Learning About Earthquakes: Interpreting USGS Seismicity Maps
Lesson Plan by Deborah Kane and Dave van Dusen

In this activity, students work alone or in groups to answer questions about recent earthquakes. The USGS maintains a website featuring maps of earthquakes that have occurred within the past week, as well as material about past earthquakes. This activity requires students to interpret the seismicity maps, review the lists of earthquakes contained in the map, and relate the locations of mapped earthquakes to plate boundaries.
  • Students will look at locations and magnitudes of recent earthquakes in the U.S. and globally to gain a better understanding of where and how frequently earthquakes occur. This lesson also focuses on reading maps and includes a brief review of plate boundary types.
  • The opening set of slides for this unit examines where earthquakes occur, explores the relationship between earthquake location and tectonic plate boundaries, explains that seismology includes more than just earthquakes, and looks at historical significant earthquakes.
  • This activity was developed for use in a high school (grades 9-12) earth science class. The goal of this lesson is for students to gain an understanding of where earthquakes occur and to learn about several historical earthquakes. Students should have previously learned about plate tectonics and types of plate boundaries. Lesson duration: 45 minutes.
  • Instructors can assess student learning through interaction in the classroom while the students complete the activity in addition reviewing worksheet answers.
  • Students may need assistance with interpreting the USGS map legends and determining the correct plate boundaries referred to in the questions.
  • Screenshots from the USGS website are included.
  • More recent datasets can be obtained at the USGS website.

1906 San Francisco Earthquake
Rupture Zone


Tectonic Plate Boundary

Lesson Materials
Related Earthquake Lessons
Lesson Specifics
  • Grade Level: 9-12
  • Time Frame: 45 minutes
  • California Science Standard 3d: "Plate tectonics operating over geologic time has changed the patterns of land, sea, and mountains on Earth’s surface. As the basis for understanding this concept: Students know why and how earthquakes occur and the scales used to measure their intensity and magnitude."
  • California Science Standard 9b: "The geology of California underlies the state’s wealth of natural resources as well as its natural hazards. As a basis for understanding this concept: Students know the principal natural hazards in different California regions and the geologic basis of those hazards."
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