Why you're writing this
Every city you'll meet in the Tectonic City Builder simulator was modeled on a real place with real geology and real history. This profile is your chance to pick the city you want to defend in your final pitch, and to do the homework you'll need to defend it well.
Step 1: Choose your city
Pick one city from the list below. Each is tied to a simulator scenario. If you want to propose a different city, talk to Ms. Jayanthi/Mr. Ignash by Block 3.
| City | Country | Simulator scenario |
|---|---|---|
| Tokyo | Japan | Tōhoku (subduction) |
| Sendai | Japan | Tōhoku (subduction) |
| Istanbul | Türkiye | Anatolian (transform) |
| Yogyakarta | Indonesia | Merapi (stratovolcano) |
| Manila | Philippines | Merapi-type (stratovolcano) |
| Wellington | New Zealand | Anatolian or Tōhoku (mixed) |
| Kathmandu | Nepal | Anatolian (continental shaking proxy) |
| Anchorage | USA | Cascadia (subduction) |
| Seattle / Portland | USA | Cascadia (subduction) |
| Lima | Peru | Cascadia (subduction) |
| Los Angeles | USA | San Andreas (transform) |
| Hilo | Hawaii, USA | Hawaii (hotspot shield) |
Step 2: Required elements
- City + boundary identification. Name the city, the plate boundary type, and the specific plates involved. Example: "Tokyo sits on a convergent subduction zone where the Pacific Plate dives beneath the Okhotsk Plate."
- Dominant hazards. List the 2–3 hazards your city faces given its boundary type, with one sentence on the mechanism for each. Don't just name them. Say why that boundary type produces that hazard.
- One historical analog. Choose one documented disaster from your city's region (or a comparable region with the same boundary type). Briefly describe what happened, when, and what was learned about engineering, warning systems, or human response.
- Sources. Cite at least 2 reputable sources. Good ones: USGS Earthquake Hazards Program, Smithsonian Global Volcanism Program, IRIS, peer-reviewed journal articles, news of record (BBC, Reuters, NYT). Wikipedia is fine for navigation but not as a sole citation. Use any consistent citation format (MLA, APA, footnotes).
Format
- Written: PDF or Google Doc. Headings expected. No need for fancy layout. ≈500 words.
- Video alternative: 60–90 second captioned video that covers the same four elements above.
How this is scored
Scored against the AISC strand rubric (K/U / T/T / C), same triplet structure as every other assessment in this course. See The Rubric for the full bands.
Standards: HS-ESS2-1 and HS-ESS3-1 primary; HS-ESS1-5 secondary; science practices SEP-2 (Developing and Using Models) and SEP-6 (Constructing Explanations and Designing Solutions).