Plate Tectonics Basics #1 introduction
Animation introduction of plate tectonics process.

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.

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.

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.

The Earth System
This video describes the four main components of the Earth system (atmosphere, biosphere, geosphere, hydrosphere), how matter is exchanged between the components, and how a change in some aspect of one part of the system will result in changes in other system components. We describe the Earth system in terms of reservoirs and flux between them and discuss how the movement of carbon occurs between system components.

Earthquake Hazards I: Ground Failure
This video describes the geological hazards that result when the ground is shaken during an earthquake. We consider various forms of ground failure such as shaking, liquefaction, landslides and surface ruptures. We include historical footage from the damage of two of the largest US earthquakes - the 1906 San Francisco earthquake and the 1964 Great Alaskan earthquake. We added short clips of two benchtop models of basic processes and larded the whole thing up with plenty of images to illustrate the features under discussion.

Naming Igneous Rocks
This video describes how hot magma is converted to igneous rocks, one of the three major groups of rocks on Earth. We explain how geologists use texture (grain size) to identify if the magma that formed the rocks cooled at Earth's surface or deep below ground. We then discuss how we can use simple observations of the color of the minerals in the rocks to further categorize them on the basis of their chemical composition (silica content). Finally, you will learn how to identify six common igneous rocks that represent a range of textures and compositions. You will have opportunities to practice identifying the essential characteristics of these rocks at several points during the video.

Classification of Faults
In this video we introduce viewers to two terms they will need to understand to classify faults. We define the terms strike and dip in relation of everyday inclined surfaces including sloping brick surfaces and dumpster panels. Next we introduce you to the hanging wall and footwall of faults and provide a brief assessment to allow you to practice using the terms. We apply all four of these new terms to classify dip-slip and strike-slip faults. We end by shaking up a Lego geologist during fault movement and by asking you to interpret three examples of strike-slip faults.

Grain Sizes of Clastic Sedimentary Rocks
In this minivideo we identify the four size categories for the sediment that will contribute to clastic sedimentary rocks. We use common items as stand-ins for the grain sizes. (Which is sand-sized - ground coffee, orzo pasta, or unpopped popcorn?) Then we show you pictures of clastic sedimentary rocks to see if you can name the rock types. Fun! Take a look, it will make you think differently about quinoa in a very non-hipstery kind of way.