Geoscience Reference
In-Depth Information
educational computer program was developed by Alan Jones (see also Jones et al., 2003)
and was translated into Italian and modified to add the largest Italian earthquakes.
When the program starts, the user is presented with a map of the world where he can
choose the area and the number of earthquakes and volcanic eruptions which are to be
displayed each second. Plates boundaries can be shown to point out the relationships
between earthquake locations and the plate boundaries. The visitors are generally im-
pressed by the huge amount of earthquakes occurring all over the Earth and discover
that the earthquakes and eruptions location are not random.
What About Earth's Lithosphere?
The third step is a 3-D magnetic Plate Tectonic Puzzle (Figure 1). Visitors can po-
sition several magnetic plates on a sphere of 1-meter in diameter, representing the
Earth globe. The magnetic pieces illustrate the eight largest tectonic plates with their
boundaries and can remain on the globe only if positioned in the right location. Thanks
to this exhibit visitors can touch by hands and experience that the Earth's lithosphere
is presently subdivided into single plates whose boundaries and positions are clearly
identified. This was one of the favorite “games” of the younger children, who spent
lots of time trying to set up the puzzle.
Figure 3. An interactive 3-D electro-mechanical model of a 1 meter-long strike-slip fault.
The Earth's Interior and the Plates Engine
After learning the subdivision of the lithosphere in plates, the visitors go to a 3-D Earth
model where the inner structure of our planet is shown (Figure 2). The model shows
also the mantle convection that moves the plates. This exhibit explains that the Earth
is made up of many layers characterized by different temperatures, densities, and vis-
cosities, and that the convection currents are the driving force behind the movement
of the plates.
How do Earthquakes Occur?
The previous exhibits have explained where and why seismicity occurs. The visitors
now enter the section where it is shown how earthquakes happen and what kind of
damage they can produce. A 3-D reconstruction of a fault zone reproduces a rupture
that causes a damaging earthquake (Figure 3). This exhibit is a 3-D electro-mechanical
 
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