This site is part of the space page of the British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC), and provides information about the Sun, the planets and their moons, and other bodies in the solar system. It contains a travel guide to the Solar System including such topics as what to see, reason to visit, how to get there, and local history. A similar travel guide is then available for the Sun, each of the planets, ... Full description.

This activity uses the concept of natural selection to introduce the idea of formulating and testing scientific hypotheses. Through a focused discussion approach, the teacher provides information and allows students time to think, interact with peers, and propose explanations for observations described by the teacher. While working on this activity, students will be able to: identify questions that ... Full description.

This introduction to the theory of plate tectonics describes the plates as being in constant motion, causing earthquakes, mountain building, volcanism, the production of new crust and the destruction of old. It includes information about plate boundaries: convergent, divergent, and transform, and shows how the continents have moved and are still moving today. It includes goals, objectives, and a list ... Full description.

This resource provides general information about volcanoes. It illustrates the growth of a volcano, using Paricutin and Mt. St. Helens as examples of an active volcano and a lava dome. The terms extinct and dormant are also discussed. This site provides an explanation of why and how volcanoes form, zones of subduction, mid-ocean ridges, and hot spots. Deadly dangers associated with eruptions are discussed ... Full description.

This resource describes how and where lava plateaus have formed. They will discover that lava plateaus of this type can be seen in southeastern Washington, eastern Oregon, and southern Idaho and that some of these lava flows are exposed and measure more than a mile in total thickness. Students will also learn that during late Miocene and early Pliocene times, one of the largest basaltic lava floods ... Full description.

This handout lists major events in Earth history with approximate ages (in millions of years before present). The calendar date is determined by setting midnight, January 1, to correspond with the formation of the Earth, and setting the following midnight, December 31, to correspond to the present. Thus, the entire history of the Earth is displayed as a single calendar year. Full description.

This article and accompanying questions discusses the fact that several of the Earth's tectonic plates move at about the same speed as fingernails grow - around 35 mm per year - and that the plates are made of lithosphere (crust plus the upper part of the mantle). Students will also learn that beneath the lithosphere is the asthenosphere, part of the upper mantle that is ductile because it contains ... Full description.

This time scale allows students to select multiple time periods from a list and view them on a highlighted display. It shows the relationship between eon, era, period, sub-period, and epoch and also includes the date in mega-annum (Ma) or millions of years before present. The scale reflects the changes in the Cenozoic Era (Tertiary and Quaternary have been eliminated and the Neogene modified) in the ... Full description.

This lesson focuses on global warming and a possible connection with the Paleocene extinction event. Students will explore how a global warming episode associated with the release of methane from methane hydrate deposits could have been responsible for the Paleocene extinction event 55 million years ago. They will be able to describe the overall events that occurred during the Paleocene extinction ... Full description.

This exercise can be used to demonstrate changes in the Earth through time, and the length of time it took for those changes to take place. A list of Important Dates in Earth History is provided that contains the dates of the events shown on a time clock. The teacher can pick events from the list of key events and calculate (or have students calculate) the time for the key events they wish to use. ... Full description.