Teaching Activities

A Quantitative Visualization of Mantle Melting part of Pedagogy in Action:Library:Spatial Reasoning with GeoClick Questions:Examples
Hannah Shamloo, Oregon State University
Here is an exercise to acquaint students with pressure-temperature diagrams related to Earth's interior, teach why the mantle melts in the context of pressure and temperature, demonstrate the role water has on melting, and review the three ways to melt the mantle.

Grade Level: College Upper (15-16)
Resource Type: Activities: Activities:Classroom Activity:Short Activity:Clicker Question
Subject: Geoscience:Geology:Igneous and Metamorphic Petrology:PTt Relationships, Geoscience:Geology:Tectonics
Activity Review: Passed Peer Review

Learning Thermodynamics and Using Spreadsheets part of Petrology:Teaching Examples
Sumit Chakraborty and Somnath Dasgupta
These files contain a set of three Excel files to balance mineral reactions, to explore variation of thermodynamic properties as a function of P, T and composition and to explore stability of different mineral ...

Grade Level: College Lower (13-14), College Upper (15-16)
Resource Type: Activities: Activities:Problem Set, Lab Activity, Datasets and Tools:Datasets with Teaching Activities, Activities:Classroom Activity, Datasets and Tools:Datasets with Tools
Subject: Geoscience:Geology:Igneous and Metamorphic Petrology:Thermodynamics and Phase Equilibria, PTt Relationships, Geoscience:Geology, Geology:Geochemistry:Phase Equilibria/Thermodynamics, Geoscience:Geology:Igneous and Metamorphic Petrology:Metamorphic Rock Suites and Facies
Activity Review: Passed Peer Review

Binary eutectic in-class exercise (Di-An) part of Petrology:Teaching Examples
Allen Glazner
In this activity students work through a binary eutectic phase diagram in small groups and try to determine a set of generalizations that explain the behavior of such systems (e.g., "the first liquid produced ...

Grade Level: College Upper (15-16), College Lower (13-14)
Resource Type: Activities: Activities:Lab Activity, Classroom Activity, Datasets and Tools:Datasets with Teaching Activities
Subject: Geoscience:Geology:Igneous and Metamorphic Petrology:Igneous Associations and Tectonic Settings, Thermodynamics and Phase Equilibria, PTt Relationships, Geochemistry, Geoscience:Geology:Tectonics
Activity Review: Passed Peer Review

Schrinemaker Analysis - Problem #1: Analysis of an Invariant Point part of Petrology:Teaching Examples
Dexter Perkins, University of North Dakota-Main Campus
This is a standard Schreinemakers problem: identifying the sequence of stable and metastable reactions around an invariant point.

Grade Level: College Upper (15-16), College Lower (13-14)
Resource Type: Activities: Activities:Problem Set, Classroom Activity
Subject: Geoscience:Geology:Igneous and Metamorphic Petrology:PTt Relationships, Thermodynamics and Phase Equilibria, Metamorphic Processes
Activity Review: Passed Peer Review

Schreinemakers Analysis - Problem #2: Analysis of an Invariant Point with Application of the Clausius-Clapeyron Equation part of Petrology:Teaching Examples
Dexter Perkins, University of North Dakota-Main Campus
This is a standard Schreinemakers problem: identifying the sequence of stable and metastable reactions around an invariant point. The added wrinkle is that they use the Clausius-Clapeyron Equation to calculate ...

Grade Level: College Upper (15-16), College Lower (13-14)
Resource Type: Activities: Activities:Problem Set, Classroom Activity
Subject: Geoscience:Geology:Igneous and Metamorphic Petrology:Thermodynamics and Phase Equilibria, PTt Relationships
Activity Review: Passed Peer Review

Compatibility Diagram 1: Dsp-Py-Qz-Ka-H2O part of Petrology:Teaching Examples
Dexter Perkins, University of North Dakota-Main Campus
One of three compatibility diagrams I use in class. This is a short activity to introduce students to compatibility diagrams (triangular diagrams showing stable assemblages) and how tie lines change when a reaction ...

Grade Level: College Upper (15-16)
Resource Type: Activities: Activities:Classroom Activity
Subject: Geoscience:Geology:Igneous and Metamorphic Petrology:PTt Relationships
Activity Review: Passed Peer Review

Compatibility Diagram 2:Tc-En-Etc part of Petrology:Teaching Examples
Dexter Perkins, University of North Dakota-Main Campus
One of three compatibility diagrams I use in class. This is a short activity that has students construct several compatibility diagrams in different fields on a phase diagram. This, in turn, can be followed by ...

Compatibility Diagram 3: Fo-Tc-Etc part of Petrology:Teaching Examples
Dexter Perkins, University of North Dakota-Main Campus
One of three compatibility diagrams I use in class. This is a bit more complicated than #1 and #2. It involves a projection from H2O and non-standard corners on the composition triangle.

Interpreting T-X Diagrams part of Petrology:Teaching Examples
Dexter Perkins, University of North Dakota-Main Campus
This exercise is designed to help students learn how to interpret T-X phase diagrams. It also introduces them to the systematics of reactions involving a group of minerals.

Grade Level: College Lower (13-14), College Upper (15-16)
Resource Type: Activities: Activities:Classroom Activity, Problem Set
Subject: Geoscience:Geology:Igneous and Metamorphic Petrology:Thermodynamics and Phase Equilibria, Metamorphic Processes, PTt Relationships
Activity Review: Passed Peer Review

AFM Diagram Quiz part of Petrology:Teaching Examples
Dexter Perkins, University of North Dakota-Main Campus
This is a short problem set I use to determine if students know how to interpret AFM diagrams. I call it a quiz but it is really more of a learning experience. It works well as an in-class group exercise.