More Power to You! Activity Source: U.S. Geological Survey Grade Levels: 7-10 Background Energy and access to it is the bedrock of the modern world, powering everything from industries and cities to your school and home. Have you ever wondered where the energy that powers your school comes from? Or where Earth’s natural energy materials, such as coal and uranium, originate? In this activity, you will explore an interactive map to identify U. [Read More]

Natural Gas Formation Activity Source: Adapted by AAPG from the American Geosciences Institute. Adapted with permission. Natural gas, which is mostly methane, is an energy resource used for generating electricity and heating, powering transportation, and manufacturing products. Right now, one-quarter of the world’s energy comes from natural gas. Natural gas formation, one of the processes occurring on our ever-changing Earth, takes a very long time. Natural gas is formed from marine organisms that die, sink to the bottom of the ocean, and get covered with sediments. [Read More]

Oil Trap Model Activity Source: Geological Society of America. Adapted with permission. Crude oil is a liquid hydrocarbon that is thought to have formed from the accumulation and burial of mostly marine organisms in a low-oxygen environment. This environment prevents decay of the organisms, trapping the organic matter and converting it to hydrocarbons. Because oil is a liquid that is lighter than water, it naturally rises through the pores of rocks in which it forms towards the surface. [Read More]

Places on the Planet: Latitude and Longitude Activity Source: Geological Society of America, 2006. Adapted with permission. Background 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]

Products from Petroleum Activity Source: Society of Petroleum Engineers. Adapted with permission. Where would we be without petroleum? You can kiss lipstick goodbye! Not only does petroleum provide fuel to run our vehicles, cook our food, heat our homes, and generate electricity, it is also used in plastics, medicines, food items, and countless other products, from aspirin to umbrellas and, yes — lipstick! We use many oil products as synthetic alternatives to natural materials, including synthetic rubber instead of natural rubber, and detergent instead of soap. [Read More]

Products Made from Petroleum Activity Source: Adapted with permission by Bruce Wells, American Oil & Gas Historical Society. Background Most people associate petroleum with transportation — but we are surrounded by thousands of other everyday products that come from this vital natural resource. A typical 42- gallon barrel of crude oil yields about 20 gallons of gasoline and 4 gallons of jet fuel. What products come from the other 18 gallons? [Read More]

Soil Has a Charge! Activity Source: Soil Science Society of America Grade Levels: 7-10 Background Soils transport water and provide homes for trillions of bacteria and other organisms. Soils also contain solids (sand, silt, clay, organic matter) with pores between them filled with air and water. The soil solids affect the ability of soil to hold and release plant nutrients. Plant nutrients are ions (see Analysis question #2 for examples) which are atoms or molecules with a net electrical charge. [Read More]

Soil, Plants, and the Energy Cycle Activity Source: Soil Science Society of America. Adapted with permission. Soils are critical for many aspects of our daily life. They provide food such as grains, vegetables, and animal feed. They provide fiber for clothing, as in cotton, flax-linen, and hemp. And they provide shelter materials like wood and brick. But did you realize that soils also are an important part of the energy cycle? [Read More]

Solar Cell Energy Nationwide Activity Source: Adapted with permission by NASA. MY NASA DATA microsets are created using data from NASA Earth science satellite missions. A microset is a small amount of data extracted from a much larger data file. Data is available on the atmosphere, biosphere, cryosphere, ocean, and land surface. Data and related lessons can be used with existing curriculum to help students practice science inquiry and math or technology skills using real measurements of Earth system variables and processes. [Read More]

Solar Desalination Activity Source: NASA Grade Levels: 3-10 Background Desalination is the process of removing salt from water. The process of desalination can serve as a vital tool to bring fresh water to people and communities that may not have reliable access to safe drinking water. Solar stills have been used since ancient times to treat saltwater. In this activity, you will create a simple solar still, and can do calculations of the energy required for the process. [Read More]