can anticipate earthquakes and how they survive living in areas affected by earthquakes.

New
New
Year 8

Living in earthquake regions

I can explain to what extent people can anticipate earthquakes and how they survive living in areas affected by earthquakes.

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Lesson details

Key learning points

  1. Scientists can calculate the probability of an earthquake happening within an area in the future.
  2. It is not currently possible to predict exactly when or where earthquakes will occur.
  3. Earthquake detection can only provide seconds of warning.
  4. Drop-cover-hold is practised during earthquake drills.
  5. Base isolators, flexible building materials, strong shapes and mass dampers help create earthquake-resistant buildings.

Keywords

  • Probability - the chance of something occurring, such as an earthquake

  • Prediction - saying exactly when, where and what will happen

  • Detection - identifying that something has just happened or is happening now

Common misconception

Earthquakes can be predicted a few weeks or days before they happen so that people can evacuate.

Humans can calculate the probability of an earthquake happening within a region, over a long period of time. It is not possible to predict exactly when or where earthquakes will occur, or of what size.


To help you plan your year 8 geography lesson on: Living in earthquake regions, download all teaching resources for free and adapt to suit your pupils' needs...

To engage students you could introduce a simple earthquake drill "When I shout earthquake you need to drop to the floor, cover under the table and hold on." For even more suspense say that you may do this at any time for the rest of the unit.
Teacher tip

Equipment

Licence

This content is © Oak National Academy Limited (2025), 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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Prior knowledge starter quiz

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6 Questions

Q1.
What causes most earthquakes?
Heavy rainfall
Correct answer: Moving tectonic plates
Volcanic ash
Tornadoes
Q2.
Where do earthquakes usually happen?
Correct answer: Near tectonic plate boundaries
In the middle of oceans
Only in deserts
Just in the Northern Hemisphere
Q3.
What does a seismograph measure?
Wind speed
Rainfall
Correct answer: Earthquake strength
Volcano temperature
Q4.
What is the Richter Scale used for?
Measuring temperature
Predicting storms
Correct answer: Measuring earthquake magnitude
Estimating rainfall
Q5.
Which of the following is a primary effect of an earthquake?
Disease outbreaks
Correct answer: Cracked roads and buildings
Price rises
Migration
Q6.
What is a common secondary effect of an earthquake?
Ground shaking
Death of wildlife
Soil fertility improvement
Correct answer: Fires caused by broken gas lines

Assessment exit quiz

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5 Questions

Q1.
Match the keywords to their definitions.
Correct Answer:Probability,Chance of something happening

Chance of something happening

Correct Answer:Prediction,Saying what will happen and when

Saying what will happen and when

Correct Answer:Detection,Spotting something as it happens

Spotting something as it happens

Q2.
Why do people still live in earthquake-prone areas?
Earthquakes never cause real damage
They don't know earthquakes happen
Correct answer: The area may offer economic or cultural benefits
Earthquake zones are the only places with housing
Q3.
Which of these is most likely in an earthquake-prone area?
Frequent lightning
No natural hazards
Permanent daylight
Correct answer: Building damage during shaking
Q4.
Why is it hard to predict earthquakes?
Correct answer: Scientists can only estimate chances
The Earth doesn’t move much
There are no tectonic plates
Earthquakes never repeat
Q5.
Which statement best addresses a common idea about prediction?
Earthquakes are completely random
Scientists can predict exactly when earthquakes will hit
Earthquakes can only happen once per region
Correct answer: We can estimate probabilities, but not exact times