Active Faulting in Idaho
suggested grade levels: 9-12
view Idaho achievement standards for this lesson

Procedure:
View the CAD map and answer the handout questions provided below. Take a look at the map of most recently active faults in Idaho. Turn off the appropriate layers to clearly view just the Quaternary and Holocene faults. The Quaternary faults have been active since Pleistocene time. The Holocene faults have been active in the past 15,000 years and represent neotectonic crustal activity. Print the handout below.

Handouts/Activities:
These are links to access the handouts and printable materials.
geo26ho.pdf | CAD map

Handout Sample:
Use the information in the map to answer the following questions:

1. By looking at the map of Quaternary faults, identify the geologic province with the greatest number of faults that have been active over the past 2 million years. Faults represent potential pathways for groundwater to circulate deep into the earth's crust; faults that have been active in the recent past indicate a potential for earthquakes to originate by future movement on these faults.
2. The map of Holocene faults shows only those faults which have been active in the past 15,000 years (based on historical records and geologic characteristics such as scarps, broken ground, and stratigraphic offsets seen in trenches). Identify the geologic province that has the most neotectonically active faults.

Related Lesson Topics:
Geology: Geology Topics