The Geological History of Earth
This video discusses the major changes to the planet since its formation to the present day. We explain how Earth formed, where the Moon came from, how the atmosphere changed over time, where the water in the oceans originated, what the first life and fossils looked like, when more complex life forms began, a long period when little happened, when most of Earth became a snowball, and how extinction events allowed geologists to break down the most recent chunk of geologic time. You will learn the difference between an eon and an era, why we should be grateful for asteroid and comet impacts, and when oxygen started showing up in the atmosphere.

Transform Plate Boundaries
This video discusses the characteristics of transform plate boundaries where plates slide past each other. We examine four examples of transform boundaries between plates and describe how and why short transform segments offset the oceanic ridge system throughout the world's oceans. We take a closer look at the major transform boundary in North America, the San Andreas fault system and examine what the plate boundary looks like in the Californian desert and what might happen if it were to slip like it has done in the historical past. Finally, we give you an opportunity to see if you can identify the location of a transform boundary where it cuts across part of New Zealand.

Glacial Landforms
In this video we review the principal landforms created by glacial erosion (cirques, arêtes, striations, U-shaped valleys, fjords) and deposition (till, moraine, drumlins, eskers, kettle lakes, outwash plain, erratics). We discuss how a pair of glacial erosion processes - plucking, abrasion - work to break down rocks and modify the landscape. We compare and contrast glacial deposits made up of an unsorted mix of clay, sand and boulders and those that have been generated by running water. Finally, we start and finish the video by trying to figure out how a giant boulder ended up jammed in among the trees in Yellowstone National Park. The video ends with a short review quiz that asks you to identify four images of different landforms.

Metamorphic Rocks (& toast)
This video discusses the formation of metamorphic rocks, one of the three major groups of rocks on Earth and the bedrock under much of North America. We explain that toast is a metamorphic form of bread and describe the conditions necessary for metamorphism to occur (burial of rocks, proximity to magma, plate tectonic settings). You will learn about the metamorphic temperature window, how developing a foliation is similar to squeezing a marshmallow, the names of some common metamorphic rocks, and what happens when sandstone and limestone are subjected to higher temperatures and pressures.

Tectonic Plates
In this video we describe the three major compositional layers of Earth and the characteristics of a tectonic plate which is composed of lithosphere representing parts of the crust and mantle. The lithosphere is divided into pieces we call tectonic plates. Ah, you say, but can you demonstrate what you mean using an orange? Why, yes, yes we can. After the orange demo, we illustrate how to use maps of earthquake locations to draw outlines of Earth's major tectonic plates and give them names. Following the video we want you to be able to take a blank map of the world and draw a reasonable sketch of where the major plate boundaries are located.

Continental Rifting, New Oceans, and Passive Continental Margins for Beginners
This video presents some basic information about how rifts form, how they sometimes evolve to become new oceans, and how passive continental margins form as a consequence.It has been adapted from a previous video entitled "Continental Rifting, New Oceans, and Passive Continental Margins: Plate Tectonics Basics 2", which was intended for an upper division geoscience audience. This video was made for a lower division geoscience and is intended to amplify undergraduate education of plate tectonic processes.

Ice Ages & Climate Cycles
This video describes the characteristics of ice ages during the last billion years. We discuss why ice ages happened and how and why climate varies in short-term climate cycles during ice ages. We introduce the term "albedo" and use it to consider how the glacial system is affected by feedbacks that can either increase or reduce the volume of glacial ice.

Sedimentary Rocks
In this video we will classify the three major types of sedimentary rocks (clastic, chemical, biochemical) and give examples of each. You can learn how to casually drop terms like haboob, coccolithophore, and conglomerate into conversation. Finally, we explain how each type of sedimentary rock is formed and the settings where they could be found.

Continental Drift
This video describes the evidence Alfred Wegener used to formulate his continental drift hypothesis and examines why this idea did not gain wide acceptance when it was originally proposed. Wegener pursued four lines of evidence to support continental drift and the existence of the supercontinent, Pangaea. His evidence included the fit of the continents, matching features between now separated land masses, reconstructions of past climates, and the distribution of several fossil species.

How to Classify Volcanoes
This video describes the features geologists use to classify common types of volcanoes. We compare and contrast the features of two types of large volcanoes - shield volcanoes and composite volcanoes. One of these types produces structures that can be larger than Mount Everest while the other represent the majority of dangerous active volcanoes on Earth.We also explain that two other types of smaller volcanic landforms are relatively common and often form in association with their larger brethren. Finally, you can take a simple volcano recognition quiz to try to classify five examples of US volcanoes.