Mr. Fawlty: Simulating Geological Faults (DIGITAL DOWNLOAD)

Hits the standard: HS-ESS1-5 Evaluate evidence of the past and current movements of continental and oceanic crust and the theory of plate tectonics to explain the ages of crustal rocks.

Lesson Brief: The surface of the earth is composed of tectonic plates that slowly move over a molten core. The movement of these plates leads to earthquakes, mountain building events, and band of rock of increasing age as you move away from bathymetric ridges where divergent plate movement causes new rock to be formed. This geological sandbox can be used to simulate faulting in a tectonic plate that can lead to mountain building and earthquakes.