Old Sticks in the Mud: Hazards of Lahars from Mount Rainier Volcano part of Curriculum for the Bioregion:Activities
Patrick Pringle, Centralia College
Volcanic debris flows (lahars) flow long distances, bury and aggrade river valleys, and cause long-term stream disturbances and dramatic landscape changes. Students will evaluate the nature, scale, and history of ...

Tectonics of Fiction part of Structural Geology and Tectonics:Structure, Geophysics, and Tectonics 2012:Activities
Kyle Fredrick, Pennsylvania Western University - California
This writing project of our Tectonics course is assigned at the start of the semester and due near the end. It is a group project that encourages creativity, cooperation, and synthesis of an entire ...

Igneous Rocks Research Project part of Teaching Examples
Sarah Carmichael, Appalachian State University
Students work in groups to design a research project on a local igneous rock unit. Students are responsible for project design, sample collection, data collection and analysis, and collaborative writing involving ...

Student Field Guide part of Structural Geology and Tectonics:Structure, Geophysics, and Tectonics 2012:Activities
Katherine Boggs, Mount Royal University
This activity was inspired by the "Pet Rock" project of Daryl Henry. I developed this activity to be a capstone experience for our students. During the fall 4th year field trip, students are responsible ...

Petrographic Problem Solving Assignments part of Teaching Examples
Jeffrey Templeton, Western Oregon University
Petrographic problem-solving (PPS) assignments are a series of mini-projects in which students conduct two-week scientific investigations on thin sections and hand samples selected by the instructor. For each PPS ...

Pet Rock Project: A Semester-long Exercise for Igneous and Metamorphic Petrology part of Teaching Examples
Darrell Henry, Louisiana State University
The pet rock project is a semester-long project in which each student randomly selects an igneous or metamorphic rock from the instructor or brings in a rock from an appropriate locality, and follows all of the ...

Volcanoes Writing Assignment part of Introductory Courses:Activities
Julie Baldwin, University of Montana
Students write an original work of fiction pertaining to the geology of stratovolcanoes and their eruptive hazards.

Weathering of Igneous, Metamorphic, and Sedimentary Rocks in a Semi-Arid Climate - An Engineering Application of Petrology part of Teaching Examples
Wendy Harrison, National Science Foundation; Ric Wendlandt, Colorado School of Mines
Students examine soils developed on igneous, metamorphic, and sedimentary rocks near Denver, Colorado. The 2-week exercise includes sample collection, description, and preparation, determining clay mineralogy by ...

Scientific debate: Mantle plumes part of Deep Earth:Activities
Brennan Jordan, University of South Dakota
A structured format for a debate of the mantle plume hypothesis and alternative hypotheses with supporting materials.

Critical Review of a Journal Article: An Assessment Activity part of Teaching Examples
Dave Mogk, Montana State University-Bozeman
In this exercise students do a formal review of a journal article using review criteria established for the Geological Society of America Bulletin or American Mineralogist. The quality of the students' ...

Metamorphism of siliceous dolostone: An example from the Alta stock, Utah part of Teaching Examples
Cameron Davidson, Carleton College
In this exercise students study the low variance mineral assemblages from the contact aureole of the Alta stock to learn how rock and fluid compositions control mineral assemblages during contact metamorphism.

Heat Capacity of Minerals: A Hands-On Introduction to Chemical Thermodynamics part of Mineralogy:Activities
David Bailey, Hamilton College
Minerals are inorganic chemical compounds with a wide range of physical and chemical properties. Geologists frequently measure and observe properties such as hardness, specific gravity, color, etc. Unfortunately, ...

Field and Laboratory Analysis of Pyroclastic Deposits for Undergraduate Volcanology Courses part of Teach the Earth:Teaching Activities
Jeffrey Templeton, Western Oregon University
This activity consists of a series of linked field and laboratory exercises designed for undergraduate volcanology courses. The activity incorporates several interconnected exercises that employ field observations, ...

Magma Modification in the central Sierra Nevada Batholith part of Teaching Examples
Jennifer Wenner, University of Wisconsin-Oshkosh
This exercise is centered around a suite of rocks from the Sierra Nevada batholith. The activities are designed to give petrology students a capstone experience for the igneous portion of the upper-level Petrology ...

Granitic Rocks and Geologic History of the Idaho Batholith part of Teaching Examples
, Illinois State University
This is a lab/project in which the students not only name and identify a suite of granitic rocks but try to piece together the tectonic and geologic history of the Idaho batholith. This activity brings together the ...