A Percentage Stroll through Norris Geyser Basin, Yellowstone National Park

Module by: Tom Juster, University of South Florida

Cover Page by: Len Vacher and Denise Davis, University of South Florida


This material is replicated on a number of sites as part of the SERC Pedagogic Service Project

Summary

This Spreadsheets Across the Curriculum activity introduces Geology of National Parks students to hydrothermal features at Yellowstone National Park, where they are taken on a tour around the Norris Geyser Basin. At each of the six stops they do "on the fly math" mainly to make comparisons using percents and percentage differences. The module stresses the language of percents (e.g., the difference between "percent the size of" and "percent smaller than"). The module includes an explanation of the setting of hydrothermal features and what makes for the four different types (fumaroles, mud pots, hot springs and geysers).

This material is based upon work supported by the National Science Foundation under Grant Number NSF DUE-0836566. Any opinions, findings, and conclusions or recommendations expressed in this material are those of the author(s) and do not necessarily reflect the views of the National Science Foundation.

 

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Learning Goals

SSACgnp.GB1198.TCJ1.1-Slide 4

Students will:

 

  • Compare the height of Steamboat Geyser to other tall things, such as the Statue of Liberty and the largest living redwood tree. 
     
  • Calculate the hydrogen ion concentration at Echinus Geyser and compare it to other acidic liquids, such as vinegar and beer. 
     
  • Compare the height of Minute Geyser now to before the geyser became clogged with debris. 
     
  • Compare the water temperature at Black Growler Steam vent to other waters, such as at Old Faithful, Mammoth Hot Springs, and Morning Glory Pool. 
     
  • Explore geothermal gradients by comparing temperatures at depth at Norris Basin to surface temperature, and comparing the geothermal gradient at Yellowstone to that at Florida. 
     
  • Use percent differences to explore variability of discharge and water temperature at Tantalus Creek and to compare variability in temperature and pH of geysers, hot springs, fumaroles and mud pots of the Back Basin area of Norris Geyser Basin.

In the process the students will:

 

 

  • Get practice in using percent differences. 
     
  • Trouble themselves with translating words (i.e., percent difference) to mathematical calculations. 
     
  • Learn the four main types of hydrothermal features and the differences between them. 
     
  • Gain an appreciation of the magnificence of the fumaroles, mud pots, hot springs and geysers. 
     
  • Learn that debris can clog a geyser. 
     
  • Learn that monitoring is necessary - and (by one of the slides) inconvenient - to determine the variability of the hydrothermal activity at the park.

 

Context for Use

SSACgnp.GB1198.TCJ1.1-Slide 9

This module is designed for potential use in the Geology of National Parks service course at USF. The course is offered as an online course every semester. It includes readings from Parks and Plates, weekly quizzes based on that textbook, and weekly student activities designed to align the course with the University's general education requirements. This module is intended to be one of those activities, with the specific goal of meeting the gen-ed quantitative literacy dimension.

This module is one of four on Yellowstone NP, and one of three specifically on hydrothermal features. From least to most challenging, and most general to most specific, the order of the four modules is: (1) "Yellowstone! A National Park on a Hot Spot," (2) "A Percentage Stroll Through Norris Geyser Basin," (3) "Don't Mess with Old Faithful!" and (4) "Explore the Mean at Riverside Geyser."

 

Description and Teaching Materials

SSACgnp.GB1198.TCJ1.1-Slide 13

The module is a PowerPoint presentation with embedded spreadsheets. Click on the link below to download a copy of the module. 

Optimal results are achieved with Microsoft Office 2007 or later; the module will function in earlier versions with slight cosmetic compromises. If the embedded spreadsheets are not visible, save the PowerPoint file to disk and open it from there.

The above PowerPoint presentation file is the student version of the module. It includes a template for students to use to complete the spreadsheet(s) and answer the end-of-module questions, and then turn in for grading. 

An instructor version is available by request. The instructor version includes the completed spreadsheet. Send your request to Len Vacher (vacher@usf.edu) by filling out and submitting the Instructor Module Request Form.

Teaching Notes and Tips

The module is constructed to be a stand-alone resource. It can be used as a homework assignment, lab activity, or as the basis of an interactive classroom activity. It was used early in the semester as an out-of-class activity in Computational Geology (a QL course for geology majors) in Fall 2010 and Fall 2011. Students considered the module to be elementary compared to other modules that came later in the semester. It has not been implemented yet in the introductory-level Geology of National Parks course.

 

 

Assessment

 

There is a slide at the end of the presentation that contains end-of-module questions. The end-of-module questions can be used to examine student understanding and learning gains from the module. Pre/post test, pre/post test answer key, and answer key for end-of-module questions are at the end of the instructor version of the module.

References and Resources

Yellowstone National Park Research Coordination Network

US National Park Service (NPS)