Sounds of a Quake for Grades 6 - 8

The voyage of Kamome begins with a magnitude 9.1 earthquake.  To give a feel for just how big an earthquake this was, you will listen to a recording made by Robert Pate while he experienced the 1964 Alaska earthquake in his Anchorage home.  The Alsak earthquake had a magnitude of 9.2.  You will hear the sounds that his house makes and the objects falling and Mr. Pate’s commentary on what he is experiencing and feeling.  The activity introduces the concept of earthquake intensity and the Modified Mercalli scale, a measure of the relative shaking strength at a particular location.  Allow for 50 minutes to complete Part A (listening to the recording), and 50 minutes for looking at the photos and estimating intensities (part B).