General Scrab - poem

Once, long ago there was a General named Scrab,
Who wanted all the land that his men could grab.
So he said to his scientist, "think up a plan,
As despicable, and crafty as ever that you can."
"I want to take over the land of Justavia!
It's that little country, right next to Balavia.
But no one must know that we've thought up the plan,
Or they'll be here to kill us, each member of our clan."
So the scientist went away, to sort out a plot,
Or they knew that in a dungeon they would all surely rot.
Then atlast they had a plan that was safe and sound...
Erupting volcanoes would rock Justavia's ground!
But the smart Justavians were quickly onto Scrab.
We'll find a way to make the General blab.
So they went off to Bismo to stop Scrab's rotten plot,
And put that old general in a dungeon to rot.
The moral of the story is, if you want a happy life,
Live with those around you,
And don't cause any strife.

House Of Fire

Hot searing flames burst out of the house, roof, and broken windows as an earthquake causes the electrical lines to collapse. Sparking power lines collapse, adding massive amounts of fire. The red hot lava-like inferno travels through the neighbourhood.

Danger In The Neighbourhood

Hot flaming fire bursts through smashed windows, broken by a destructive earthquake. Collapsed power lines fall, leaning heavily on scorched buildings, adding to the tremendous searing heat. Billowing clouds of black, greasy smoke rise as the fire continues to cause havoc in the neighbourhood.

Neighborhood Taken Down By Earthquake!

As the red-hot embers of fire, caused by an earthquake, made the billowing clouds of deadly smoke rise, it covered the entire neighborhood. The searing heat of flames challenged people to protect themselves as they struggled to breathe the smoky air. The neighborhood was left with nothing but rubble and debris along with burnt, scorched buildings and trees.

Destructive Power Of Earthquakes

Sparking power lines add to an earthquake's destruction by igniting fires. Billowing clouds of black, greasy smoke fill the air as flames of yellow and orange, engulf buildings. A trail of blackened debris and rubble grows, as walls, roofs, and scorched fallen trees are quickly consumed.

How Is An Earthquake Measured?

I am going to explain what happens in an earthquake and how it is measured. When plates in the earth's crust grind against each other, often these plates fracture, or break. If this happens, an earthquake will most certainly occur. To help us measure the magnitude(size) of the quake, seismologists use the Richter Scale to give it a measurement between 3.5 and 8(check out the chart below). A 3.4 on the Richter Scale wouldn't be felt by most people, but an 8 would most definitely be felt! If you enjoyed hearing about the Richter Scale, you should check out the Mercalli Scale and investigate the difference.


Earthquake Severity

Richter Earthquake
Magnitudes Effects

Less than 3.5 Generally not felt, but recorded.

3.5-5.4 Often felt, but rarely causes damage.

Under 6.0 At most slight damage to well-designed buildings.
Can cause major damage to poorly constructed buildings
over small regions.

6.1-6.9 Can be destructive in areas up to about 100 kilometers
across where people live.

7.0-7.9 Major earthquake. Can cause serious damage over larger areas.

8 or greater Great earthquake. Can cause serious damage in areas several
hundred kilometers across.

Experimenting with gases and pressure!

Power of Pressure!

We have been studying volcanoes and exploring the awesome, breathtaking power that is created by pressure. We did some experimentation with dry ice and have posted some video footage and pictures to show some of the fun we had while exploring this explosive phenomenon.