Using Autocorrelation and Cross-correlation to Explore Links Between River Discharge and Regional Climate
Peter Adams, University of Florida
Students conduct autocorrelation and cross-correlation analyses on river discharge and climate indices to test the hypothesis that coastal streams draining mountainous terrain are strong indicators of climatic ...

Using Univariate Statistics to Understand Regional Drainage Patterns
Peter Adams, University of Florida
In this activity, students use MATLAB to compare two data sets of organic matter content in order to provide quantitative evidence that tests the null hypothesis that sediment samples have the same fluvial source. ...

Where is that chunk of crust going?
Vince Cronin, Baylor University
I introduce students to GPS, frames of reference, and the permanent GPS stations in the EarthScope Plate Boundary Observatory (PBO) in class, and obtain near-real-time data for two stations from UNAVCO. We use ...

Compositional Diversity in Volcanic Suites
Kent Ratajeski, Calvin University
Kent Ratajeski Published Oct. 26, 2004. Description In this exercise, students use whole-rock major- and trace-element compositions of volcanic rocks to explore the origins of compositional variation in igneous ...

Igneous Rock Compositions and Plate Tectonics
Allen Glazner, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill
In this exercise, students use whole-rock major- and trace-element compositions of igneous rocks from a variety of tectonic settings and locations to explore the importance of plate setting in determining magma ...

Crystallization-Differentiation of the Kilauea Iki Lava Lake
Kent Ratajeski, Calvin University
Kent Ratajeski Published Oct. 26, 2004. Description In this exercise, students use major-element compositions of whole-rocks, volcanic glasses, and minerals in lavas and drill cores from the solidified Kilauea Iki ...

Thermal Evolution of the Oceanic Lithosphere
Mark Behn, Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution
The goal of this problem set is to evaluate the thermal evolution of the oceanic lithosphere. As discussed in class, temperature in the oceanic upper mantle is well described by a half-space cooling model, in which ...