"ZirChron" Virtual Zircon Analysis App
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 ...

Learning About Marine Sediments Using Real Data
Kristen St. John, James Madison University
This exercise set explores marine sediments using real core photos and composition data from the scientific ocean drilling programs DSDP, ODP, and IODP in an inquiry-based approach.

Google Earth Exercises for Structural Geology
Jonathan Dyess, University of Minnesota-Duluth
Students use imagery taken from Google Earth to create photo-geologic maps of areas with various structural styles. Concepts include basic geologic mapping principles, remote data set interpretation, ...

Learning Assessment #1 - Plate Tectonics
Michelle Speta, University of Calgary; Leslie Reid, University of Calgary
An in-class activity that tests students' understanding of the basic concepts of plate tectonics.

Student Field Guide
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 ...

Structural Geology 'Research' Conference
Julie Willis, Brigham Young University-Idaho
In this assignment students read and discuss a peer-reviewed journal article and prepare for and attend our class 'research' conference. In the conference they present on an area of current research as ...

Maxwell Behavior of Cake
Christie Rowe, McGill University
Uses 3 points of entry to introduce students to viscoelastic rheology: A hands-on exercise with cake as the deformable material, an accessible example of an artificial material, and using literature to apply the ...

Crust-Busting Faults
George Davis, The University of Arizona
Students independently research a major ancient or active regional fault, and cogently describe map and cross sectional characteristics, kinematics, mechanics, and plate tectonic significance. They present results ...

The News Hour
George Davis, The University of Arizona
An activity that I successfully used twice in teaching Active Tectonics is one I call "The News Hour," patterned after the PBS New Hour. I generated the idea out of concern that active tectonics sets of ...

Tectonics of Fiction
Kyle Fredrick, California University of Pennsylvania
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 ...