Using Google Earth to Analyze Structures in Southwest Utah

Julie Willis, Department of Geology, BYUI

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Summary

Southwest Utah straddles the transition from the Colorado Plateau to the Basin and Range physiographic province. This transition also coincides with the leading edge of the Late Cretaceous to early Tertiary Sevier orogeny. A 3-D Geologic Map of the St. George 30x60 Quadrangle is used in Google to analyze overprinted compressional and extensional structures within an important geologic transition.

Outcomes:
Increase student ability to
1. describe the occurrence and geometric characteristics of structures.
2. gain experience reading geologic maps.
3. collect, analyze, and display quantitative structural data.
4. gather regional kinematic and dynamic information from structures.
5. Summarize findings in a scientific analysis
6. work with others to organize data, analyses, figures, and conclusions into a scientific report.

Used this activity? Share your experiences and modifications

Context

Audience

Required undergraduate structural geology course

Skills and concepts that students must have mastered

These can be taught in context of the assignment but it is a good idea if they have some exposure to map reading, stereonets, rose diagrams, basic use of Google Earth, geometric analysis of structures, principal stress orientations, Anderson's fault theory

How the activity is situated in the course

It is a sequence of exercises that I use to help students complete fault, fold, and joint analyses in a problem-solving context. It is used in conjunction with teaching about dynamic and kinematic analyses.

Goals

Content/concepts goals for this activity

Geometric description of faults, folds, and joints
Kinematic analysis
Dynamic analysis

Higher order thinking skills goals for this activity

Collect and analyze data
Critically evaluate data
Synthesize data from different sources

Other skills goals for this activity

Create figures to display data using free software, write a data analysis, peer review others analyses, work with a group to complete a paper that synthesizes data gathered individually, analyze data in Google Earth

Description and Teaching Materials

Teaching Notes and Tips

I use this as a jigsaw activity, but it can easily be adapted so students do all of the analyses on their own or with a partner.

Everyone does the first analysis and I grade those assignments before they start working on their assigned structures.

I briefly meet with each student group and help them brainstorm ways to collect, organize and display their specific type of data.

Assessment

Assessed using the rubric on the last page of the assignment.

References and Resources