Simulation of international negotiations to reduce greenhouse gas emissions part of Cutting Edge:Climate Change:Activities
In order to convey how the international community is responding to climate change, students engage in a simulation of the international negotiation process. Participants learn first hand the interests of different ...

Maps, Folds, Stereonets, and Simple Fabric Analysis part of Cutting Edge:Structural Geology:Activities
This analysis involves analyzing structures shown on beautiful, rich, detailed, and well-prepared outcrop bedrock geology of a real region. Students construct a number of stereonets step-by-step, and the map-scale ...

Understanding the Carbon Cycle: A Jigsaw Approach part of Cutting Edge:Climate Change:Activities
In this "jigsaw" exercise, each student is assigned one of five geochemical processes in the carbon cycle to research, fully understand, and then explain to others in groups of five. At the end of class ...

Density, Buoyancy and Convection part of Teacher Preparation:Resource Collections:Activities
This 3-hour hands-on guided-discovery lab activity teaches students the concepts of density, buoyancy, thermal expansion and convection.

Earthquake Location part of Cutting Edge:Geophysics:Workshop 07:Geophysics Activities
Earthquake location is an interesting and significant aspect of seismology. A number of methods that vary from simple to complex are available for learning about earthquake location. The methods also allow ...

Scorpions as Seismologists part of Cutting Edge:Geophysics:Workshop 07:Geophysics Activities
Students investigate how seismologists and scorpions use wave travel times to locate sources of movement. The primary strength of this exercise is that it links geophysics and biology to enhance interest for ...

Earthquake! A Term Paper and Presentation Assignment part of Cutting Edge:Geophysics:Workshop 07:Geophysics Activities
In this writing and oral presentaion assignment, students are challenged to assess a building site for a fictitious organization, the Society for Earthquake Enthusiasts. Each student must choose a historically ...

Equation Dictionary part of Cutting Edge:Geophysics:Workshop 07:Geophysics Activities
The equation dictionary is an expansion of the traditional notecard that students bring to equation-based tests. It requires them to provide a prose explanation for the processes described by an equation as well as ...

Concept puzzles about geophysical methods part of Cutting Edge:Geophysics:Workshop 07:Geophysics Activities
These exercises can be used in class to insure students have a firm grasp on the concepts behind a variety of geophysical techniques and can take anywhere between 10-45 minutes.

Izmit Earthquake part of Cutting Edge:Geophysics:Workshop 07:Geophysics Activities
This lab allows students to analyze earthquake seismicity from the North Anatolian fault using a variety of methods.

What is Magnitude? Earthquake Magnitude By Analogy part of Cutting Edge:Geophysics:Workshop 07:Geophysics Activities
Understanding magnitude scales by analogy to distance. Students use distance as a proxy for understanding how the logarithmic earthquake magnitude scale works. Very simple class or lab exercise for introductory ...

Earth Motion Monitor part of Cutting Edge:Geophysics:Workshop 07:Geophysics Activities
An activity based around the display near real-time seismograms in the classroom.

T-X Phase Diagrams part of Cutting Edge:Petrology:Teaching Examples
This is a 15 page tutorial and problem set designed to get students familiar with T-X diagrams, their implications, and uses.

Google Earth Tours of Glacier Change part of Cutting Edge:Climate Change:Activities
A detailed Google Earth tour of glacier change over the last 50 years is given in class as an introduction. Students are then asked to select from a group of glaciers and create their own Google Earth tour ...

Schreinemakers Analysis - Problem #3: Analysis of an Invariant Point part of Cutting Edge:Petrology:Teaching Examples
This is a challenging Schreinemakers analysis problem.

Hotspot Lesson: Final Project part of ERESE:ERESE Activities
Students form groups to work on a assigned hotspot chain. Each group gets to study a seamount trail from around the world and needs to present 15 slides that each have 3 main points and one nice graphical illustration or image.

The Heat is On: Understanding Local Climate Change part of Cutting Edge:Visualization:Examples
Students draw conclusions about the extent to which multiple decades of temperature data about Phoenix suggest that a shift in local climate is taking place as opposed to exhibiting nothing more than natural ...

River Flooding and Erosion part of Cutting Edge:Urban Geology:Activities
Students take a real-life situation (river flooding and erosion), use real flood and map data, and make predictions and recommendations as to what to do to help alleviate the problem.

A Term-Long Mineralogy Lab Practical Exam part of Cutting Edge:Mineralogy:Activities
This term-long project involves identifying a set of 65 mineral hand samples by their distinguishing characteristics.

Calculating Compositional Variation and Common Substitutions for Igneous and Metamorphic Minerals part of Cutting Edge:Petrology:Teaching Examples
This problem set uses Excel spreadsheets to calculate mineral formulae from analytical data (typically from the electron microprobe) using a variety of formulations that assume numerous variations of crystal ...