What we make

Each lab is a small working model you can change, paired with a short explanation, a printable classroom activity and a teacher answer key. There are six labs: the Earthquake Epicenter Finder, the Plate Tectonics Explorer, the Contour Map Playground, the River Erosion Sandbox, the Water Cycle Explorer and the Rock Cycle Builder. See them all.

How the models work

The labs use real methods with simplified, clearly explained models. In the Epicenter Finder, for example, P waves travel at 6.0 km/s and S waves at 3.5 km/s through a uniform crust, which gives the familiar “8.4 kilometers per second of S–P lag” rule. Real rocks are not uniform, and each lab says what its model leaves out.

The seismograms, the map and its towns are synthetic: they are generated by the model, not taken from real recordings or real places. Worksheets and answer keys are calculated by the same code that runs each lab, and automated tests check that the printed numbers match.

Who makes it

Earth Science Lab comes from the makers of Interactive Periodic Table, and sits alongside free learning apps for physics, biology, astronomy, geometry and coding linked at the bottom of every page.

Accessibility

The labs work with a keyboard, respect your device’s reduced-motion setting, and offer typed inputs wherever there is something to drag. If something does not work for you or your students, please tell us.

Contact

Questions, corrections and classroom stories are welcome at info@earthsciencelab.org.