Classroom, Lab and Field Exercises in Geophysics
This collection of teaching materials allows for the sharing of ideas and activities within the community of geophysics teachers.
Do you have a favorite teaching activity you'd like to share? Add your teaching materials to the collection, using our submission tool.
Subject: Geophysics
Results 1 - 20 of 435 matches
SIGkit (Software for Introductory Geophysics toolkit) for modelling and visualization of data part of Workshop 07: Activities
Charly Bank, University of Toronto
Predicting what geophysical data may look like and making basic inferences from data are critical learning outcomes of introductory geophysics courses whether they happen in a classroom or in a field setting. This ...
Earthquake Epicenter Location Exercise using Google Earth and OneNote part of Workshop 07: Activities
Jeffrey Nunn, Louisiana State University
Students are provided with data from 4 seismograms which are used to plot the epicenter of an earthquake using OneNote to pick the P-S wave arrival gap and Google Earth to plot the circles which intersect at the ...
Seismic refraction exercise for a hydrogeology course part of Workshop 07: Activities
Devin Castendyk, SUNY College at Oneonta
This problem has students analyze seismic refraction data to determine the depth to the water table and stratigraphy. Simple, useful, and gratifying.
SeisMac Seismogram Modeling part of Workshop 07: Activities
Michael Wysession, Washington University in St. Louis
Use the freely-downloaded "SeisMac" program on a Mac laptop to demonstrated the differences between P, S, Rayleigh and Love waves. SeisMac is a free program that instantly turns a Mac laptop into a ...
Trans-California Seismic Profile Analysis part of Workshop 07: Activities
Magali Billen, University of California-Davis
Homework assignment focused on identifying seismic arrivals and determining layer thickness and velocity using real-world data from a published article.
In-situ Density from Gravity by Nettleton part of Workshop 07: Activities
Scott White, University of South Carolina-Columbia
This activity develops students' understanding of gravity data corrections and density estimates by using a gravimeter to collect data and then interpret this data to find an estimate for the local bulk ...
Concept puzzles about geophysical methods part of Workshop 07: Activities
Sarah Titus, Carleton College
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.
Finding the Moho part of Workshop 07: Activities
Stephen Boss, University of Arkansas Main Campus
This lab activity uses the Rapid Earthquake Viewer (on on-line seismogram viewer),spreadsheet software, and students' knowledge of seismic refraction principles to recapitulate Mohorovicic's classic ...
Wysocki Farm Refraction Project part of Workshop 07: Activities
Laurie Brown, University of Massachusetts-Amherst
Wysocki Farm refraction project is a lab activity to determine depth to the water table and to bedrock using given seismic refraction data collected on the campus of the University of Massachusetts. Seven shots ...
Interseismic deformation: Crustal deformation between large earthquakes part of Workshop 07: Activities
SHIMON WDOWINSKI, Florida International University
This assignment is based on real geodetic data measured in central California across the San Andreas Fault. It will get the students acquainted with geodetic observations, basic data analysis methods, and ...
Earthquake! A Term Paper and Presentation Assignment part of Workshop 07: Activities
Laura Wetzel, Eckerd College
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 Workshop 07: Activities
Jackie Caplan-Auerbach, Western Washington University
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 ...
Scorpions as Seismologists part of Workshop 07: Activities
Laura Wetzel, Eckerd College
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 ...
What is Magnitude? Earthquake Magnitude By Analogy part of Workshop 07: Activities
Scott White, University of South Carolina-Columbia
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 ...
Earthquake Location part of Workshop 07: Activities
Larry Braile, Purdue University-Main Campus
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 ...
Using Geophysical Field Studies as the Focus for Problem-Based Learning (PBL) in an Introductory Geophysics Course part of Workshop 07: Activities
Paul Kelso, Lake Superior State University
Using field geophysics projects as the focus of problem based learning activities in an introductory geophysics course provides students with the opportunity to work and think as geophysicists. Students are ...
Interpretation of plate boundaries from topography, bathymetry, volcanoes, and earthquake focal depths using Google Earth and OneNote part of Workshop 07: Activities
Jeffrey Nunn, Louisiana State University
Students are provided with data on topography, bathymetry, locations of earthquakes and volcanoes and earthquake focal depths in Google Earth. They are asked to plot a cross-section of topography/bathymetry and ...
Density structure of the earth from mass and moment of inertia part of Workshop 07: Activities
Donald Forsyth, Brown University
Using mass and moment of inertia as constraints, students construct density models of the whole earth. This activity uses concepts from physics, multi-dimensional calculus, and linear algebra, and also reinforces ...
Well Logs part of Workshop 07: Activities
Kevin Brewer, Olivet Nazarene University
This lab is an exercise focused on wells and well logs. In it, the student will examine four well logs, correlate major unit boundaries, and construct three figures: a cross-section diagram, a structure map, and an ...
Find the UST with GPR part of Workshop 07: Activities
William Montgomery, New Jersey City University
Field-based activity that uses GPR to find an underground storage tank (UST). Optionally, data provided with the activity enables lab or class use as well. Activity can be enhanced with use of GPS unit that takes ...