Educational Materials

Unit 4: Measuring Ice Mass Changes: Vertical Bedrock GPS
This unit shows how GPS records of bedrock surface elevation may be used to monitor snow and ice loading/unloading on decadal and annual time scales. Students calculate secular trends in the GPS time series and ...

Subject: Environmental Science:Global Change and Climate:Climate Change, Geoscience:Geology:Geophysics, Geophysics:Geodesy, Geoscience:Atmospheric Science:Climate Change
Resource Type: Course Module, Activities
Grade Level: College Upper (15-16)
Quantitative Skills: Probability and Statistics:Data Trends:Curve Fitting/Regression, Spreadsheets, Graphs, Algebra, Problem Solving:Equations
EarthScope Geophysics Data: Geophysics Data: Data:GPS/GNSS, Geophysics GPS/GNSS
Collection Source: GETSI

Unit 2: Monitoring surface and groundwater supply in central and western US
In Unit 2, students learn how the techniques for water budgeting (covered in Unit 1) can be used to monitor both groundwater (High Plains Aquifer) and surface water (western mountain watershed) systems. Students ...

Subject: Geoscience:Hydrology, Environmental Science:Water Quality and Quantity:Surface Water , Geoscience:Hydrology:Surface Water:Water Management and Policy, Geoscience:Geology:Environmental Geology, Geophysics:Geodesy, Gravity, Environmental Science:Water Quality and Quantity:Groundwater , Water Conservation, Environmental Science:Natural Hazards:Extreme Weather:Drought, Environmental Science, Sustainability, Land Use and Planning, Water Quality and Quantity, Geoscience:Atmospheric Science:Meteorology:Extreme weather, Geoscience:Hydrology:Ground Water:Water supply/water resource evaluation
Resource Type: Activities, Course Module
Grade Level: College Lower (13-14):College Introductory, College Lower (13-14)
Quantitative Skills: Graphs, Geometry and Trigonometry:Cubes and Rectangular Solids, Algebra, Spreadsheets, Units and Unit Conversions, Problem Solving:Equations
EarthScope Geophysics Data: Geophysics Data: Geophysics Data:GPS/GNSS, Data:GPS/GNSS, Geophysics Gravity
Collection Source: GETSI

Unit 5: 2014 South Napa Earthquake and GPS strain
The 2014 South Napa earthquake was the first large earthquake (Mag 6) to occur within the Plate Boundary Observatory GPS network (now Network of the Americas- NOTA) since installation. It provides an excellent ...

Subject: Geoscience:Geology:Structural Geology:Folds/Faults/Ductile Shear Zones, Geoscience:Geology:Geophysics:Seismology, Geodynamics, Geodesy, Geoscience:Geology:Structural Geology:Stress/Strain/Strain Analysis, Regional Structural/Tectonic Activity, Environmental Science:Natural Hazards:Earthquakes, Geoscience:Geology:Environmental Geology, Tectonics, Structural Geology:Geophysics and Structural Geology, Geography:Geospatial, Physical
Resource Type: Activities, Course Module
Grade Level: College Upper (15-16)
Quantitative Skills: Algebra, Vectors and Matrices, Geometry and Trigonometry, Graphs, Spreadsheets, Arithmetic/Computation, Problem Solving:Equations
EarthScope Geophysics Data: Geophysics Data: Data:GPS/GNSS, Geophysics GPS/GNSS
Collection Source: GETSI

Unit 4: GPS and infinitesimal strain analysis
Students work with GPS velocity data from three stations in the same region that form an acute triangle. By investigating how the ellipse inscribed within this triangle deforms, students learn about strain, strain ...

