In Part 1 of this activity, students are provided with a blank topographic profile and an associated tectonic plate boundary map. Students are asked to draw a schematic cross-section on the profile down to the asthenosphere including tectonic plates (with relative thicknesses of crust etc. appropriately illustrated), arrows indicating directions of plate movement, tectonic features (mid-ocean ridges, trenches and volcanic arcs) and symbols indicating where melting is occurring at depth. In Part 2, students are asked to provide geological and geophysical lines of evidence to support their placement of convergent and divergent boundaries, respectively. A bonus question asks students to predict what would happen if spreading along the Atlantic mid-ocean ridge were to stop. Students are referred to appropriate sections of the textbook to guide them in completing all the parts of this activity. Students are also provided with a checklist of required elements for both parts of the assignment.

(Note: this resource was added to OER Commons as part of a batch upload of over 2,200 records. If you notice an issue with the quality of the metadata, please let us know by using the 'report' button and we will flag it for consideration.)

At the end of the semester, students are asked to create a concept map of the four main concepts covered over the duration of the course. They are provided with a grading rubric and 4 the main nodes that are required on the map (plate tectonics, the rock cycle, geologic time and scientific research). The four concepts can be arranged in any manner, and the connecting lines must be labelled with appropriate terms and examples. Students have the option of creating a paper map (11'' x 17'' or larger) or a digital map using a free software program, VUE.

(Note: this resource was added to OER Commons as part of a batch upload of over 2,200 records. If you notice an issue with the quality of the metadata, please let us know by using the 'report' button and we will flag it for consideration.)

Students will analyze USGS seismology data in the classroom using spreadsheets and scatter plots to look for patterns and structure in the Earth's crust. Before analyzing data, students will learn about the methods scientists use to gather seismic data. They will explore plate tectonics, plate boundaries, and volcanoes using Google Earth. The teacher will provide demonstrations on the types of faults and how earthquakes propagate and travel through the earth.

(Note: this resource was added to OER Commons as part of a batch upload of over 2,200 records. If you notice an issue with the quality of the metadata, please let us know by using the 'report' button and we will flag it for consideration.)

Students learn about the weighted mean by building spreadsheets that apply this concept to the average density of the oceanic lithosphere.

Students learn about the weighted mean by building spreadsheets that apply this concept to the average density of the oceanic lithosphere.

(Note: this resource was added to OER Commons as part of a batch upload of over 2,200 records. If you notice an issue with the quality of the metadata, please let us know by using the 'report' button and we will flag it for consideration.)

College-level adaptation of the Earth Exploration Toolbook chapter. Students work with a free GIS program, ArcVoyager SE, to explore earthquake data and plate tectonics.

(Note: this resource was added to OER Commons as part of a batch upload of over 2,200 records. If you notice an issue with the quality of the metadata, please let us know by using the 'report' button and we will flag it for consideration.)

This exercise is centered around a suite of rocks from the Sierra Nevada batholith. The activities are designed to give petrology students a capstone experience for the igneous portion of the upper-level Petrology course. Students are given thin sections with hand samples, a map and a table of geochemical analyses (in Excel format) and asked to record hand-sample and thin section observations with the idea that these will be used to understand processes that were active during batholith generation. By the time they encounter this lab, the students have spent at least 7 lab periods looking at a variety of igneous rocks and their textures. Because students are given geochemical analyses, they are also expected to experiment with the use of graphs (e.g., Harker and spider diagrams) to better understand tables of geochemical analyses. The students use observations about rocks and geochemistry to build a coherent story around these rocks; the final product is a short paper in which they use petrographic observations and geochemical diagrams to back up their interpretations.

(Note: this resource was added to OER Commons as part of a batch upload of over 2,200 records. If you notice an issue with the quality of the metadata, please let us know by using the 'report' button and we will flag it for consideration.)

This is an interactive lecture where students answer questions about demonstrations shown in several movie files. They learn to connect what they have learned about molecules, phases of matter, silicate crystal structures, and igneous rock classification with magma viscosity, and to connect magma viscosity with volcano explosiveness and morphology.

(Note: this resource was added to OER Commons as part of a batch upload of over 2,200 records. If you notice an issue with the quality of the metadata, please let us know by using the 'report' button and we will flag it for consideration.)

This is an interactive lecture where students answer questions about demonstrations shown in several movie files. They learn to connect what they have learned about molecules, phases of matter, silicate crystal structures, and igneous rock classification with magma viscosity, and to connect magma viscosity with volcano explosiveness and morphology.

What causes magnetic anomalies? Is there a relationship between superplumes and changes in polarity on the magnetic time scale?

(Note: this resource was added to OER Commons as part of a batch upload of over 2,200 records. If you notice an issue with the quality of the metadata, please let us know by using the 'report' button and we will flag it for consideration.)

Many people live in regions prone to earthquakes, tsunamis and volcanic eruptions, but the hazards and risks inherent in our communities may be very different. Making connections with learners from another location is a great way to share knowledge and practice science communication skills. Video conferencing applications like Zoom and Skype make it possible to connect with learners anywhere in the world. This activity provides a simple protocol, and a form for submitting a request to connect with a classroom teacher in Anchorage, Alaska.

(Note: this resource was added to OER Commons as part of a batch upload of over 2,200 records. If you notice an issue with the quality of the metadata, please let us know by using the 'report' button and we will flag it for consideration.)

