Tracking Sea Level and Paleoenvironments with Fossils part of Introductory Courses:Activities
Pete Berquist, Virginia Peninsula Community College
Students use the Paleobiology Database Navigator to examine changes in sea level in southeastern North America throughout the Cretaceous, Paleogene, and Neogene Periods. They will plot the change in distribution of ...

Paleoclimate part of IODP School of Rock 2020:Teaching Activities
Lenore Teevan, School of Innovation/Springfield City School District
This is a unit plan for project-based learning. Students will learn about paleoclimate proxies and their importance in understanding past climates. Students will focus on one region-specific aspect of paleoclimate ...

Using Autocorrelation and Cross-correlation to Explore Links Between River Discharge and Regional Climate part of Teaching Computation with MATLAB:Teaching with MATLAB 2015:Teaching Activities
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 ...

Discover Clues from a Colder Climate with GeoMapApp part of Earth Exploration Toolbook:Ice Stream
DATA: Global Digital Elevation Model (DEM) TOOLS: GeoMapApp, Spreadsheet SUMMARY: Use GeoMapApp to search for evidence of glacial expansion and retreat. Produce a research report of your findings modeled on peer-reviewed papers in the field of glaciology.

Viewing geomorphic landforms with Google Earth part of Geomorphology:Activities
Amy Brock, Western Illinois University
Geomorphic processes are not limited to the local or regional area around the University and most students have not been outside of the region. With today's technology we are able to see features on the ...

Geomorphology Field Research Project part of Geomorphology:Activities
Jeff Marshall, California State Polytechnic University-Pomona
This research project allows students to integrate and apply their geomorphic knowledge in a comprehensive study of a local landscape. Working in teams, they investigate uplifted alluvial deposits along the ...

Paleoclimate Reconstruction: Walker Lake-Bloody Canyon Moraines of Mono Basin, California part of NAGT:Our Work:Past Projects:Teaching in the Field:Field Trip Collection
Sarah Hall, College of the Atlantic; Casey Moore, University of California-Santa Cruz
In this activity students map and describe glacial geomorphic features related to Quaternary glaciations in the Sierra Nevada of central California. In this region, multiple sets of glacial moraines and corresponding bogs and lakes are evidence of various advances during the Pleistocene. With time, glacial features are modified by erosional processes resulting in morphological changes that we can use to relatively date the various features. Using cross-cutting relationships, moraine morphology, boulder description/counting, and various other relative dating techniques students will "date" the moraines. In this locality there are three main moraine crests that are well-preserved and available for students to hike along and gather data (classified as Tioga-Tenaya, Tahoe, and Mono Basin moraines). At a locality along each of the three different moraine crests, students will observe the boulders along the ridge crest (within ~5m of the crest) within a known area. The students will record the number of boulders, the degree of weathering of the boulders, the lithology, the size (~diameter), roundness, presence of lichen (describe), and the presence of striations on each boulder. They will also note the style and amount of vegetation on the moraine and soil characteristics (amount of gruss around boulders?) The students should make a table in their field notebooks so that it is easy to compile the data at the end of the day. Generally students work in groups of 2 or 3. Since many of these observations are somewhat qualitative it works well for them to be able to discuss their thoughts while gathering data. It is helpful to use a few boulders as examples to set some ground rules before starting the activity – this will help the class be the same page with regard to the techniques.

Exploring Soil Development & Conservation of Mass part of Geomorphology:Activities
Clifford Riebe, University of Wyoming
This activity aims to develop understanding of soil formation using the principles of conservation of mass. This is best applied to a chronosequence of ≥ 2 soils/deposits, such as a set of terraces or glacial ...

Dam the Wilderness: Building "Green Hydropower" on Big Creek part of Geomorphology:Activities
Ben Crosby, Idaho State University
Students exercise knowledge of how dams impact physical and biological systems to try to design a dam that minimizes its impacts while still meeting power production and water diversion requirements.

The geomorphology of home part of Geomorphology:Activities
Michael Loso, Alaska Pacific University
In this lab, students read and interpret 1) peer-reviewed literature, 2) LIDAR-derived hillshade maps, and 3) the landscape itself to better understand the geomorphology of their local urban/suburban environment ...