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Year 9: Tectonic Activity in New Zealand

The Claim

The location of natural phenomenon such as volcanoes, earthquakes and tsunamis is not random.

Plate Tectonics - What, Where, Why, How

Question 2 e) What evidence do scientists use to monitor tectonic activity?

Question 2 f) How are earthqakes and volcanoes predicted? Are these measures effective?

Question 2 g) What risks are posed by tectonic acitivity to humans? How can these risks be measured, specifically about a particular location?

ONESearch Database Explorer

The ENTIRE collection of resources provided by the BBC Birtles Library can be searched on ONE single, powerful search platform, which retrieves print books, eBooks, database articles and websites. Click HERE for assistance.

Useful Databases

Data Websites

General
Earthquakes
Volcanoes

Tsunamis

Web Searching Technique

1. Use 'Ctrl F' (Control + Find) to search for particular terms easily in a long document, whether from a website or a database article.
2. Use a Google domain command eg site:edu OR site:gov to limit results to a CERTAIN DOMAIN such as education or government eg biodiesel site:edu
3. Use a Google command to limit results to the MOST RECENT: After you get your results, choose the Google Menu Bar, and choose 'Tools'. Then on the far left, at the drop-down menu next to 'Any Time', you can choose 'Within the last year' (or less, if you prefer), but generally, you can choose 'Custom Range' at the bottom, as often the last 3-4 years would be sufficient for a recent search.

QUT C.R.A.A.P. Test for Evaluating Websites

Check the quality of your websites using these criteria (adapted from QUT Library):
Currency: Timeliness of the information
  • When was the information published, posted or last updated?
  • Is the information current for your topic and field of study? How recent does it have to be? Can older sources work just as well?
Relevance: Importance of the information for your needs
  • Is the information appropriate for a senior secondary course?
  • Is this an adequately in-depth examination or a quick summary of the topic?
  • Who's the intended audience? Is it the general public, a student, a researcher or industry?
  • Is the level of information too basic or too advanced for your needs?
Authority: Source of the information
  • Is the author/authoring body (individual person, or institution, or organisation) established and reputable?
  • Are their qualifications, credentials, expertise, experience, educational background and previous work (if any) relevant and do they add credibility to the source?
  • Has the piece been published by a well-known and respected publisher or organisation?
  • Do references to other sources support the writing ie is a Reference List provided?
Accuracy: Reliability and correctness of the information
  • Where does the information come from, and is it supported by evidence?
  • Does it have a Reference List or Bibliography so you can easily find and verify the sources used?
  • Are there any spelling, grammar, or other typographical errors?
Purpose: Reason the information exists
  • What is the purpose of the information? Why was it written?
  • Does the point of view appear objective, unbiased and impartial?
  • Is the viewpoint of the author's affiliation/ sponsors reflected in the message or content?
  • Does the author acknowledge alternative versions of the issues or facts?

Purpose: Reason the information exists

  • What is the purpose of the information? Why was it written?
  • Does the point of view appear objective, unbiased and impartial?

Template Sheet for QUT's C.R.A.A.P. Test Evaluation of Websites

Choose the sources you wish to evaluate. Save this document to your tablet, complete the evaluation of the sources (one per page) and print out to attach to the back of your assignment.

MyBib Referencing Generator - APA 7

Manage your bibliography using "MyBib" - Referencing - LibGuides at Melbourne High School

MyBib is an online referencing generator to help you with in text references and your List of References.

NOTE: 

  • Sign up for an account so that it will store the references for your assignment. Add it to your bookmark bar to find it quickly.
  • Install the Chrome extension to make your referencing even faster.
  • Make sure everything in your Reference List has a corresponding In-Text citation in the body of your essay.

How to Reference an Image in Your Essay

Figure 1

A cross section of the Earth showing convection currents

Note: This image indicates the various ways that convection currents travel through the Earth. From "Plate Tectonics Map - Plate Boundary Map", by H. M. King, 2022,    (https://geology.com/plate-tectonics.html)

Sample Rationale