Study of the Horsepen Creek Stream System part of Activities
This is an in depth laboratory exercise that can be adapted to any stream system, and has been successfully implemented with classes composed primarily of non-majors. This field exercise allows students to go ...

Wind River Eco-Challenge: A Virtual Excursion Exercise for Introducing Topographic Maps part of Activities
This classroom activity simulates an eco-challenge course in the Wind River Mountains, which are close to our campus. Our goal is that students approach their recreational adventures more prepared than they would ...

Earthquakes part of Activities
This activity uses geoinformatics to understand the world around us with an emphasis on earthquakes.

Earthquake resistant design part of Activities
In groups of two, the students design and build a three-story building to be as earthquake resistant as possible. Using an in-house designed and built shaker table, we load each floor of the building based on area ...

Earthquake Machine Demonstration part of Activities
This classroom activity is a demonstration where students predict what will happen under various conditions. The "Earthquake Machine" shows relationships between stress, strain, friction along the fault ...

Using the local topo maps 'Louisville East and West Quads' part of Activities
This assignment is designed to test if the students have understood the past two preparatory assignments in introducing topographic maps. After two 'pre-lab' exercises and readings in what a topographic ...

Stream Table Lab part of Activities
This is a lab activity in which students play with a stream table to learn about stream processes, how water and sediment interact, and to learn about basic stream-related calculations.

Plotting Florida River Data Using Excel part of Activities
This exercise is used to prepare students to analyze data they will collect during their group project. It familiarizes students with previously collected data, and builds skills graphing and interpreting data.

Metropolitan Museum of Art: Earth Materials and Ancient Cultures part of Activities
Students investigate properties of earth materials through the lens of art and archeology. It allows ties to other required core curriculum courses (particularly classics and art history), and integrates the use of ...

Introduction to the Geographic Grid part of Activities
This exercise introduces students to the latitude-longitude geographic grid by interpreting data presented on a globe and in an atlas.

Cause of the Mogul, Nevada, Earthquake Swarm, Spring 2008 part of Activities
Students examine data from fault- and magma- related earthquakes and determine distinguishing characteristics. They then apply these criteria to determine the cause of the Mogul earthquake sequence (that most of ...

Metamorphic Rocks Lab part of Activities
Students describe rock characteristics and determine if a rock sample is metamorphic. If it is, they determine the parent rock. If not, they describe what it would change into as a metamorphic rock. The whole class ...

Navigation Unit part of Activities
This is a hands-on activity designed to teach basic land navigation skills using compass, GPS units and topographic maps. This unit relies heavily on math skills.

Coastal Management case study part of Activities
After being presented with lecture material on coastal processes and engineering structures, students have small group discussions of a case study on whether a terminal groin should be built on a barrier island on ...

Oil and Gas Exploration Project part of Activities
Students play the role of a geologist for an oil and gas exploration company. Given a budget and some basic geological information they are required to bid on leases, explore, drill, and hopefully produce at a ...

Article Review part of Activities
During the semester, students must complete two article reviews. They are required to summarize and critically evaluate a recent article pertaining to a topic in Earth Science. Articles may be chosen by the student ...

Playa-Lunette Systems: Environmental Barometers of the High Plains part of Activities
Part 1 - students answer questions based on assigned readings Part 2 - students answer questions based on topographic map analysis Part 3 - students create and interpret paleoclimate proxy record graphs

Soil Field Methods part of Activities
Students collect a soil profile using a bucket auger and then describe the profile in the field.

Mineral and Rock Identification part of Activities
Students are provided with a variety of rock and mineral samples and they use the sample properties and tables to accurately identify them.

Introduction to County Soil Surveys part of Activities
Students use the Natural Resources Conservation Service's county-level soil survey to answer a series of questions about the soils their campus has been built on.