Burning Issues Activity Source: The Canadian Forestry Association Learning Outcomes Students will become familiar with fire terminology, realize how fire can be used as a management tool, and better understand the factors that need to be considered when planning a prescribed burn. Summary In this activity the students will form opinions around fire management issues. They will then work in small groups to get more information around the issues and make a more informed decision. [Read More]

Chemistry of Burning Activity Source: The University of Texas at Austin Bureau of Economic Geology. Provided by Association of American State Geologists. Adapted with permission. Why is CO2 increasing in the atmosphere? Who is doing it? Many people think that CO2 is “pollution,” so that clean burning should be a way to eliminate greenhouse gas emissions. In this demonstration, we review basic chemistry (see illustration) to realize that producing CO2 is an inevitable product of burning any fossil fuel. [Read More]

Core Sampling Activity Source: Society of Petroleum Engineers. Adapted with permission. Core samples are small portions of a formation taken from an existing well and used for geologic analysis. The sample is analyzed to determine porosity, permeability, fluid content, geologic age, and probable productivity of oil from the site. Drilling is the only way to be sure that oil and gas fields exist and exactly what is present in the formation. [Read More]

Cupcake Core Sampling Activity Source: Adapted from Women in Mining Education Foundation Education Activities This activity is ideal for a small group of students, a youth group, or a parent-child activity. Purpose Trying to “see” what is beneath the surface of the Earth is one of the jobs of a geologist. Rather than digging up vast tracts of land to expose an oil field or to find some coal-bearing strata, core samples can be taken and analyzed to determine the likely composition of the Earth’s interior. [Read More]

Energy and Population Activity Source: The NEED Project. Adapted with permission. Just as your GPS helps you make sure you’re getting from point “a” to point “b” correctly, maps help scientists draw important conclusions and visualize important concepts they study. The right map can help a petroleum engineer find the best drilling site, or help a meteorologist make the best prediction. This interactive mapping activity will help you understand the relationship between the population of a given state and the amount of energy consumed there. [Read More]

Energy Consumption and CO2: Analyzing Trends Activity Source: Earth Science Information Partners Grade Levels: 6-12 Background Human beings rely on energy. We heat and cool our homes, move ourselves from place to place, transport supplies overseas, land, and through air, and produce the things we need to live and work around the world. The sources of energy we use (e.g. fossil fuels, renewables, nuclear) play a key role in how CO2 emissions change over time. [Read More]

Energy Efficiency Activity Source: Schlumberger Excellence in Educational Development. Adapted with permission. In Swords into Plowshares: At Home in a Missile Silo, Tony Crossley says of his underground home: “The winters are bitterly cold, the summers feature spectacular afternoon thunderstorms and occasional tornadoes, and throughout the year we get days when the wind is very strong. Underground it’s always quiet and peaceful, and no matter how cold it gets outside, the interior never freezes, even though we don’t have any heating yet. [Read More]

Exploring for Petroleum - Modeling an Oil Reserve Activity Source: Adapted from “Earth System Science in the Community,” American Geosciences Institute, 2005 Background Since 1970, oil and natural gas have provided more than half of the energy used each year in the United States to produce electricity, heat, transportation fuels, and many everyday products from balloons to vitamins. Oil and natural gas are forms of petroleum, a word that literally means “oily rock. [Read More]

Exploring Low-Temperature Geothermal Energy Activity Source: American Association of Petroleum Geologists Background Geothermal energy harnesses Earth’s internal heat to generate power. Typically, it involves tapping into high-temperature reservoirs of hot water deep beneath Earth’s surface. However, as the demand for clean energy grows, researchers are developing innovative techniques to access common low-temperature geothermal sources found closer to Earth’s surface. New technologies broaden the geographic reach of geothermal energy, making it a more accessible and sustainable energy option. [Read More]

Geothermal Exchange Activity Source: The Geological Society of America Grade Levels: 6-10 Background If you were to dig a few feet into the ground, you would find that the temperature remains relatively constant, even on the hottest and coldest days of the year. People have learned how to harness the heat underground— called geothermal energy— to heat and cool homes. In this activity, you will model a geothermal exchange system to show how heat can be transferred to help control the temperature in buildings and homes. [Read More]