Earth Science: Ring of Fire

Objectives

• Students will plot recent earthquakes and volcanoes in the Pacific Ocean on a map to discover the relationship between these events and the plate boundaries.
• Students will use their maps of earthquakes and volcanoes to predict the types of boundaries in the "Ring of Fire".

Vocabulary

• plate boundary
• tectonic plate
• volcano
• earthquake
• continent

About the Lesson

This lesson allows students to plot actual earthquake and volcano data in order to map the boundaries of the Pacific plate.  A guided lesson video (optional) is also available for this activity. The video is targeted at students and designed to help guide them through the interactive exploration and the concepts covered within. (It may also be helpful for teachers who may be using the activity for the first time.) 

As a result, students will:

• Understand the physical characteristics and spatial patterns on the Earth's surface related to plate tectonics.
• Describe what may happen when plate boundaries meet (e.g., earthquakes, volcanoes, faults, mountain building).