======Modelling Faults with Layered Clay====== **Materials: **{{$demo.materials_description}}\\ **Difficulty: **{{$demo.difficulty_description}}\\ **Safety: **{{$demo.safety_description}}\\ \\ **Categories:** {{$demo.categories}} \\ **Alternative titles:** Earthquake Fault Model ====Summary==== {{$demo.summary}} ====Procedure==== - Flatten three pieces of clay, each in a different color, into rectangles. - Stack the clay rectangles on top of each other and press them together to represent Earth’s crust layers. - Use a dull knife to cut through the middle of the clay stack, creating a model fault. - Rejoin the pieces but offset them slightly so they don’t match up perfectly. - Push inward on the outer edges of the clay stack and observe how the clay shifts and buckles along the fault, simulating an earthquake. ====Links==== 94605 Geological Faults and Folds Model (using a commercially available kit) - Artec Educational: {{youtube>rEumMkAhwzA?}}\\ 📄 Earthquake Fault Model - Cairns Regional Council: [[https://www.cairns.qld.gov.au/__data/assets/pdf_file/0011/469127/Fault-model-experiment.pdf]]\\ ====Variations==== * Try using more or fewer clay layers to represent different crustal thicknesses. * Experiment with cutting the clay at different angles to show various fault types (normal, reverse, strike-slip). * Add pressure gradually vs. suddenly to compare slow movement vs. earthquake-like jerks. ====Safety Precautions==== * Use only a dull knife to avoid injury. * Supervise younger students while cutting the clay. ====Questions to Consider==== * What does the cut in the clay represent in the Earth? * Why does the clay shift when pressure is applied? * Where are the nearest fault lines to our location? * When was our region last affected by an earthquake? * What factors might cause an earthquake in our area?