With printouts of typical GPS velocity vectors found near different tectonic boundaries and models of a GPS station, demonstrate how GPS work to measure ground motion.GPS velocity vectors point in the direction that a GPS station moves as the ground it is anchored to moves. The length of a velocity vector corresponds to the rate of motion. GPS velocity vectors thus provide useful information for how Earth's crust deforms in different tectonic settings.

(Note: this resource was added to OER Commons as part of a batch upload of over 2,200 records. If you notice an issue with the quality of the metadata, please let us know by using the 'report' button and we will flag it for consideration.)

This lesson teaches middle and high school students to understand the architecture of GPS -- from satellites to research quality stations on the ground. This is done with physical models and a presentation. Then students learn to interpret data for the station's position through time ("time series plots"). Students represent time series data as velocity vectors and add the vectors to create a total horizontal velocity vector. They apply their skills to discover that the Mid-Atlantic Ridge is rifting Iceland. They cement and expand their understanding of GPS data with an abstraction using cars and maps. Finally, they explore GPS vectors in the context of global plate tectonics.

(Note: this resource was added to OER Commons as part of a batch upload of over 2,200 records. If you notice an issue with the quality of the metadata, please let us know by using the 'report' button and we will flag it for consideration.)

This activity is an inquiry approach to term and concept introduction. Students will work in a jigsaw format to read through the descriptions of eyewitness accounts from earthquakes and assess a Mercalli value. In the jigsaw groups, they will compare the different Mercalli and Richter values and describe the basic events that occurred during different earthquakes. They will share this information in order to collaboratively assess the strengths and weaknesses of this scale relative to the Richter magnitudes provided. They will also begin to determine what types of hazards result from earthquakes.

(Note: this resource was added to OER Commons as part of a batch upload of over 2,200 records. If you notice an issue with the quality of the metadata, please let us know by using the 'report' button and we will flag it for consideration.)

Physical Geology students are required to understand the processes involved in plate tectonics. They are expected to know the geologic differences between continents and ocean basins and should be able to recall and use simple geologic terms to describe geologic processes and events. This activity is designed to improve student comprehension of the varied Earth materials and complex processes involved in plate collisions. The activity synthesizes material covered during the first eight weeks of Physical Geology on plate tectonics, rock types, volcanoes, and Earth's composition.

The instructor introduces the exercise to the students as a component of the college's Critical Thinking Initiative. The "hook" for the students is that the exercise represents a chance for self-appraisal of course content and understanding prior to the next semester test. The grading rubric for the lab is discussed with the students in terms of the Bloom Pyramid so that they can assess their level of progress in the course.

(Note: this resource was added to OER Commons as part of a batch upload of over 2,200 records. If you notice an issue with the quality of the metadata, please let us know by using the 'report' button and we will flag it for consideration.)

Students work in partners during class to make observations about the East Pacific Rise and Mid-Atlantic Ridge from Google Earth images. They also examine samples of typical oceanic crust and upper mantle and use relative density to predict the appropriate rock sequence.

(Note: this resource was added to OER Commons as part of a batch upload of over 2,200 records. If you notice an issue with the quality of the metadata, please let us know by using the 'report' button and we will flag it for consideration.)

Two sections in the Mountain View of the Stillwater Complex are readily accessible for field-based teaching of petrologic and geochemical principles: (a) a section through the Ultramafic series in the vicinity of the old Mouat Chrome Mine and (b) a section through the Banded series exposed on the mine road  mile south of the junction with the West Fork USFS road. Both sections provide ideal field settings to demonstrate a number of relatively simple concepts that we commonly discuss in abstract terms in the classroom. To this end, the Mountain View field site has many advantages: it is readily accessible to large numbers of students, the rocks are well exposed and unaltered, detailed maps are readily available, there is a very large petrologic and geochemical database, a number of seminal papers on this area have been published, the mineralogy is simple and the constituent minerals in all rock types are easily identified with a simple 10x hand lens. In addition, this area demonstrates the importance of the Stillwater Complex as a major economic resource.

(Note: this resource was added to OER Commons as part of a batch upload of over 2,200 records. If you notice an issue with the quality of the metadata, please let us know by using the 'report' button and we will flag it for consideration.)

The NAVDAT project is compiling existing age, chemical, and isotopic data from Late Cretaceous to Holocene extrusive and intrusive igneous rocks from the western United States, British Columbia, and northern Mexico into a web-accessible electronic database. NAVDAT will be integrated into a geographic information system (GIS) to allow visualization of complex age-compositional patterns in volcanism throughout the study region. The addition of necessary relational and graphical tools will allow users of the database to address a wide variety of issues concerning the geologic evolution and present volcanic state of western North America.

This project is intended to introduce students to the IUGS rock classification scheme.
Samples come from the Wards Collections (which many schools have). Students are provided with both hand specimens and thin sections. They also get a brief rock description - so this project can be done even if their mineral ID skills are not honed.
This is a lab activity - it requires a microscope. It is best done as a group project.

(Note: this resource was added to OER Commons as part of a batch upload of over 2,200 records. If you notice an issue with the quality of the metadata, please let us know by using the 'report' button and we will flag it for consideration.)

Students analyze the natural disaster threat and potential mitigation techniques of their (family) home.

(Note: this resource was added to OER Commons as part of a batch upload of over 2,200 records. If you notice an issue with the quality of the metadata, please let us know by using the 'report' button and we will flag it for consideration.)