School › Earthquakes › Ages 6–7
When the ground shakes
The ground under our feet feels still, but the Earth's outside is made of giant pieces that move very slowly. Find out what an earthquake is, how to stay safe, and test shaky towers.
Read
The outside of the Earth is made of huge pieces, like a puzzle. They are called plates. They move very, very slowly.[1]
Where plates meet, their edges are rough and get stuck. Then they suddenly slip. The ground shakes: that is an earthquake.[1]
The shaking spreads out through the ground in waves, a bit like ripples in a pond.[1]
Scientists use a machine called a seismometer to feel and record the shaking.[6]
Most earthquakes are so small that nobody feels them. Big ones are much rarer.[4]
If the ground shakes when you are inside: Drop to your hands and knees, Cover your head under a strong table, and Hold on until the shaking stops.[8]
Try it: Shaky towers
You need
- A tray or a big book
- Building blocks (or sugar cubes)
- A table
Safety
Shake gently and keep the tray on the table. Keep fingers away when blocks fall. Do not throw blocks.
What to do
- Build a tall, thin tower on the tray.
- Next to it, build a short, wide tower with the same number of blocks.
- Guess: which tower will fall first when the 'ground' shakes?
- Gently slide the tray back and forth, a little faster each time.
- Which tower fell first? Try again to check.
What happens, and why?
Moving the tray makes the 'ground' shake, and the shaking passes into the towers. In a real earthquake rocks suddenly slip and the shaking spreads through the ground in waves. Scientists and builders test how buildings cope with shaking.[1]
Play: Safe or not safe?
The ground is shaking. Is this a safe thing to do? Tap the right group.
Your best score is kept only on this device. Nothing is sent anywhere.
Quiz
Other ages: Ages 10–11 · Ages 15–16