Making a Cave Activity Source: National Park Service. Developed by Kristen Lucke for the Views of the National Parks. Adapted with permission. Background We usually think of caves forming as rocks are dissolved and the particles are washed away, leaving hollow spaces behind. This activity simulates the way that dissolution, a chemical weathering process, leads to the formation of caves. When precipitation such as rainwater or snowmelt mixes with carbon dioxide from the air and from decaying plants in the soil, the result is carbonic acid. [Read More]

Making Your Own National Park Geologic Tour Activity Source: National Park Service, 2006. Adapted with permission. Background In this investigation, you’ll have the opportunity to learn about the many geological features in our country’s national parks. You might not realize this, but a large number of the national parks were created because of their amazing geology. Just think of the geological features of Yellowstone National Park, the Grand Canyon, Hawaii Volcanoes National Park, and many more! [Read More]

Map-Making Basics Activity Source: U.S. Geological Survey, 2006. Adapted with permission. Background Maps are two-dimensional ways of representing information about the natural and built world from a “top-down” perspective. You are probably familiar with road maps that show where roads go and which roads intersect with others and where. You also may have seen weather maps, which show weather patterns across a specific geographic area, or political maps, which show where borders are for countries and areas within those countries. [Read More]

Mapping Quake Risk Activity Source: Esri. Adapted with permission. Today, people are “mapping our world” with the aid of Geographic Information Systems (GIS) technology. Mapping can be done in the field or the lab—even from smartphones. You can make maps with real-time data about wildfires, tsunamis, and tornadoes. You can make maps with imagery collected with visible light, infrared, and radar data. GIS helps people solve everyday problems in Earth science from coastal erosion on the local beach to global climate change. [Read More]

Mapping the Atmosphere Activity Source: American Meteorological Society. Adapted with permission. A map can represent data from an area on a flat surface. The part of our Earth system most frequently mapped is the atmosphere. Weather—the state of the atmosphere at a particular place and time—needs constant monitoring because it perpetually changes as weather systems evolve and move. Awareness of what the weather is and is likely to be has numerous benefits. [Read More]

Mapping Vertical Movements Activity Source: UNAVCO By installing GPS stations that measure the movement of Earth’s crust, UNAVCO advances geodesy, the study of Earth’s shape, gravitational field, and rotation. Each station has a receiver antenna that communicates with satellites to measure, within millimeters, how Earth is moving. Some movements are horizontal, the sliding of tectonic plates. Some movements are vertical, as when Earth’s mantle either sinks or rebounds in a process called isostatic rebound. [Read More]

Mapping Your Soil Activity Source: Soil Science Society of America. Adapted with permission. The key properties of soil (physical, biological, and chemical) determine recreation, crop production, range, water/erosion conservation, forestry, and engineering uses of the soil. Soil surveys help us understand how soils differ and how they behave under various land management systems. The heart of a soil survey is the soil map showing the spatial distribution and variability of soils on the landscape. [Read More]

Measuring Permeabilities of Soil, Sand, and Gravel Activity Source: Adapted with permission from an activity by Robert D. Whisonant, Physical Science Department, Radford University, Radford, VA 24142. SEPM (Society for Sedimentary Geology), 2006. Background This investigation will help you to learn that different geologic materials have different characteristics. Why is this important? When a road or building is constructed, the underlying substance could have an effect on the structure’s stability. Different soils, for instance, can pose different problems, based on climate, topography, and amount of rainfall in the area. [Read More]

Mineral Electrical Conductivity Activity Source: Society for Mining, Metallurgy, and Exploration, Inc. Adapted with permission. People must mine minerals to provide all kinds of materials that we depend on in our lives. For example, wires and circuit boards used in electronics are made of mined minerals. Copper, which is refined from rocks containing copper sulfide and copper oxide, is the most common mineral used in electronics because it is an excellent electrical conductor. [Read More]

Mineral Identification Activity Source: Adapted from Women in Mining Education Foundation Activities Purpose To teach the student to identify minerals by observing and testing the physical properties of each mineral. Instructions Set up mineral stations for each mineral the students are to identify. If necessary, some stations may have two minerals to identify. Each station should be equipped with one each of the following items: Glass plate Penny Streak plate (white unglazed porcelain) Magnet Water Balance Scale Graduated cylinder (for specific gravity test) Steel Nail Divide students into equal groups. [Read More]