Laura Wetzel

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 non-geology majors.

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 significant earthquake, determine the likelihood of another deadly earthquake at the site in his or her lifetime, and persuade the Society to build or not to build their new headquarters at that location. The primary strength of this exercise is that it extends throughout the semester, with a letter proposing a site due early in the semester, a historical background paper due mid-semester, and a final report and oral presentation due at the end of the semester.

What Kind of Continental Margin am I? Active or Passive? part of MARGINS Data in the Classroom:MARGINS Mini-Lessons
Volcanoes, earthquakes, and topography reveal whether a continental margin is active or passive. In this activity, students use the GeoMapApp tool to work with earthquake, volcano, and topographic data to identify active and passive margins.

Profiling Earth's Surface using GeoMapApp part of MARGINS Data in the Classroom:MARGINS Mini-Lessons
In this exercise, students relate large-scale features on Earth's surface to lithospheric plates, the underlying asthenosphere, earthquakes, and volcanoes. After creating a cross section showing elevation using GeoMapApp, students add additional features by hand.

News Flash: MARGINS Discovery Student Presentations part of MARGINS Data in the Classroom:MARGINS Mini-Lessons
Each student interprets one MARGINS study that he/she finds particularly interesting, describing the study in a two to four minute oral presentation in class. Students may present one, and only one, visual aid as an overhead or PowerPoint figure. Students are directed to approach this presentation as a "news flash," a feature presentation made on an evening news program.

Earthquake Magnitude: How Can We Compare the Sizes of Earthquakes? part of Spreadsheets Across the Curriculum:General Collection:Examples
Spreadsheets Across the Curriculum module. Students build spreadsheets to tabulate and graph seismic wave amplitude and energy release to explore the logarithmic scale of earthquake magnitude.

Solid Earth Geophysics part of Cutting Edge:Course Design:Goals Database
An introduction to the quantitative analysis of Earth structure and plate tectonics using earthquake seismology, seismic reflection and refraction, gravity, magnetics, and heat flow.

Is It a Mineral? part of Starting Point-Teaching Entry Level Geoscience:First Day of Class:Activities
Laura Wetzel, Eckerd College Course: Earth Materials 15 to 20 students Students are more likely to remember a definition when they have struggled to figure it out, first. The Activity I give six or seven objects to ...