Modeling Oil and Gas Reservoirs Activity Source: Adapted with permission by the American Association of Petroleum Geologists from AGI’s EarthComm, Earth’s Natural Resources, pp. R65-R66. This activity will help you to understand some of the factors that petroleum geologists need to consider when deciding where to recommend drilling for oil. Since people use petroleum products for energy and as source materials for petrochemicals, it is important as citizen scientists to understand the science and technology behind the search for oil and natural gas. [Read More]

Parks Past, Present, and Future Activity Source: Adapted with permission by National Park Service. Over Earth’s 4.5 billion-year history, tectonic upheavals and colliding plates formed mountain ranges and carved out basins. Forces of erosion and weathering have been at work to break down these landforms. Records of these processes are imprinted on the land and define distinctive landscapes around the United States and in its national parks. The dynamic processes that formed the spectacular landscapes of many national parks remain active today. [Read More]

Particle Size and Oil Production Activity Source: Adapted by AAPG from EarthComm and the American Geosciences Institute. Adapted with permission. What factors affect how easily a fluid can move through sediments? How is this flow rate connected to oil production? Many people think that oil lies in big pools below Earth’s surface. Oil actually is located in the pores within rocks (called “source rocks”). When the pores are connected, oil can flow slowly through the rock. [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]

Shoebox Geologist Activity Source: Adapted with permission by National Park Service. Earth processes such as volcanic eruptions, floods, landslides, and glaciers leave behind evidence of their passing in the form of layers known as deposits . By studying deposits of recent geologic events, geologists are able to better understand older deposits and identify the processes that caused them. A fundamental principle of geology is the Law of Superposition, which states that younger layers will be deposited on top of older layers. [Read More]

Traveling Nitrogen Activity Source: Windows to the Universe. Adapted with permission. Nitrogen is an element that is found both in living things and the nonliving parts of the Earth system. In this classroom activity, students play the role of nitrogen atoms traveling through the nitrogen cycle to gain understanding of the varied pathways through the cycle and how nitrogen is relevant to living things. For the teacher: To prepare, set up nitrogen reservoir stations around the classroom (or outside). [Read More]

Visualizing Your Watershed Activity Source: Source: American Geophysical Union. Adapted with permission. Watersheds can be as small as a lake or thousands of square miles. The natural or human-made surface of the land and the sediments and rocks below are all part of a watershed. Rainfall supplies watersheds, and water moves across the surface or infiltrates and moves through the ground. In this activity you will use a computer model to explore the movement of water within your watershed. [Read More]

Water Quality, Dissolved Oxygen, and Phosphorous Activity Source: Source: American Association of Petroleum Geologists. Adapted with permission. Tap water from the kitchen has very different properties from water in a stream or a pond, even if they might appear similar. Water quality refers to the physical and chemical properties of water that make it suitable for a particular use based on biological, physical, and chemical characteristics. A fish might live in sedimentrich water at the bottom of a lake, but you would not want to drink it! [Read More]