This a semester long activity for students in a plate tectonics course will be read one (or two) geological journal articles every other week on the major topics covered in the course. Students will submit reading responses and there will be class discussions of each paper.

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In this activity, students create a geologic map and cross-section of the Fish Springs cinder cone and surrounding area in the Owens Valley, CA, using a high-resolution DEM developed from airborne lidar data as a base map. The primary features that students learn to recognize and map are normal faults, alluvial fans of different ages, and the cinder cone itself.

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Students use Google Earth to interpret aspects of the general bedrock geology and tectonic setting of the area around Nurek Reservoir in Tajikistan, evaluate reservoir induced seismicity associated with the reservoir, and evaluate the risk of slope failure.

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This lab helps students bring together their ability to describe and identify rocks and to push students to think about how the rocks formed based upon their understanding of the geological processes taking place at certain tectonic boundaries.

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This video features Dr. Gary Griggs, a scientist with the National Research Council, discussing predictions for sea-level rise on the West Coast states. The video includes effective visualizations and animations of the effects of plate tectonics and sea level rise on the West Coast.

This assignment is done by pairs of students in class after a short introductory lecture on divergent boundaries. Students work through the worksheet as it guides them towards more conceptually-difficult questions based on a map of the seafloor ages of the Atlantic Ocean. Students confront their misconceptions and come away with a more scientifically-correct understanding of the pattern of ages on the seafloor.

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Using actual earthquake data from the circum-Pacific region, students make predictions about where earthquakes should occur in the immediate future. Data are provided in the form of global earthquake locations over 30 year time spans from 1900â2015. Students form groups and use one map to predict where earthquakes should occur during the subsequent 30 year interval. Students then compare their predictions to actual earthquake locations.

This activity introduces students to using real-time data about earthquakes to make decisions.

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The stage is set for this exercise with a class period introducing semi-brittle deformation: What does it look like? How does it happen? Over what time/length scales does it occur? Distributing candy bars with nuts (brittle) and caramel (ductile) provides a tasty sense of semi-brittle deformation while chewing. The lab is done ideally in groups of 3-4 with each group responsible for performing experiments on one apparatus (distributed shear, localized shear, and pressure cell). Each experiment (described in the attached file) has setup, running, and cleanup phases. During the running phase, students in other groups are encouraged to view key moments in the experiment (e.g., propagation of fractures, modifying pore fluid pressure, seismic events). When the lab is completed, groups are scrambled so each group contains at least one student from each experiment. Students in newly formed groups collaborate to produce a lab report, containing abstract, introduction, methods, results, discussion, and conclusion sections.

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A set of maps, images and .kmz files for use in lectures and discussions on forearc serpentine volcanism in the Mariana subduction system.

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These are short exercises that allow students practice with concepts in Structural Geology, Tectonics, or Geophysics. (Many of them were designed with Eric Horsman.) The basic idea is to give students opportunities for frequent practice with difficult concepts, many of which require spatial visualization skills. These activities nearly always fit on a half-sheet of paper, and include a visual and verbal component. Instructors may use them for formative assessment or as group activities in class.

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Join NASA Astronaut, and geologist Dottie Metcalf-Lindenburger as she teaches you about plate tectonics using graham crackers and icing.

What do graham crackers and plate tectonics have in common? Find out with this hands on demo featuring NASA astronaut Drew Feustel.

Students will compare and contrast the different tectonic boundaries and use models to show tectonic boundaries

Students visit Drayton Hall historic plantation near Charleston, South Carolina and are led on a field trip that starts with a discussion of documented historic changes that have affected the mansion and the surrounding property. The field trip continues with a study of Native American artifacts and ends with analysis of coastal plain deposits exposed along the Ashley River. Students use paleogeographic maps to discuss both historic and prehistoric changes to the landscape. Back in the classroom, students gather data to draw paleogeographic maps of their own school site through geologic time.

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This workshop explores how designers might become as sensitive to space as they are to objects. Through a number of projects and precedent studies, architectural design is studied in relation to the Space Between. The design process is studied in reverse, considering space first and objects second. This is not to imply that objects are not important, but rather that space is equally important.

Structural geology is the study of processes and products of rock deformation. This course introduces the techniques of structural geology through a survey of the mechanics of rock deformation, a survey of the features and geometries of faults and folds, and techniques of strain analysis. Regional structural geology and tectonics are introduced. Class lectures are supplemented by lab exercises and demonstrations as well as field trips to local outcrops.

This exercise makes use of geologic maps, structure contour and cross-section problems, and three-point calculations to help students conceptualize three-dimensional spatial relationships of geologic structures, with applications to structural geology.

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This activity was inspired by the "Pet Rock" project of Daryl Henry. I developed this activity to be a capstone experience for our students. During the fall 4th year field trip, students are responsible for leading their field stop/project, and for collecting samples and measurements while at their stop. Students then analyze their samples/measurements as their term projects in the fall course. In the winter course the class compiles these field trip projects into their classes' field guide. Key Words: Field guide, tectonics, capstone

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While working in groups to facilitate peer tutoring, students manipulate a hands-on, physical model to better comprehend several characteristics of subduction zone earthquakes.

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