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]

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]

Mineral Identification Activity Source: Adapted from Women in Mining Education Foundation Activities Purpose To teach the student to identify minerals by observing and testing the physical properties of each mineral. Instructions Set up mineral stations for each mineral the students are to identify. If necessary, some stations may have two minerals to identify. Each station should be equipped with one each of the following items: Glass plate Penny Streak plate (white unglazed porcelain) Magnet Water Balance Scale Graduated cylinder (for specific gravity test) Steel Nail Divide students into equal groups. [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 an Oil Reserve Activity Source: Adapted with permission by the American Association of Petroleum Geologists from AGI’s Earth System Science in the Community (EarthComm), 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]

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]

Nitrogen Connection Activity Source: Adapted with permission by Soil Science Society of America. All biological organisms require certain nutrients to live. Plants require carbon, hydrogen, and oxygen from air and water, as well as nitrogen, phosphorus, potassium, calcium, magnesium, sulfur, iron, manganese, copper, zinc, nickel, chloride, boron, and molybdenum from soil. Animals require a few others. Conversions and transformations of nutrients in the environment result from chemical reactions, biological activity, or both. [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 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]