Margin Morphology: Does Form Follow Function? part of MARGINS Data in the Classroom:MARGINS Mini-Lessons
Students will use GeoMapApp to investigate variations in the geomorphology of continental margins â both Passive and Active â at various sites of the North American and South American continents. They will ...

A paleobiogeography exercise part of Cutting Edge:Paleontology:Activities
In this exercise, students are guided through a quantitative comparison of taxonomically distinct Jurassic Ammonite faunas from five different accreted terranes in western North America, and a similar evaluation of ...

A tour of the Mariana Subduction System part of MARGINS Data in the Classroom:MARGINS Mini-Lessons
This lesson presents a brief tour of the Mariana subduction system, an active continental margin in the west Pacific.

Bragg's Law part of Activities
Diamond Anvil Cell

Tomography? How do we know what is below our feet? part of Activities
A short Powerpoint presentation that introduces seismic topography to begin understanding how scientists infer the interior of the earth. Followed with a crossword puzzle to encourage vocabulary.

What Can (and Cannot) Be Learned from Scientific Drilling Using Examples from Margins Initiatives part of MARGINS Data in the Classroom:MARGINS Mini-Lessons
This is a lecture segment that could be introduced to an introductory geoscience class to help explain and demonstrate what can and cannot be found out by scientific drilling.

Oceans: Sample Socratic Questions part of Starting Point-Teaching Entry Level Geoscience:Socratic Questioning:Examples
Oceans Socratic questions and answers. -

The Earths Shells - Thicknesses and Densities part of Quantitative Skills:Activity Collection
This module explores the combination of densities and shell thicknesses that produce an aggregate density of the Earth of 5.5 g/cm3.

Early Emersion: A Sophomore Level Field Project-Based Core Course in Geology part of Cutting Edge:Geoscience in the Field:Field Experiences:Posters
Field Geology is an investigative course conducted in the field and computer laboratory without formal exams. The field excursions challenge groups of students to apply understanding to new or unknown geologic ...

AREC: model for enhancing Science literacy using field geology part of Cutting Edge:Geoscience in the Field:Field Experiences:Posters
This course enhances science literacy by emphasizing the repeated practice of making observations, posing questions & developing hypotheses around a narrowly focused aspect of Minnesota Geology. Students ...

A Geologic Walk Down the Grand Staircase part of Cutting Edge:Geoscience in the Field:Field Experiences:Posters
This is a 10-day field experience class that focuses on the geology of the Grand Staircase of the Colorado Plateau, culminating in a rim-to-rim backpack trip across the Grand Canyon, Arizona.

Question of the Day: The Structure of the Earth part of Starting Point-Teaching Entry Level Geoscience:Interactive Lectures:Question of the Day
On the cross-section diagram below, label: Crust. Mantle. Lithosphere. Asthenosphere. The depth to the boundaries between each of the above specified layers. The direction of lithospheric motion. Where you would ...

Question of the Day: Plate Boundary Characteristics part of Starting Point-Teaching Entry Level Geoscience:Interactive Lectures:Question of the Day
What kind of plate tectonic process or boundary would you expect if you find a seafloor region with: 1. A long, narrow linear or gently curving deep valley, earthquakes to depths of several hundred km, and ...

Question of the Day: Making a Scientific Argument part of Starting Point-Teaching Entry Level Geoscience:Interactive Lectures:Question of the Day
A scientific argument must persuade the reader that the data you present, and your arguments are strong enough, to support your theory, model, or proposed action. The effective writer will make it easy for the ...

Gallery Walk Questions about Volcanism part of Starting Point-Teaching Entry Level Geoscience:Gallery Walks:Examples
created by Mark Francek, Central Michigan University The following are potential questions that could be used in a gallery walk activity about volcanism. The questions are organized according to the cognitive ...

Driving Through Geologic Time part of Quantitative Skills:Activity Collection
An analogy of the Earth's history to a cross-country drive.

Geology Map Observations part of NAGT:Teaching Resources:Teaching Materials Collection
Students construct the Earth's tectonic plates using geologic maps. The jigsaw method of collaborative group work is used. Skills such as careful observation, presentation, and synthesis are used to create a ...

Field Guide to the Mountain View and West Fork Areas, Stillwater Complex, Montana part of Integrating Research and Education:Montana-Yellowstone Geologic Field Guide Database:MT Field Guides
The Mountain View area of the Stillwater Complex, which is exposed on the west side of the Stillwater River valley, contains a well exposed, easily accessible section through the Ultramafic series. In this area the ultramafic cumulates have, for the most part, escaped the serpentinization common in other parts of the complex. The Basal series rocks and the lowermost ultramafic cumulates, however, have suffereed extensive alteration. The hornfels and the sill/dike complex are reasonably fresh and well exposed in the Verdigris Creek area, the site of intensive exploration for Cu/Ni sulfides. The Banded series rocks are well exposed along the mine road leading to the abandoned Mouat chromite mine, although only Lower Banded series cumulates are present in this area.

Field Guide to an Archean Transect, Eastern Beartooth Mountains, Montana-Wyoming part of Integrating Research and Education:Montana-Yellowstone Geologic Field Guide Database:MT Field Guides
The eastern Beartooth Mountains of Montana and Wyoming contain a record of crustal evolution that spans almost 1000 Ma and culminates in a major episode of crustal growth 2700-2800 Ma. The earlier record is sparse and complex as a result of extensive magmatism and intense metamorphism associated with Late Archean activity. In general, however, it appears that continental material was present in this area by roughly 3600 Ma, and that a stable continental shelf accumulated quartzites, iron-formation, and lesser amounts of pelitic to psammitic units interspersed with small volumes of mafic to silicic volcanic rocks. This cycle of accumulation was apparently terminated by an episode of granulite facies metamorphism 3300-3400 Ma, perhaps as a result of continent-continent collision....About 2800-2900 Ma, a second major cycle of crustal growth began that bears some resemblance to those associated with modern continent-ocean subduction zones....The first igneous rocks produced during this cycle were andesitic or dioritic rocks, both coarse and fine grained, that were subsequently metamorphosed to amphibolite facies....This interval is restricted by the presence of a granodioritic series (Long Lake granodiorite) that was intruded late in the kinematic cycle... (2779 Ma)...and marks the lower limit for the last major episode of regional metamorphism. The last and most volumetrically important rock produced during the cycle was the Long Lake granite. This unit composes approximately 80-90% of the eastern portion of the range and engulfs all older rock types. It appears to have been intruded about 2740 Ma....This excursion will attempt to view the evidence of these two major cycles in four main stops: (1) Hellroaring Plateau, (2) Lower Quad Creek, (3) Upper Quad Creek, and (4) Long Lake. Late Archean mafic dikes (at Beartooth Lake) will also be examined.

Heart Mountain Detachment Fault and Clastic Dikes of Fault Breccia, and Heart Mountain Break-Away Fault, Wyoming and Montana part of Integrating Research and Education:Montana-Yellowstone Geologic Field Guide Database:MT Field Guides
This field guide describes the geology of two sites near Silver Gate, MT (near Cooke City) where different features related to the Heart Mountain detachment are displayed. At the first site, several features pertaining to the origin of the Heart Mountain detachment fault can be examined, including: (1) severely deformed upper plate rocks in contact with undeformed lower plate rocks; (2) the character and composition of the fault breccia; (3) contacts of volcanic rocks with upper plate blocks and the Heart Mountain fault; and (4) dikes of carbonate fault-breccia injected into both upper plate blocks and overlying volcanic rocks. The second site is an exposure of the Heart Mountain break-away fault.