Wednesday, 8 February, 2023
The earthquake that shook the world; Seal calls in Antarctica; Squiz-E finds a fake; and the great croc escape.
LINKS
How the Turkey earthquake happened: https://www.smh.com.au/world/middle-east/why-the-turkey-earthquake-was-so-devastating-20230207-p5cihn.html
The Polar Sound Project: https://www.bbc.com/news/science-environment-64514258
Croc Escapee: https://www.abc.net.au/news/2023-02-05/saltwater-crocodile-escapes-at-queensland-wildlife-sanctuary/101932762
Montreal’s Fake Restaurant: https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/montreal/montreal-fake-restaurant-tripadvisor-1.6733629
Dig Deeper:
Squiz Kids Shortcut on Earthquakes + Volcanoes: https://www.squizkids.com.au/squiz-kids-shortcuts/earthquakes-and-volcanoes/
Other Singing Landscapes: https://www.discovermagazine.com/planet-earth/singing-ice-is-just-the-tip-of-the-iceberg
Infamous Animals on the Lam: https://animals.howstuffworks.com/mammals/animals-escapes.htm
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THE LOWDOWN
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As the planet turned and the sun rose yesterday on the countries of Turkey and Syria, the search for survivors was in full swing after two massive earthquakes caused widespread devastation.
Diggers and cranes worked through the night to pull apart the rubble of collapsed apartment buildings in the hope of finding survivors following the 7.8 and 7.5 magnitude quakes struck within hours of each other late on Monday night.
What does 7.8 magnitude means? It’s a scientific measure of the size and power of an earthquake … and 7.8 is right up there – described by seismologists (who are people whose job it is to monitor the movement of the earth’s crust) as one of the biggest ever recorded in the two countries.
But how did it happen?
Seismologists – there’s that word again – say that this was what’s called a ‘strike-slip quake’ – which occurs when two tectonic plates slide past each other horizontally.
You see, the Earth’s surface is made up of a jigsaw puzzle of enormous tectonic plates, which are always moving, very slowly and very gradually. When two plates push up against one another and don’t slide past each other easily, they get stuck – and pressure builds until it becomes so great that the plates are forced past one another.
Where these plates meet is called a fault line. And unfortunately, if cities and towns and buildings are built on or near these fault lines – and big earthquakes happen – there’s a high chance of widespread damage.
I’ve stuck a link in today’s episode notes to an earthquake explainer, as well as a link to a Squiz Kids Shortcut on Earthquakes and Volanoes – a ten minute deep dive explaining the science.
Meanwhile: send all your good thoughts and best wishes to the people of Turkey and Syria as they take stock of the destruction and try to rebuild their lives.
SPIN THE GLOBE
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Each day we give the world globe a spin and find a news story from wherever it stops, and today we’ve landed in the North and South Pole … where the sound of ice singing has been captured for the first time ever.
Ice what? I hear you ask. Ice-singing – which is what scientists have decided to call the sound that is made underwater as ice shifts and moves and melts.
A two year scientific project to capture never-before-heard sounds from the Arctic and Antarctica also recorded the sound of minke whales communicating, glaciers tumbling and something called a crabeater seal calling .. which sounds to me like a big old fart.
I’ve stuck a link in today’s episode notes for you to have a listen yourselves .. prepare to be amazed. And maybe to have a bit of a giggle.
ANIMAL KINGDOM
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Long-time Squiz listeners might remember that last year we told you about some lions who escaped their enclosure at Taronga Zoo in Sydney. Well, this week, we’ve had another animal escapee. This time it’s a 3.8 meter saltwater crocodile – yikes! Dynamo (a word used to describe an extremely energetic person), lived up to his name, when he bashed his way through a gate at Billabong Sanctuary just outside of Townsville, North Queensland earlier this week. The sturdy salty stunned visitors, who had to be evacuated until the crafty croc could be recaptured. Turns out, Dynamo was just hanging out near another croc enclosure and was able to be enticed out of the water with food and returned to his enclosure after the gate was repaired and reinforced. He probably just wanted to visit his mates. Can’t blame a croc for that!
NEWSHOUNDS
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Every Wednesday, Squiz E the Newshound sticks his snout into Squiz Kids HQ to report back on fishy things he’s found on the internet .. and today, he’s found a fake restaurant that rose to the top of an online recommendation site in Canada.
The recommendation site is called TripAdvisor. People use it to rate and review hotels and restaurants and bars all over the world – and lots of people refer to it when planning trips or outings. And for the past few months, a restaurant called Le Nouveau Duluth in the Canadian city of Montreal has been listed as the number one restaurant on TripAdvisor. Except it doesn’t exist. Turns out a comedian set up the fake restaurant profile on TripAdvisor and got his friends to post a bunch of positive reviews – sending it to the top of TripAdvisor’s algorithm. The comedian said he wanted to show how easy it was to manipulate the algorithm – and how unfair – and untrue – user-generated reviews online can be.
Well done Squiz-E! Another excellent example of how we should always STOP, THINK & CHECK before believing everything we see, read or hear on the internet.
Don’t forget – if you want to hone your skills as a Newshound – or you’re in charge of a bunch of kids who need to improve their media literacy – our super-excellent podcast series Newshounds is ready for you to dive into. Join Squiz-E the Newshound as he teaches kids to be critical consumers of media. It’s fun, it’s fantastic – and for a limited time, it’s absolutely free. Check it out at squizkids.com.au – or via the link in today’s episode notes.
THE SQUIZ
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This is the part of the podcast where you get to test how well you’ve been listening …
- What sort of seal makes a noise like a fart?
- What sort of fake establishment did Squiz E sniff out on the internet?
- What’s the name of the Townsville croc that staged a daring escape from his enclosure this week?
SHOUT OUTS
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It’s February 8 … World Day Without Smartphones … challenge yourself to a digital detox today, I dare you. It’s also National Kite Flying Day in the United States – which seems like a perfect thing to do instead of looking at your phone …
It’s also a special day for these Squiz Kids celebrating a birthday today …
Billie from Oak Park, Harriet from Perth (in Tasmania), Ruby from Paraburdoo, Morgan from Googong, Coral from Frenchs Forest, Max from Watson, Jayden from Campbelltown, Andrew from Gundagai and Rosie from Middle Harbour.
Belated birthday wishes go to … Lola and Emily from Lake Bolac, Harvey from Grovedale, Reign from Skye, Edward from Gymea Bay and Taite from Gundagai.
And classroom shout outs today go to …
Mrs Tennant and her year 6 class at Cherrybrook Public School, Mr Alizzi at St Eugene College in Brisbane, classes 5 Red and Blue with Mrs Weir and Miss Kay at St Agnes Primary School in Brisbane, Mr K and Miss Green at Hammond Park Primary School and lastly Miss Blunden’s class at The Scots School in Albury.
The S’Quiz Answers:
- Crab-eating seal
- Fake restaurant
- Dynamo