TOOLS FOR EDUCATIONAL ACCESS TO SEISMIC DATA AND DATA PRODUCTS

Student engagement can be increased both by connecting data-rich activities to a student’s sense of place, and by addressing newsworthy events such as recent large earthquakes. IRIS has a suite of access and visualization tools that can be used for such engagement, including a set of three tools that allow students to explore global seismicity, visualize seismic wave propagation through the Earth, and use seismic data to determine Earth structure. These tools are linked to a set of online lessons that are designed for use in middle school through intro undergraduate classes.

The IRIS Earthquake Browser allows discovery of key aspects of plate tectonics, earthquake locations (in pseudo 3D) and seismicity rates and patterns. IEB quickly displays up to 20,000 seismic events over up to 30 years, making it one of the most responsive, practical ways to visualize historical seismicity in a browser. Maps are bookmark-able and preserve state, meaning IEB map links can be shared or worked into a lesson plan.

The Global Seismogram Plotter creates seismic record sections (seismograms of a single earthquake recorded at various distances). A guided exercise is provided where students “discover” the diameter of Earth’s outer core. Only visually-clear seismograms are used, and the plots resize to their window, are tablet-friendly and can be printed. Users can include a recording station near a chosen location. Hovering over seismograms provides the exact time of a feature, making it easy for students to pick and compare phase arrival times, key to performing the exercise. A companion, color-coded station map shows station locations and further information. Interacting with stations on this map highlights the corresponding time series on the plot, and vice-a-versa.

Seismic Waves is a web app that links the plotting of a record section with the animated propagation of waves through the Earth and across the Earth’s surface. When combined with the Earth structure activity, students gain a much better understanding of how deep Earth structure has been determined.

For each of these tools, the societal impact of earthquakes can provide an additional motivation for students to engage in their exploration.