Petrology Activities and Examples Collection

This is a collection of educational resources used in igneous and metamorphic petrology courses. The collection includes lab exercises, classroom activities, problem sets and more. The purpose of this collection is to allow for the sharing of materials within the community of petrology teachers. You can

  • Add your teaching materials to the collection.
  • Browse the entire collection of teaching activities by topic, using the Table of Contents.
  • Search the collection of teaching activities by typing text into the search box below or by selecting a topic or activity type from the boxes on the right.


Results 16 - 30 of 323 matches

Rocking Through the Rock Cycle part of K-8 Geo Teacher Preparation:Workshop 2016:Activities
Mary Mutrux, Missouri State University
The students will participate as matter traveling through the rock cycle while drawing cards from 4 rock matter stations (magma, igneous, sedimentary, and metamorphic). Afterwards, the student will demonstrate their path using a laser pointer in a projected large the rock cycle diagram.

On the Cutting Edge Exemplary Collection This activity is part of the On the Cutting Edge Exemplary Teaching Activities collection.
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Geology of Yellowstone National Park part of Introductory Courses:Activities
Carol Ormand Ph.D., Carleton College
Students examine and interpret the geologic map of Yellowstone National Park, focusing on its volcanic history.

Freeze distillation of hard apple cider: A phase diagram demonstration part of Teach the Earth:Teaching Activities
William Peck, Colgate University
If you are lucky enough to teach Petrology in a part of the world with a cold winter, freeze distillation of hard apple cider works well as a class demonstration when the cider is frozen overnight outside. The slow ...

"ZirChron" Virtual Zircon Analysis App part of Teaching Examples
Mark Schmitz, Boise State University
This web-based app is designed to help students evaluate a radioisotopic age and its uncertainty based upon the collection of data, the application of statistics, and the interpretation of geological and analytical ...

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Introduction to Igneous Intrusions part of GET Spatial Learning:Teaching Activities
Basil Tikoff, University of Wisconsin-Madison
Students make Play-Doh models of sills and dikes.

Magma Degassing 1 part of Teach the Earth:Magma Labs
Jessica F Larsen, University of Alaska, Fairbanks (jflarsen@alaska.edu) Nathan A. Graham, University of Alaska, Fairbanks (nagraham2@alaska.edu)
This exercise introduces students to concepts of how magma gas content is important for eruption style. Students use the vesicles preserved in different volcanic rocks to estimate gas content by calculating ...

Virtual field trip to Giant's Causeway, Ireland part of Cutting Edge:Enhance Your Teaching:Teaching with Online Field Experiences:Activities
Jill Schneiderman, Vassar College
This online assignment takes the students on a virtual field trip to Giant's Causeway in northern Ireland. It begins with a brief video of the geological site, includes some questions relevant to the history ...

A Quantitative Visualization of Mantle Melting part of Pedagogy in Action:Library:Spatial Reasoning with GeoClick Questions:Examples
Hannah Shamloo, Oregon State University
Here is an exercise to acquaint students with pressure-temperature diagrams related to Earth's interior, teach why the mantle melts in the context of pressure and temperature, demonstrate the role water has on melting, and review the three ways to melt the mantle.

Virtual Field Trip to the Blue Ridge Province, Central Virginia part of Cutting Edge:Enhance Your Teaching:Teaching with Online Field Experiences:Activities
Steve Whitmeyer, James Madison University
The Mid-Atlantic Appalachian Orogen Traverse is a series of 4 virtual field trips that cross the Blue Ridge and Valley and Ridge geologic provinces in northwestern Virginia and northeastern West Virginia. This ...

Collection of PT Phase diagram exercises part of Teaching Examples
Dexter Perkins, University of North Dakota-Main Campus
I am always needing more phase diagrams exercises so my students can practice problem solving. This collection includes 5 different exercises that can be used for homework, in-class, or for quizzes or exams.

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 ...

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Olympus Mons and Hawaii part of Introductory Courses:Activities
Carol Ormand Ph.D., Carleton College
Students estimate the volume of Olympus Mons and the volume of lava that has erupted from the Hawaiian hotspot and compare them.

Investigating Plate Tectonics with Google Earth part of Structural Geology and Tectonics:Structure, Geophysics, and Tectonics 2012:Activities
Beth Pratt-Sitaula, EarthScope
Students examine data sets of topography, bathymetry, volcano location, earthquake location and size, and ocean floor age in Google Earth to determine the location and attributes of different types of plate ...

On the Cutting Edge Exemplary Collection This activity is part of the On the Cutting Edge Exemplary Teaching Activities collection.
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Theriak-Domino Exercise part of Teaching Examples
Dexter Perkins, University of North Dakota-Main Campus
This multidimensional project involves using several different computer programs to calculate and interpret phase diagrams and pseudosections. So, students learn lots of skills at the same time. But, an overarching ...

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VEPP: Volcanic activity and monitoring of Pu`u `O`o, Kilauea volcano, Hawaii part of NAGT:Our Resources:Teaching Resources:Volcano Exploration Project: Pu`u `O`o:Examples
Lizzette Rodriguez, University of Puerto Rico-Rio Piedras Campus
Brief three-line description of the activity or assignment and its strengths: This is a 10-week group project for a Volcanic Hazards elective course, for undergraduate geology students. Students will access and ...

On the Cutting Edge Exemplary Collection This activity is part of the On the Cutting Edge Exemplary Teaching Activities collection.
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