Earthquake Quiz © iStockphoto.com/ News i e nc
Transcript of Earthquake Quiz © iStockphoto.com/ News i e nc
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On February 27, 2010, an earthquake in Chile changed our whole planet. Many people were hurt, and some died. The earthquake destroyed lots of homes. Cities were moved around. The quake even made Earth spin faster in space.
Why do earthquakes happen? The outer part of Earth is covered with huge pieces of rock called plates. Sometimes these plates crash or slide past each other. The ground and everything on it shakes. We call this shaking an earthquake.
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Earthquake: Moves Cities, Changes Time!
By Ron Fridell
See Earthquake on page 2
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Earth Damage from an earthquake
1. Earth’s outer shell is made up of big that are made of rock.
2. On February 27, 2010, a big earthquake shook a country called .
3. Earthquakes can make a whole move.
4. Earthquakes can even make spin faster in space.
5. When our planet spins faster, the days get .
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Fill in the blanks to finish each sentence. Use five of the words from the earthquake list below. Read the article again if you need help.
Earthquake Quiz
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The quake in Chile moved whole cities around. One city moved 10 feet to the west! Can you imagine that?
The earthquake changed time, too. Earth spins around once each day. The quake made Earth spin a little faster in space. As a result, each day is a tiny bit shorter.
There have been other earthquakes since the big one in Chile. There will also be more earthquakes in the future. Scientists will be watching to see how they change our planet.
Sometimes earthquakes can build mountains. When two plates crash into each other, the land can get pushed up. Many of Earth’s mountain ranges were made by earthquakes.
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What Happened to the Dinosaurs?
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Long ago, people made up stories to explain why Earth shakes. One story said Earth is an animal that shakes when it gets cold. Another story said that giants hold up Earth and that it shakes when they hug. Make up your own story about why earthquakes happen. Then add a drawing to go with your story.
An earthquake can change the whole planet. So can a huge rock flying through space. These space rocks are asteroids. We used to wonder what killed the dinosaurs millions of years ago. Now scientists have the answer. A huge asteroid hit Earth in the ocean east of Mexico. It sent smoke and ash into the sky, blocking out the Sun. Soon it was winter everywhere. There was no light. There was no heat. There was no escape. Earth’s dinosaurs were gone forever.
The dots show where many earthquakes happen.
Page 4 answers: 1. plates, 2. Chile, 3. city, 4. Earth, 5. shorter
Asia
North America
Atlantic Ocean
Europe
Africa
Indian Ocean
Pacific Ocean
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Pacific Ring of Fire
South America
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