The Incorporated Research Institutes for Seismology (IRIS) offers resources for teachers wishing to help their students better understand why devastating earthquakes like the one that recently struck Haiti happen. The “Teachable moments” page features presentations (including an excellent power point slide show), animations, posters, images, video, general information, programs, resources in Spanish, news, and more.

Founded in 1984 with support from the National Science Foundation, IRIS is a consortium of over 100 U.S. universities dedicated to the operation of science facilities for the acquisition, management, and distribution of seismological data. IRIS programs contribute to scholarly research, education, earthquake hazard mitigation, and the verification of a Comprehensive Test Ban Treaty.

The IRIS website also features materials regarding other major earthquakes, including the Jan. 9 magnitude 6.5 quake off the coast of Northern California and the Jan. 3 magnitude 7.2 quake in the Solomon Islands (near Australia).

Filed under: Web Resources

Tags: Curriculum, Earth Science, Earthquake materials, Internet Resources, Seismology, Teacher Resources, Web Resources