EARTHQUAK

E
Activity 3. Stick ‘n’ slip
Objectives:
After performing this activity, you should be
able to:

1. explain how faults generate earthquakes; 2.

explain why not all movement along faults
produces earthquakes.
Materials Needed:
two small boxes (fruit juice boxes are
ideal)
masking tape
rubber
band paper
clip
Procedure:
1. Attach the rubber band to the paper clip. Then attach the
paper clip to one end of one box. (See Figure 5. The ruler
is included for scale.)

Figure 5. Two boxes - one with a rubber

band attached to a paper clip
2. Place the boxes side by side. Put a toy house on the box
with the rubber band. Then tape (lightly?) the two boxes
together as shown in Figure 6. Important: Do not stick the
tape on the boxes too much. The tape is meant to come
off.

Figure 6. Two
boxes side by side
and lightly taped.
Toy house on top of
box with rubber
band)
Figure 7. Rubber band on box
with toy house pulled slowly.
Observe what happens.
3. With your left hand, hold the box without the rubber
band in place. With your other hand, slowly pull on the
rubber band in the direction shown in Figure 7.

Q1. What happens to the rubber band?

Q2. Keep on pulling on the rubber band. What happens to the
box attached to the rubber band?
Note: The tape is supposed to come off, so stick it on very
lightly.
Q3. What happens to the “house”?
Q4. Which is the “fault” in this setup?
Procedure:
1. Attach the rubber band to the paper clip. Then attach the
paper clip to one end of one box. (See Figure 5. The ruler
is included for scale.)

Figure 5. Two boxes - one with a rubber

band attached to a paper clip