Sediments and the Global Carbon Cycle part of Activities
Lonnie Leithold, North Carolina State University at Raleigh
This is a series of exercises designed to introduce undergraduate students to the role of sediments and sedimentary rocks in the global carbon cycle and the use of stable carbon isotopes to reconstruct ancient ...

Using Real Data from Ice Cores and Salt Cores to Interpret Paleoclimate part of Activities
Kathy Benison, Central Michigan University
The goals of this project are to engage sedimentary geology students in critical thinking about global warming. I present information about how ice cores and halite cores record past temperature data. Then, ...

Cementation and Neomorphism: Incorporating the Basics of Diagenesis into Any Sedimentary Geology Course part of Activities
Kathy Benison, Central Michigan University
Diagenesis is an important sedimentary process and undergraduate students greatly benefit from learning how to recognize and interpret common diagenetic features. This can be accomplished with a two to three week ...

Deriving bedform phase diagrams part of Activities
Tom Hickson, University of St. Thomas
Students derive bedform phase diagrams from Middleton and Southard (1984) by plotting the original data (stolen using DataThief software from the publication) in Excel and defining bedform field boundaries. These ...

Growing Salt: An Independent Course Research Project Investigating Chemical Sediments part of Activities
Kathy Benison, Central Michigan University
In this assignment, students design, implement, and report on their own mini-research project involving the growth of salts. This gives students practical research experience, as well a better understanding of how ...

Chemical and Physical Weathering Field and Lab Experiment: Development and Testing of Hypotheses part of Activities
Lisa Greer, Washington and Lee University
This exercise combines an integrated field and laboratory experiment with a significant scientific writing assignment to address chemical and physical weathering processes via hypothesis development, experimental ...

New Approaches to field-based analysis of stratigraphic sections part of Activities
Paul Myrow, Colorado College
This is a field-based project that is designed to teach students how to interpret processes of deposition and paleoenvironments from outcrop.

Turbidite vs. Debris Flow: A Class Debate on Deep Water Depositional Systems part of Activities
Bosiljka Glumac, Smith College
Debates are a powerful tool for learning and active involvement of students: instead of listening to a lecture on deep water depositional systems the students examine primary literature and debate controversial ...

Sedimentation and Tectonics: Geologic History of the Appalachian Basin part of Activities
Bosiljka Glumac, Smith College
This culminating mini-project challenges students to utilize all the skills and knowledge acquired throughout the semester, thus effectively reviewing and summarizing many key concepts linking sedimentation and ...

Designing Sedimentary Geology Courses Around Field Projects With Realistic Scenarios part of Activities
Bosiljka Glumac, Smith College
Sedimentary geology courses can be structured around field projects that take advantage of the local geology and are placed within realistic situations to demonstrate the relevance of the work that sedimentologists ...

Identifying Facies in a Transgressive Sequence from the Mid-Atlantic Coast part of Activities
David Krantz, University of Toledo
The transgressive coastal sequence will be explored by students in an activity based on high-resolution seismic profiles collected off Assateague Island, Maryland and Virginia.

Demystifying the Equations of Sedimentary Geology part of Activities
Larry Lemke, Wayne State University
This activity includes three strategies to help students develop a deeper comfort level and stronger intuitive sense for understanding mathematical expressions commonly encountered in sedimentary geology. Each can ...

Use of a Lab-Field Couplet to Link Rock Classification and Facies Interpretation part of Activities
Allison Tumarkin-Deratzian, Temple University
Students examine hand samples in the lab, then describe formations and interpret facies succession at a local outcrop. Linked lab and field components doubly reinforce understanding of course concepts.

Designing a sedimentary geology course around field-based class projects that yield publishable research part of Activities
James Ebert, SUNY College at Oneonta
Field-based research projects can be the heart of a course in sedimentary geology. Course content, organization, readings and laboratory experiences are dictated by the nature of the specific project. Less content ...

Density-modified flow part of Activities
James Trexler, University of Nevada-Reno
Students study and experiment with the effects of slope and denisty differences on density-modified currents, flowing in fresh water.

Pre-assessment: Gauging students' preparedness for Sedimentary Geology part of Activities
Larry Lemke, Wayne State University
This activity presents a process for assessing (1) students' educational background and field experience related to sedimentary geology, and (2) students' familiarity with selected concepts and ...

Where Did That Quartzite Clast Come From?: A Problem-Based Provenance Study part of Activities
Andrew Hanson, University of Nevada-Las Vegas
Students conducting geochemical provenance studies are forced to deal with obvious things such as manipulating/interpreting geochemical data, but also must deal less obvious factors such as considering earlier ...

Use of an inquiry approach for exploring relationships between small stream dynamics, channel geometry, and bedform movement part of Activities
Kerry Keen, University of Wisconsin-River Falls
This group activity allows students to identify questions in the field on an actual physical system (in this case a small sand and gravel bed stream), then design experiments to answer their own questions. The ...

Increasing the Effectiveness of Undergraduate Field Camp Through the Integration of Preparatory Courses part of Activities
Bill Little, Brigham Young University-Idaho
Four courses; Introduction to Field Geology, Sedimentology & Stratigraphy, Structural Geology, and Advanced Field Methods have been linked to optimize use of time at field camp.

Subsurface sequence stratigraphic correlation using well logs part of Activities
M. Royhan Gani, University of New Orleans
Subsurface well logs (gamma and resistivity) are used to construct a cross section based on sequence stratigraphic principles. In this assignment, students will learn how to correlate well logs applying basic ...