The activity describes Eratosthenes' experiments which determined that the Earth is spherical, rather than flat. Students reproduce Eratosthenes' methods using a slice of pizza to calculate the circumference of the entire pie. Full description.

This laboratory activity demonstrates how seismic waves are generated and helps students understand how they can reveal the composition of Earth's inner layers. Students will construct models by filling shoe boxes with various materials, drop rocks on them to generate 'seismic waves', record the waves, and make observations about their differences. Full description.

In this exercise, students use U.S. Geological Survey and other websites to learn about the history of earthquakes in New York. Through their web research, they will learn what earthquakes are, how and where they occur, and the types of hazards associated with large quakes. They are encouraged to write a report summarizing their results. Full description.

In this activity, students study seismograms from three different seismic stations that recorded the magnitude 9.0 Sumatra earthquake of December 26, 2004. By comparing the arrival times of the P and S waves on each seismogram, they can determine the distance from the epicenter to each station and accurately map its location. Using this information, they also calculate the position of the quake-generated ... Full description.

Students learn how Newton's Law of Gravitation can be used to determine the mass of the Earth. By calculating mass and volume, they can then determine the Earth's density, and compare that result with the densities of other solar system bodies. Knowledge of Earth's density can also provide information about the planet's interior. Full description.

In this activity, students measure the densities of samples of granite, basalt, peridotite/dunite, and an iron meteorite, which are used as representatives of the various layers of the Earth (crust, mantle, core). The samples are weighed to determine their mass, and the Archimedes Principle is used to determine volume. From these two properties, they calculate density, compare it to accepted values ... Full description.

This activity uses the free software 'Seismic Eruption' to visualize seismicity and volcanic activity in space and time and to explore the relationship of earthquakes and volcanic activiy to plate tectonics. Students run simulations on the Pacific coasts of South America and California and the mid-oceanic ridge in the Atlantic Ocean, answer questions, and construct a cross-section. A link to download ... Full description.