Worksheets and No Prep Teaching Resources Reading Comprehension Worksheets Earthquakes

Measuring Earthquakes Earthquakes

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Measuring Earthquakes
Print Measuring Earthquakes Reading Comprehension with Sixth Grade Work

Print Measuring Earthquakes Reading Comprehension

Reading Level

	edHelper's suggested reading level:	high interest, readability grades 6 to 7
	Flesch-Kincaid grade level:	6.04

Vocabulary

	challenging words:		seismic, dynamite, seismograph, tectonic, formula, magnitude, classify, mathematical, generate, seismogram, earthquake, based, measurement, movement, scientist, scientific
	content words:		Charles Richter

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Measuring Earthquakes By Patti Hutchison

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¹     The Earth's crust is made up of many sections, called tectonic plates. These plates are always moving. Because of friction, the edges of the two moving plates may become stuck as they move against each other.
 
²     The pressure builds up, and rocks along the boundary of the two plates become deformed from the stress. Eventually the stress causes the rocks to break, or fault. The two plates move suddenly along the fault line. The ground shakes violently. It's an earthquake! The pressure is released as energy that moves in waves. These waves help us to measure an earthquake.
 
³     There are several ways to measure the size of an earthquake. The most scientific measurement is the Richter scale. This scale was developed by Charles Richter in the 1930s. Although it is used to measure the magnitude of earthquakes, it is not an instrument. It is a mathematical formula.

Paragraphs 4 to 8:
For the complete story with questions: click here for printable

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Science

Science

Careers in Science         Caring for Earth         Clouds         Dinosaurs         Earth's Land         Earth         Earthquakes         Electricity         Energy         Erosion         Food Pyramid         Food Webs and Food Chain         Forces and Motion         Fossils         Health and Nutrition         How Things Work         Landforms         Life Science         Light         Magnets         Matter

Moon         Natural Disasters         Photosynthesis         Plant and Animal Cells         Plants         Rocks and Minerals         Science Process Skills         Scientific Notation         Seasons         Simple Machines         Soil         Solar System         Sound         Space and Stars         Sun         Tsunami         Volcanoes         Water Cycle         Water         Weather

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