This course was originally designed as competency-based course and as such, it includes specific language related to CBE style instruction and is organized by competency so some terminology changes and course restructuring may be required in order to fit well into a quarterly schedule.
Average inquiry level: Structured
This inquiry-based lab about the principles of relative and numerical dating allows students to apply reason and logic to determine the order of geologic events, to experimentally create a radioactive decay and ingrowth diagram, and to calculate numerical ages using algebra. This lab is designed for face-to-face instruction.
By the end of lab, students will be able to:
Determine the order of geologic events using relative dating principles.
Calculate the age of rocks using numerical dating principles.
Select correctly from the range of available numerical dating tools to access Earth history at different scales and in different materials.
Explain how past events from geologic time influence the present and future.
Demonstrate numerical literacy around units, graph manipulation, and using formulas.
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Students must associate different dinosaur trackways with their locations and the rock formations containing the trackways based on clues given from various points of view.
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Students are asked to match up several unique fossils with the site and location where it was found and it's geologic age.
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Students are asked to match up the five largest mass extinction events with their relative dates, approximate duration, and severity (percentage of species that became extinct) based on clues given from various perspectives.
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A Physical Geology Lab Manual for California Community Colleges by Branciforte and Haddad.
The Digital Shoreline Analysis System (DSAS) is a software extension for ArcGIS that allows for automated shoreline change calculations along the coast. The user must supply the shoreline data and the software helps the user create measurement locations (transects) and completes the shoreline change calculations at each location. The result is a visual representation of the shoreline change along a coastline. This representation is far more useful for analysis that one overall average. Unusually high rates of erosion/accretion are easily recognized from the resulting map.
The study location is Rodanthe, NC. The data used in this exercise is the sample data provided by the USGS.
GS106 is a survey course providing non-science majors a broad background in earth science. No previous science background required.
This course introduces the following themes:
The scale of the Universe
Scientific models
Scientific literacy
Science is observable
Scientific models evolve
Nuclear chemistry and physics
Earth materials
Plate tectonics
Global change
Energy resources
Astronomy
Cosmology
Course Outcomes:
1. Have an understanding of the basic concepts, processes, and analytical tools related to the study of the universe.
2. Develop experimental skills and knowledge relating to the gathering and interpretation of scientific information.
3. Evaluate and articulate the relevance of atomic science, geology, atmospheric science, and astronomy on personal, local and global levels.
Here is a list of materials you will need to purchase ASAP for your labs in this course.
For the Mineral Identification Lab in Credit Unit 1 Module 1, you will need:
Mineral kit - http://www.hometrainingtools.com/mineral-study-kit/p/RM-MISTUDY/
Glass plate and porcelain plate - http://www.hometrainingtools.com/mineral-test-kit/p/RM-TESTKIT/
For the Rock Identification Lab in Credit Unit 1 Module 2, you will need:
Rock kit - http://www.hometrainingtools.com/rock-study-kit/p/RM-RKSTUDY/
Students apply their understanding of sedimentary rocks and sediment characteristics to identify where rocks may be forming using a simplified cross-section of a landscape from mountain to sea.
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This activity is a field investigation where students gather geological information of a designated area and identify the geological features they documented.
During this activity, the instructor introduces a miniature watershed, named a GeoSandbox, to provide a conceptual bridge between the schema created in the soup can water budget activity and the schoolyard watershed activity to follow. Students introduce known quantities of water to the GeoSandbox using spray bottles and measure the resulting surface flow and infiltration. The concepts of topography and land use are also introduced. Additional instructional materials are provided to firmly establish the concept of a watershed for students who need the support.
The activity begins by asking students to look at a drawing of a crime scene. The crime scene is specifically drawn so that illustrates several key geologic principals, but to the untrained eye it appears as a murder that took place inside an office. After quietly looking at the image for a few minutes alone, they share with a partner what they think happened. As a class, we record a list of "Observations," making sure to use the opportunity to highlight the difference between observation and interpretation. After we complete the list of observations, students then offer their interpretations about the sequence of events. Without using any new vocabulary, the teacher makes sure to highlight the geologic principles of original horizontality, superposition, cross cutting relations, and uniformitarianism in the students' interpretations. After students share enough competing theories, the professor shows slides of geologic examples that have things in common with parts of the crime scene and points out the similar processes. The activity eventually ends without a clear answer about "whodunnit." This open ending leaves students frustrated, but it really gets across the point that we can never know the exact answer to some problems, we can only come up with viable theories. Students continue to ask for months about what "really" happened, but I never tell them :-) Has minimal/no quantitative componentUses geophysics to solve problems in other fields
What factors lead to a natural disaster? What causes a famine? Why do cities flood? According to a recent article in The Atlantic, Houston's flooding during the 2017 Hurricane Harvey was primarily caused by impervious pavement which prevents the absorption of water into the land. This example illustrates how nature and society are interlinked, which is the main focus of Geography 30, Penn State's introductory course to nature-society geography. In addition to examining the linkages between human development and natural hazards, this course will also explore human society's connection to food systems, climate change, urbanization and biodiversity. The course will also cover topics of ethics and decision making in order to help students evaluate the tradeoffs of these interconnections.
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Test your geography skills with the quizzes. Identify geographic locations on the Earth based on a satellite or aerial image and a brief clue.
Students will look up an address (either of their choosing or instructor-provided) and assess the geologic characteristics and vulnerability of that location. Students will utilize datasets about geologic issues/hazards to learn more about how different geologic processes affect the location.
This geologic investigation will have students observing and investigating coastal features of Western Lake Superior using inquiry-based investigable questions, and inferring possibilities of the coastal features' origins.
This activity is an inquiry-based field investigation of the geologic history of the Minnehaha Falls and St. Anthony Falls areas of Minneapolis. Students will be introduced to rocks and the stories rocks tell in a genuine geologic context, rather than as samples in the classroom.
This exercise is designed to simulate how a basic geological investigation of a site takes place. A basic geological investigation includes familiarizing yourself with the unconsolidated sediments, rocks, structural geology, and groundwater present at your site. As part of this exercise you will have to properly identify a variety of rock types and sediments, create maps that represent data you collected at each location, and complete a basic report of your findings (optional). Once completed, this exercise should give students a basic understanding of how the various concepts used throughout the semester are applied in the real world in the form of a geological investigation.
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This activity is a field investigation where students gather data on fossiliferous limestone, develop an experimental question, and develop a mental model of local geologic history.
The introductory level course teaches geology majors basic skills in the context of a field-based problem, the integrating theme for the semester, so that they can more rapidly achieve an advanced skill level in their upper-division courses.
(Note: this resource was added to OER Commons as part of a batch upload of over 2,200 records. If you notice an issue with the quality of the metadata, please let us know by using the 'report' button and we will flag it for consideration.)