Dave Hirsch

Mineral Properties Sheets part of Mineralogy:Activities
This activity consists of a set of 69 mineral sheets to be used as part of a term-length set of labs. Each sheet has spaces to write physical and optical properties for each mineral, and a crystal form diagram ...

Binary Phase Diagram Problems part of Petrology:Teaching Examples
This activity features a problem set designed to make students think carefully about the link between phase diagrams and textures.

Microsoft Excel Basic Tutorial part of Starting Point-Teaching Entry Level Geoscience:Teaching with Data:Examples
This assignment walks students through the creation of an Excel spreadsheet, step by step. It includes numerical fills via copy, creation of fixed and relative formulas, formula fill via copy, and some summary ...

Introduction to Microsoft Excel part of Quantitative Skills:Activity Collection
This assignment walks students through the creation of an Excel spreadsheet, step by step. It includes fills, references, formulas, and charts.

Indicatrix Movies part of Mineralogy:Activities
These movies show the indicatrix, a mineral, the principal indices of refraction, and the interference color predicted, all changing as the cut through the mineral varies. It is meant to be a lecture aid, or can be ...

Mineral Properties Sheets part of Mineralogy:Activities
A set of 69 mineral sheets to be used as part of a term-length set of labs. Each sheet has spaces to write physical and optical proerties for each mineral, and a crystal form diagram scannned from Nesse and/or ...

Blender part of Visualization:Teaching Geoscience with Visualizations:Visualization Tools
Blender is a free, open-source tool for creating and animating 3D content. It is available for all major operating systems. It allows the creation and modification of graphics primitives, surfaces, etc. along with ...

Advanced Modeling Programs: Perplex-THERMOCALC Comparison part of Integrating Research and Education:Teaching Phase Equilibria
This educational webpage compares the advanced thermodynamic modeling programs Perplex and THERMOCALC, detailing their respective pedagogical advantages, computational methods, and limitations in generating phase diagrams and pseudosections for petrology and geochemistry instruction.

Different Kinds of Reactions part of Integrating Research and Education:Teaching Phase Equilibria
Educational webpage detailing types of metamorphic and mineral reactions in petrology and geochemistry, including net-transfer, exchange, devolatilization, and polymorphic reactions, with phase diagrams, thermodynamic principles, teaching aids, and downloadable lab activities for instruction.

Pseudosections part of Integrating Research and Education:Teaching Phase Equilibria
Educational webpage explaining pseudosections—phase diagrams depicting stable mineral assemblages for a specific bulk composition—contrasting them with petrogenetic grids and illustrating their application in metamorphic petrology using THERMOCALC and Perplex modeling.

Advanced Modeling Programs: Perplex part of Integrating Research and Education:Teaching Phase Equilibria
This educational webpage details the thermodynamic modeling software Perplex, covering its principles, applications in generating phase diagrams and pseudosections, strengths and limitations, workflow examples, and related teaching resources within the context of petrology and geochemistry education.

Naming/Classifying Metamorphic Rocks part of Petrology:Teaching Examples
This is a two-page embodiment of the draft IUGS standard on naming metamorphic rocks. It's highly simplified, but useful for teaching metamorphic petrology.

Andesites, Basalts, Schists, and More part of NAGT:Our Resources:Teaching Resources:Rock and Mineral Exchange:Postings
A transactional resource exchange page from the National Association of Geoscience Teachers (NAGT) listing available geological specimens—including andesites, basalts, and schists—for educational use, alongside requested materials like nepheline and sillimanite, supporting geoscience teaching through specimen sharing.