TEKS 2. Scientific processes. The student uses scientific methods during field and laboratory investigations. The student is expected to:

(A) plan and implement investigative procedures including asking questions, formulating testable hypotheses, and selecting equipment and technology;

(B) collect data and make measurements with precision;

(C) organize, analyze, evaluate, make inferences, and predict trends from data; and

(D) communicate valid conclusions.

TEKS 3. Scientific processes. The student uses critical thinking and scientific problem solving to make informed decisions. The student is expected to:

(A) analyze, review, and critique scientific explanations, including hypotheses and theories, as to their strengths and weaknesses using scientific evidence and information;

(C) evaluate the impact of research on scientific thought, society, and the environment;

TEKS 6. The student knows the processes of plate tectonics. The student is expected to:

(B) analyze the processes that power the movement of the Earth’s continental and oceanic plates and identify the effects of this movement including faulting, folding, earthquakes, and volcanic activity; and

(C) analyze methods of tracking continental and oceanic plate movement.

TEKS 11. The student knows characteristics of oceans. The student is expected to:

(B)* evaluate the effects of tides, tidal bores, and tsunamis; and

(C) compare the topography of the ocean floor to the topography of the continents.

*While this vista does not specifically address this TEK, the study of earthquakes and seismology provides a natural link to the study of tsunamis, and then to ocean waves and tides (oceanography). A tsunami is a special type of shallow water ocean wave, like a tide, that is usually caused by a submarine earthquake.