LABORATORY EXERCISES IN PLATE TECTONICS BASED ON CURRENT GLOBAL VOLCANIC- AND EARTHQUAKE ACTIVITY

Data for the current volcanism and earthquake activity authored or produced by United States Geological Survey and Smithsonian's National Museum of Natural History has been monitored and analyzed for the qualitative understanding of the current nature of these processes and their relation to the global plate tectonics. Criteria used for the analysis of volcanic activity data include the following: variation in the geographic distribution of the activity; nature of the extrusive material; and, distance between the active volcano and the plate boundary. Criteria used for the analysis of the earthquake data for the currently active volcanic regions include the following: frequency of low-magnitude earthquakes; frequency of moderate- to high magnitude earthquakes; variation in the focal depth and distance from the plate boundary; and, relation if any to the current volcanism.

Development of laboratory exercises based on the results of this study for the introductory geology and earth science courses is ongoing. Details of the case studies and laboratory exercises will be presented.