The Mountain Blows its Top Activity Source: USGS Learning Web Lesson Plans Background A volcano is a vent in the surface of the Earth through which magma and gasses erupt. Volcanic eruptions are among the Earth’s most powerful and destructive forces, but volcanoes are also creative. Volcanoes have also shaped the Earth’s landscape, as many of our mountains, islands, and plains have been built by volcanic eruptions. Mount St. Helens was one of the most powerful volcanic eruptions in recent memory. [Read More]

The Slope of Land in Your Community Activity Source: Adapted from the American Geosciences Institute’s EarthComm: Understanding your Environment Background Landslides constitute a major geologic hazard. They are widespread, occurring in all 50 states, and cause $1-2 billion in damages and more than 25 fatalities on average each year. Landslides commonly occur with other major natural disasters, such as earthquakes and floods (USGS Learning Web). The slope of the land and the materials under ground must be considered when planning how to build on the land in a community to lessen landslide risk. [Read More]

Understanding Paleoclimate Activity Source: American Geophysical Union. Adapted with permission from EarthComm: Earth System Science in the Community, American Geosciences Institute. Climate scientists study evidence in the geologic record, such as fossils, to figure out what climate was like over hundreds of thousands of years (“paleoclimate”). One fossil they use is pollen, a part of a flowering plant that helps make a seed. Pollen can be blown into lakes, where it is preserved in sediment. [Read More]

What’s Down There? Activity Source: SEED (Shlumberger Excellence in Educational Development) with permission. Throughout the Earth’s history, the cycle of erosion and deposition by water and wind has added layer upon layer of rock, soil, and organic material to the surface. Most sedimentary rock is beneath the surface. To learn about sedimentary rock layers that we cannot see, geoscientists drill and bring up core samples of rock layers. Information from core samples, combined with that from other imaging techniques, allows geoscientists to map the depth and thickness of sedimentary rock layers below the surface. [Read More]