QuakeFeed Earthquake Map, Alerts, and News—World Earthquakes Displayed on Esri Maps

QuakeFeed is a global map that marks where recent earthquakes were recorded occurring. While viewing the map, users can tap an earthquake and read information about it that includes the date and time it happened, the coordinates of its epicenter, the nearby cities it affected, and a description of the regional seismic activity that has historically occurred in the area. Plus, the map displays tectonic plates and known fault lines. Users can tap the “Lined” button on the top left of the screen to browse recent seismic activity, and they can sort the activity by size, location, and date. Additionally, users can tap the “Newspaper” icon on the top right of the screen to read about recent seismic activity that was posted to the app’s feed. Users can share the information that they found on this app over email and social media.

Instructional Ideas

1. Students can study the map and make a prediction for where they think the next earthquake will happen. Teachers can require students to compose a one-paragraph justification that explains and substantiates the basis for their prediction. The justifications can be written using the UX Documents, Office Offline, or WPS Office apps, and they can be emailed to the teacher for grading or shared by posting to a class website.
2. When teaching about Continental Drift Theory or Plate Tectonics, teachers can use this app to demonstrate how and why earthquakes may happen as a result of seismic activity.
3. When an earthquake does happen, teachers can have students read about it on the app’s feed. Next, teachers can have students respond to questions such as: (1) Where did the earthquake happen? (2) How many people were affected? (3) How big was the earthquake? (4) Will/did the earthquake cause a tsunami? (5) How well do you think the people who live in this area were prepared for the earthquake?
4. Teachers can create hypothetical situations using this app. For example, teachers can ask students, “Would it be worse for an earthquake with a Ritcher scale rating of 3.8 to happen in the middle of the ocean or in the middle of the United States? Explain your reasoning.” Students could then respond in writing or by creating a presentation. Or, if teachers choose, they could parlay that scenario into a class debate. Teachers can add a twist to this activity by having students explain how they would handle the situation if they were the governor of the state that was impacted the most by the earthquake or requisite tsunami.
5. To help students understand the magnitude of different-size earthquakes and tsunamis, teachers can show students YouTube videos of different earthquakes and/or tsunamis and the destruction they caused. Students can then use the Venn Diagram app to compare earthquakes and tsunamis.

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