KS3 Geography

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Kobe Earthquake 1995

 

The Aims Of The Project

You are to write a report on the Kobe Earthquake of 1995. This will include information on the causes, effects and possible solutions to the earthquake.

You can write this as an ordinary project report or you can produce a newspaper report providing that you cover all of the sections

Please Note: one of the most important things in this project is that you need to show that you have done a lot of the research yourself. 

So, you need to use a number of different sources including the following:

  • Any notes you may have made in class (e.g. on how earthquakes are caused and plate tectonics, on video footage, etc)
  • Text books (for example the blue Places text book and the GCSE text book - People, Places and Themes)
  • Web-sites on the internet (including some of those given in the 'useful links' section and any other useful ones you may find yourself)

You must include a section at the end which lists the different sources you used - this is called 'References'. You should also write about how reliable your different sources are as this can help you get a higher level.

 
Important Instructions:

Make sure you structure your work using the suggested headings.

Include useful pictures, maps and diagrams with labels and titles.

Use a variety of resources (including the internet)

Please note that the final section of the report is very important.

Use as many key words and place names as possible - to help you, some are suggested at the bottom of each section below

Check what is expected for each of the National Curriculum Levels - we are using similar guidelines as this school - click here http://www.geography.ndo.co.uk/kobenew2.htm (The excellent Hampstead School Geography Web Site)

 

    A Basic Map of Japan
 
 Hint: If you use this map in your project add

other features:

Such as:

  • Labels of key words like epicentre
  • The place-names and areas affected by the earthquake
  • The main plate boundaries
  • A key, compass rose and title

The Project Details

 1) Introduction

Your introduction section should cover the following background facts:

  • When did the earthquake happen?

  • How 'big' was the earthquake?

  • Where did it happen and where in particular was affected?

You should also include a labelled map - perhaps based on the map above

Check-words and place names:  

Richter Scale    Aftershocks       Awaji Island       South Honshu

Osaka Bay        Kobe                 Osaka                 Kyoto

Hanshin (means the area between Osaka and Kobe). 

 Image Source: Public Domain Uploaded here to flickr by BlatantNews.com

2)The Physical Causes of the Kobe Hazard

Why did the Earthquake happen?

You should explain in as much detail as possible what the physical (natural) causes of the earthquake were.

Why is the area at risk of such a dangerous earthquake?

Try to include maps, diagrams, place names and key words.

HINT: A diagram to show a destructive plate boundary would be very useful here. If you do include a diagram made by someone else, you must describe what it shows in words.



Here is a list of suggested key words you might include in this section:

Plate Tectonics         Convection Currents    Oceanic Plate    Pacific Plate Continental Plate    Eurasian Plate    Subduction Zone Nojima Fault      Pressure / Friction / Sudden Jolt       Shock waves        Focus / Epicentre

3) The Short-Term Effects of the Earthquake

What were the problems caused by the Kobe Earthquake on the day it happened and over the next few weeks?

Can you explain how these problems affected different places (such as Awaji island, the port of Kobe, other parts of Japan), activities (such as transport, housing, emergency services)

Photo uploaded here to flickr by mah_japan Some rights reserved

Check Words:

Deaths / Injuries       Buildings     Infrastructure (Gas / Water / Electricity)     Fires       Floods 

Bullet Train    Transport      Emergency Services     Aftershocks        Hanshin Express      

Evacuations

4) The Long-Term Effects of the Earthquake

What were the problems caused by the Kobe Earthquake for the months and years after the earthquake happened?

Can you explain how these problems affected different places (such as Awaji island, the port of Kobe, other parts of Japan), activities (such as transport, housing, emergency services)

Hint: Think about different parts of the city, think about other cities in Japan, think about Awaji Island

Check words:

  Economy              Cost              Employment               Population                Migration

 

5 ) How did previous decisions possibly make the effects worse?

Although it should be obvious that people did not actually cause the earthquake itself, they may have made matters worse. 

For example, because so many people live on the coast of Japan, there is a high population density. As a result, there are a lot of buildings crowded together in Kobe and other cities in an area very close to the destructive plate boundary.


Source: Photo uploaded here to flickr by tsc_traveler Some rights reserved

 In this section can you explain what the links are between the physical and human causes?

Key Words and phrases:

Reclaimed Land        Liquifaction        Population Density        Building Design       Shockwaves     Unprepared
 

 6) What lessons can be learnt from the 1995 Kobe Earthquake?

Remember the three Ps - predict, prepare, prevent

a) PREDICTING EARTHQUAKES

How can people be ready for Earthquakes by predicting them?


Source: Image stored here on wikicommons, Public Domain, sourced from USGS

Check Words:      Scientists     Seismograph     Small Tremors

b) PREPARING FOR EARTHQUAKES

How can the people of Japan prepare for another earthquake?

Check Words:      Emergency Services       Education         Emergency Supplies       Communications

c) PREVENTING SOME OF THE DAMAGE CAUSED BY EARTHQUAKES

How can the government and city authorities prevent so much damage happening if a similar earthquake was to strike Japan again?


Source: Photo uploaded here to flickr by Paul Keller  Some rights reserved

Check Words:      Building Design           Foundations         Evacuations

Useful Downloads to help you with your project:

1) Useful Activities

http://www.geoworld.co.uk/opipupil2.doc (Word Document)

This is an activity to help you decide on different types of AID

http://www.geoworld.co.uk/livpupil2.doc (Word Document)

This is an activity to help you decide which are the timings of the effects of an earthquake

These are both stored on another web-site "Thinking Through Geography"

2) What is needed for the different KS3 levels in this project

http://www.geography.ndo.co.uk/kobenew2.htm (hosted on the Hampstead School Geography Web Site)

Suggested Links to help you with your project:

Slideshare presentation on Kobe:

Kobe Earthquake
View more presentations from jerlewis.

ITN youtube clip:



Note: The web sites are rated from (very easy) to (very difficult) 

Links to Web Pages on Causes

http://www.moorlandschool.co.uk/earth/tectonic.htm

Good diagrams 4-5

http://geology.er.usgs.gov/eastern/plates.html

Shows the major tectonic plates around the world

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/asia-pacific/606278.stm

Has some interesting bits on why the city wasn’t prepared

http://www.bbc.co.uk/education/broadband/tectonics/

Fun, interactive site you will have to Navigate to Geography and then Plate Tectonics

 Note: The web sites are rated from (very easy) to (very difficult) 

Links to Web Pages on Effects

http://www.projectgcse.co.uk/geography/kobe.htm

Good for prompts – hint - can you expand each point into a small paragraph?

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/asia-pacific/606278.stm

Has some interesting bits on how the economy failed

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/asia-pacific/1121925.stm

As above – good impression of longer term effects

http://www.sln.org.uk/geography/7-11kobe.htm

Eyewitness accounts by Japanese students living in Kobe at the time

http://www.vibrationdata.com/earthquakes/kobe.htm

Summary

http://www.ce.washington.edu/~liquefaction/html/quakes/kobe/kobe.html

Liquefaction effects


+ See the General Background / Introduction Sites above

 Note: The web sites are rated from (very easy) to (very difficult) 

Links to Web Pages on Solutions

http://www.fema.gov/kids/knw_eq.htm

"For kids”

http://www.olympus.net/personal/gofamily/quake/prepare.html

good on being prepared / sensible reactions by citizens

http://pubs.usgs.gov/gip/earthq1/predict.html+

Prediction – very complicated

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