"Earthquakes are the shaking, rolling or sudden shock of the earth's surface. Earthquakes happen along "fault lines" in the earth's crust. Earthquakes can be felt over large areas although they usually last less than one minute. Earthquakes cannot be predicted -- although scientists are working on it! "
"A volcano is a mountain that opens downward to a pool of molten rock below the surface of the earth. When pressure builds up, eruptions occur. Gases and rock shoot up through the opening and spill over or fill the air with lava fragments. Eruptions can cause lateral blasts, lava flows, hot ash flows, mudslides, avalanches, falling ash and floods. Volcano eruptions have been known to knock down entire forests. An erupting volcano can trigger tsunamis, flashfloods, earthquakes, mudflows and rockfalls. "
"UPSeis (pronounced "up size") is a program created to teach young people (and not-so-young people) more about the planet we live on and how it works.
The UPSeis program is divided into two parts: this web site and a school program. In the UPSeis web site, we'll be talking mostly about the science of seismology and earthquakes: where they happen, why they happen, and what kinds of problems they cause. We'll tell you things you may already know and some stuff you may have never thought about."