Karst Topography Model Activity Source: National Park Service and Forest Service. Adapted with permission.from the U.S. Geological Survey Open-file Report 97-536-A Karst Topography Computer animations and paper model, 1997 Did you know that a quarter of the world’s population gets drinking water from karst aquifers? Karst is the type of landscape that forms by dissolution of carbonate rocks (limestone, dolomite) or other highly soluble rocks such as evaporates (gypsum and rock salt). [Read More]

Know Your Energy Costs Activity Source: National Energy Education Development Project. Adapted with permission. It takes energy to run the appliances and machines we use everyday. The national average commercial cost to use this energy is $0.10/kilowatt hour. In addition to the financial cost, there is also an environmental cost in the form of carbon emissions. The general rule of thumb is that every kilowatt- hour of electricity produces 1.6 pounds of carbon dioxide. [Read More]

Lasting Impressions: Making Models Activity Source: National Park Service Background Fossils are evidence of organisms that have lived in the past. A fossil can help us understand when and where organisms lived. Scientists can also use fossils to figure out what different environments were like in the past. One type of fossil is known as a mold fossil, which forms when an organism is buried, then decomposes, but the sediment keeps the shape (impression) of the organism. [Read More]

Latitude and Longitude Activity Source: Geological Society of America, Adapted with permission. You may have seen or used Global Positioning System (GPS) devices in cars or on camping trips. These devices use data from satellites orbiting the Earth to locate places on our planet. GPS devices describe the locations to us in the form of latitude and longitude coordinates. Citizen scientists involved in the Geological Society of America’s EarthCaching project (http://www. [Read More]

Leaf It to Me Activity Source: Source: National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration. Adapted with permission. In the water cycle, there are two ways water moves from the ground to the atmosphere: evaporation and transpiration. During evaporation, water changes from a liquid to a gas state. Transpiration is basically evaporation of water from plant leaves. Transpiration accounts for about 10 percent of the moisture in the atmosphere — with oceans, seas, and other bodies of water providing nearly all the rest. [Read More]

Lidar Improves Geologic Maps Look at “Enhancing Geologic Maps with Lidar” side of the 2023 GMD poster. click here to see a larger version Examine the top three images on the poster. Make comparisons between the outdated geologic map on the left and the updated geologic map on the right. How has the map improved? Point out specific places where it has changed. Examine the lidar map in the middle. How does this image differ from the geologic maps? [Read More]

Lightning Activity Source: Adapted from UCAR/NCAR Web Weather for Kids. Background Static electricity can be used to demonstrate the electricity of lightning. This activity will demonstrate the attraction of positive and negative charges and what happens when those opposite charges meet each other. Time Needed One class period Materials Needed Foam plate Thumbtack Pencil with new eraser Aluminum pie pan Small piece of wool fabric UCAR/NCAR Web Weather for Kids [Read More]

Liquefaction Activity Source: Adapted with permission by Soil Science Society of America. When it comes to slipping, sliding, and stability in soils, the key word is “liquefaction.” During an event like an earthquake, liquefaction is the process by which saturated soil behaves like a liquid. This can be problematic, as a liquid soil loses structure and can cause buildings to sink, foundations to crack, and soil to slide down slopes all at once. [Read More]

Locating Subsurface Energy Resources Activity Source: Society for Exploration Geophysicists Grade Levels: 6-12 Background Geophysical techniques are used to identify subsurface formations related to valuable energy resources, such as fossil fuels or geothermal sources, as well as rock layers that could be used for carbon sequestration. Each geophysical technique transmits a specific type of energy into the ground (e.g., electrical, magnetic, or mechanical) to create images of subsurface rock formations For example, seismic surveys send sound waves through the ground, and the reflection of these waves helps detect differences in the Earth’s subsurface (see video). [Read More]

Logs of Straw - Dendrocronology Activity Source: “Logs of Straw: Dendrochronology,” U.S. Geological Survey, 2002. Adapted with permission. Background Dendrochronologists use tree rings to go back in time to learn more about past climate. Using straws to recreate tree rings, you can learn how dendrochronologists work. Construct a 50-year climatic history on a three- meter time line. USGS Materials One set of straws with tree-ring markings: USGS One three-meter strip of adding machine tape for each group Colored pencils for each group Colored markers for each group A notebook for recording results (optional) Reference materials such as almanacs that provide students with dates of social and scientific events over the past four decades Procedure In groups of four, examine the set of straws that your teacher has prepared for you (by copying the Core Sample template onto the straws). [Read More]