Introductory Earth Science for non-majors at a regional comprehensive public university.

Students need a basic familiarity with computers, and they need to know how to interpret a histogram. They also need basic (Earth Science 101) knowledge about volanic rocks and hazards. Students do NOT need any prior experience with geographic information systems (GIS).

The activity is a stand-alone exercise completed individually outside class time. Students complete the activity in a computer lab equiped with Arcview software. Students can complete most of the activity without help, but an undergraduate lab assistant is typically available to answer questions. In the past, the activity has sometimes been assigned in conjunction with SAGUARO curricula developed by Michelle Hall-Wallace and others. The activity has also been used in conjunction with the Discovery Channel Virtual Volcano interactive web site.

* Felsic, mafic, and intermediate volcanic rocks contain different amounts of silica.
* Many volcanic rocks having different names (e.g., rhyolite and basalt) contain different amounts of silica.
* The silica content of molten rock strongly influences associated volcanic hazards.
* On average, volcanic samples from continental crust and those from oceanic crust differ in silica content.
* On average, volcanic samples collected near convergent plate boundaries differ in silica content from those collected elsewhere.
* Scientists learn about some volcanic hazards by studying satellite images.
* A Geographic Information System (GIS) includes computer mapping, database, and statistical analysis capabilities.

* Students mentally connect the silica content of volcanic rocks, rock names, tectonic setting, and volcanic hazards.
* Students interpret histograms.

Students manipulate a simple geographic information system (GIS).

Before completing this computer-based activity, students need to learn basic (Earth Science 101) information about volcanic rocks and hazards, and they also need to learn how to interpret a histogram. Students complete the activity individually outside class time in a computer lab equipped with Arcview3.3 geographic information system (GIS) software. They do not need any prior experience with GIS because the activity text includes step-by-step instructions accompanied by numerous screen shots. Students use the GIS to investigate geochemical data from the global Earthchem database and, for the Mount Hood, Oregon area, the NAVDAT database. Students also use maps and satellite images to learn about volcanic hazards at Mount Hood. Through all of these investigations, they learn about the connections between the silica content of a melt, volcanic hazards, and plate tectonics. Hundreds of students have successfully completed the activity at Middle Tennessee State University in Murfreesboro, TN, but the activity is still considered a "beta test copy" and the author welcomes feedback. Funding has been provided by small grants from the NASA Earth Observing System Higher Education Alliance ("GeoBrain"), Tennessee Space Grant, and NSF.

The activity text contains questions, and students write answers to the questions on a sheet of paper. I generally do not score their answers (because of the large number of students). Instead, students complete related multiple-choice questions on a lecture exam taken some time after they complete the GIS-based activity.

Tutorial: http://www.mtsu.edu/~mabolins/globalvolcanoes.pdf