Exploring the Solar System: Moonquakes

TYPE: Short Activities
AUDIENCE: Ages 7 - Adult
TOPIC: Earth and Space Science
In this activity, learners make a quake by shaking spring toys and standing at various distances to discover how distance can change the impact of a quake.
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DESCRIPTION

"Exploring the Solar System: Moonquakes" is a hands-on activity that encourages participants to sort different natural phenomena into categories (they occur on Earth, on the Moon, or on both), and then model how energy moves during a quake using spring toys. Additionally, learners can explore where the Apollo missions landed on the Moon and discuss how NASA scientists use special tools to measure quakes on the Moon.

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  • Learner looking at plushie model of the Moon
  • Fingers pointing to spot on plushie model of the Moon
  • Image of a natural disaster sorting activity mat
  • Illustration showing a group of participants holding one old of a slinky wile a facilitator makes a "quake"
  • Image of a plushie Moon model with an overlay of a map of the Lunar surface
  • Learner looking at plushie model of the Moon
  • Fingers pointing to spot on plushie model of the Moon
  • Image of a natural disaster sorting activity mat
  • Illustration showing a group of participants holding one old of a slinky wile a facilitator makes a "quake"
  • Image of a plushie Moon model with an overlay of a map of the Lunar surface

DESCRIPTION

"Exploring the Solar System: Moonquakes" is a hands-on activity that encourages participants to sort different natural phenomena into categories (they occur on Earth, on the Moon, or on both), and then model how energy moves during a quake using spring toys. Additionally, learners can explore where the Apollo missions landed on the Moon and discuss how NASA scientists use special tools to measure quakes on the Moon.

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TRAINING VIDEOS

OBJECTIVES

BIG IDEA

The Moon is a very different place from our home planet, but there are similarities.

LEARNING GOALS

  • The Moon is a very different place from our home planet, but there are similarities;

  • Both earthquakes and moonquakes result from a sudden release of energy and cause the ground to move and shake;

  • NASA missions study moonquakes and other processes on the Moon’s surface to learn more about the Moon itself and to prepare for the return of humans.

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TYPE:
Educational Resources
AUDIENCE:
Ages 4 - Adult
LANGUAGES:
English Spanish
ADDITIONAL TOPICS: Earth and Space Science Geology Earth, Moon and Sun
KIT: Explore Science: Earth & space logo Browse kit
KEYWORDS:

Credits

YEAR CREATED
2020
PROJECT
OWNING INSTITUTION

Sciecenter, Ithaca, NY

This activity was adapted from Exploring Seismic Waves, developed by Incorporated Research Institutions for Seismology. Retrieved from: https://www.iris.edu/hq/inclass/lesson/31

FUNDING

This material is based upon work supported by NASA under cooperative agreement award number NNX16AC67A and 80NSSC18M0061. Any opinions, findings, and conclusions or recommendations expressed in this material are those of the author(s) and do not necessarily reflect the view of the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA).

PERMISSIONS

Creative Commons Attribution Non-Commercial Share Alike 3.0 United States (CC BY-NC-SA 3.0 US).
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DEVELOPMENT PROCESS

NISE Network products are developed through an iterative collaborative process that includes scientific review, peer review, and visitor evaluation in accordance with an inclusive audiences approach. Products are designed to be easily edited and adapted for different audiences under a Creative Commons Attribution Non-Commercial Share Alike license. To learn more, visit our Development Process page.