Larry Braile has a quite detailed write up for modelling faulting and
tectonic boundaries using different foam blocks and sheets:
http://web.ics.purdue.edu/~braile/edumod/foammod/foammod.htm
<http://web.ics.purdue.edu/%7Ebraile/edumod/foammod/foammod.htm>
Basic suggestions students have done in our classrooms for modelling:
same thickness of flexible foam for collision boundaries - model uplift,
folding and mountain building
different thicknesses of foam for subduction zones (thinner tends to
subduct under thicker)
thread two sheets up through a small gap between two desks for a
spreading ridge
flexible long sheets (like camping mattresses) draped over the backs of
crouched students - when the students roll, the plate above them moves
laterally - models convection cells
In all scenarios, features can be stuck or drawn onto the foam, e.g.
volcanoes, quake epicentres, magnetic striping, land masses.
All of these can work as discovery tasks: provide instructions of what
to do, and students observe what happens.
|