Subject: Geoscience:Geology:Structural Geology:Folds/Faults/Ductile Shear Zones, Stress/Strain/Strain Analysis, Structural Visualizations, Geoscience:Geology:Geophysics:Geodynamics, Geography:Geospatial, Geoscience:Geology:Structural Geology:Regional Structural/Tectonic Activity, Geoscience:Geology:Geomorphology:GIS/Mapping/Field Techniques, Physics:General Physics:Vector Algebra, Environmental Science:Natural Hazards:Earthquakes, Geoscience:Geology:Tectonics, Geomorphology:Landscape Evolution, Geography:Physical, Geoscience:Geology:Geophysics:Geodesy
Resource Type: Activities, Course Module
Grade Level: College Upper (15-16)
Quantitative Skills: Arithmetic/Computation, Spreadsheets, Algebra, Problem Solving:Equations, Vectors and Matrices, Geometry and Trigonometry
EarthScope Geophysics Data: Geophysics Data: Data:GPS/GNSS, Geophysics GPS/GNSS
Collection Source: GETSI

Unit 6: Applying GPS strain and earthquake hazard analyses to different regions
Students select their own set of three stations in an area of interest to them, conduct a strain analysis of the area between the stations, and tie the findings to regional tectonics and societal impacts in a 5–7 ...

Subject: Geoscience:Geology:Structural Geology:Structural Visualizations, Stress/Strain/Strain Analysis, Geoscience:Geology:Geophysics:Seismology, Geodynamics, Geodesy, Geoscience:Geology:Structural Geology:Regional Structural/Tectonic Activity, Geophysics and Structural Geology, Environmental Science:Natural Hazards:Earthquakes, Physics:General Physics:Vector Algebra, Geoscience:Geology:Environmental Geology, Tectonics, Geomorphology:Landscape Evolution, Geography:Geospatial, Physical
Resource Type: Activities, Course Module
Grade Level: College Upper (15-16)
Quantitative Skills: Algebra, Vectors and Matrices, Graphs, Geometry and Trigonometry, Spreadsheets, Arithmetic/Computation
EarthScope Geophysics Data: Geophysics Data: Geophysics Data:GPS/GNSS, Data:GPS/GNSS
Collection Source: GETSI

Unit 3: Getting started with GPS data
This unit provides essential background information on GPS (global positioning system) and reference frames. Students learn how to access GPS location and velocity data from the Network of the Americas (NOTA). They ...

Subject: Geoscience:Geology:Structural Geology:Regional Structural/Tectonic Activity, Stress/Strain/Strain Analysis, Geography:Geospatial, Geoscience:Geology:Geophysics:Geodesy, Physics:General Physics:Vector Algebra, Geoscience:Geology:Tectonics, Geography:Physical
Resource Type: Course Module, Activities
Grade Level: College Upper (15-16)
Quantitative Skills: Probability and Statistics:Data Trends, Vectors and Matrices, Arithmetic/Computation, Algebra, Problem Solving:Equations, Graphs
EarthScope Geophysics Data: Geophysics Data: Data, Geophysics GPS/GNSS, Geophysics Data, Data:GPS/GNSS
Collection Source: GETSI

Unit 3: Channel Capacity and Manning's Equation
A flood occurs when the flow rate in a river exceeds the capacity of a channel to transmit water downstream within its banks. How much water can a channel transmit? Answering this question requires measurements of ...

Subject: Geoscience:Geology:Geophysics:Geodesy
Resource Type: Course Module, Activities
Grade Level: College Lower (13-14), College Introductory
Quantitative Skills: Differential Equations and Integrals, Problem Solving:Equations, Spreadsheets, Geometry and Trigonometry:Other plane figures, Logarithms/Exponential Functions:Exponential Growth and Decay, Algebra, Graphs
EarthScope Geophysics Data: Geophysics Data: Geophysics Data:GPS/GNSS, Lidar, Data:GPS/GNSS
Collection Source: GETSI

Unit 3: Yellowstone is active, but will it erupt?
An eruption at Yellowstone could have devastating effects on large areas of the United States and Canada, but what is the likelihood of such an eruption occurring? This unit has students explore seismic data for ...

Subject: Geoscience:Geology:Geophysics:Geodesy, Seismology
Resource Type: Activities, Course Module
Grade Level: College Lower (13-14):College Introductory, College Lower (13-14)
Quantitative Skills: Problem Solving:Equations, Algebra, Graphs
EarthScope Geophysics Data: Geophysics Data: Geophysics Data:InSAR, GPS/GNSS, Data:GPS/GNSS, Seismic, Geophysics Seismic
Collection Source: GETSI