My First Discoveries · Drawing 16 of 40
When the Ground Shakes
Earth
When rocks suddenly slip along a fault, the ground can shake. At a museum, a moving table lets us explore the effects of shaking.
Did you know?
Most earthquakes are too small to be felt.
Look together
What might happen to the tower if the table moved?
An idea to try
With an adult, put a small block tower on a tray and gently move the tray.
For the adult reading along
A little more to discover
The moving museum table lets us observe what happens to a block tower when its support moves. This model illustrates an effect of shaking; it does not reproduce an actual fault, measure an earthquake or predict building damage.
Sources and illustration notes (1)
Illustrations simplify shapes and sizes. Models and enlargements help observation; choose your own colours.
These links lead to other websites. Explore them with an adult. References identify the institution and the related lesson; some linked pages are in French.
- U.S. Geological Survey: What is an earthquake and what causes them to happen?Introduce a sudden slip on a fault as a cause of earthquakes.
Source review: 2026-10-03. Illustrations are simplified for colouring.
This drawing is from the book My First Discoveries to Colour
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