Investigating Different Rock Types Activity Source: Adapted with permission by the Association of American State Geologists from AGI’s Investigating Earth Systems, Rocks and Landforms, pp. 1-3. Background In this investigation, you will explore the characteristics of various types of rocks. Why are rocks important to citizen scientists? There are a number of reasons: We live on the topmost layer of the Earth, the crust, which is made of solid rock. We also make structures out of this rock, as well as mine it for useful minerals. [Read More]

Karst Topography Model Activity Source: National Park Service (www.nps.gov/geology) and Forest Service (www.fs.fed.us/geology/resources). 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]

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]

Make a Watershed Model Activity Source: Source: TERC. Adapted with permission.by Earth Science Information Partners. After rain falls on relatively high land, it moves downwards into drainage areas called watersheds. You will create a model of a watershed by spraying rain on a plastic cover representing Earth’s surface. By watching how it flows, you can identify drainage divides and learn about the movement of water. Materials Per group • Large aluminum roasting pan [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]

Measuring Earth’s Water Activity Source: Source: NASA. Adapted with permission. Even though our home planet has a lot of water, over 73 percent of that is salt water. We need freshwater to meet most of our needs, and precipitation supplies much of this valuable natural resource. Did you know that NASA, in a partnership with the Japanese, has a satellite that measures precipitation as it falls from the clouds to the ground? [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]

Mining Creates Reservoirs and Habitats Activity Source: Source: Minerals Education Coalition. Adapted with permission. There is an important interconnection between local mines and quarries that later become reservoirs and supply crucial water resources to local communities. The life cycle of a mine has different phases. Production supplies important resources such as construction materials and other important minerals. Then with the mine’s closure and reclamation, it is sometimes used for freshwater [Read More]

Model of a Well Activity Source: Nebraska Earth Systems Education Network, School of Natural Resources, by Marianne Bonnemier Background Groundwater is contained in the zone of saturation below the land surface. The top of this zone is known as the water table. People can tap into this source of water by drilling wells. The depth of the well and level of the water table greatly influences the wells productivity. Objective Demonstrate the relationship of groundwater to wells. [Read More]

Modeling Earth’s Water — Fresh vs. Salty Activity Source: Source: U.S. Geological Survey. Adapted with permission. We drink water every day — we can’t live without it! About 70 percent of Earth’s surface is covered by water, but how much of Earth’s water is actually drinkable? In other words, how much is liquid freshwater — not salty or frozen? Materials • Globe or world map • Water cycle diagram • 100 gummy bears [Read More]