This chapter describes the technique of preparing latitude-longitude based data so that it can be imported into a geographic information system (GIS). It describes the steps to create a map to display data and guides users through some basic geographic analyses. The focus of the chapter?s case study is earthquake prediction. Users download and format near real-time and historical earthquake data from ... Full description.

Discovering Plate Boundaries is based on 5 world maps containing earthquake, volcano, topography, satellite gravity, and seafloor age data. The novel aspect of the exercise is the "jigsaw" manner in which student groups access the maps and use them to discover, classify, and describe plate boundary types. The exercise is based only on observation and description, which makes it useful at a wide variety ... Full description.

This module discusses the hydrologic cycle and its impacts on the planet Earth. Additionally, the module addresses connections between the hydrologic cycle, climate and the impacts humans have had on the cycle. Full description.

This brief description of the rock cycle is for younger students. They will learn about the processes by which the three types of rocks can be changed into one another. Full description.

In this lab activity students describe rock types in a variety of exposures to construct a regional stratigraphy. Learning goals, teaching notes and materials, equipment lists, and assessment recommendations are all provided on this website. Additionally, there are links to useful references and resources, including related field labs. Full description.

This Starting Point webpage describes a ConcepTest question that asks students to examine a map and answer the question, how many plates are present? Students are to answer the questions using a diagram representing continental lithosphere, oceanic ridges and trenches and oceanic lithosphere. The website includes the question typical student responses before and after discussion and additional references ... Full description.

This site contains a basic explanation of the rock cycle along with information on the difference between a rock and a mineral and a description of the three types of rocks (igneous, metamorphic, and sedimentary). The site also describes the crust, mantle, outer core, and inner core, which are the four different layers of the Earth. In addition, it has a diagram of the rock cycle showing its relationship ... Full description.

This guide provides an introduction to the glacial landforms and other complexly eroded features seen in Grafton Notch State Park, which is located in southwestern Maine. There is a detailed discussion of the glacial history of the area, which features steep gorges, waterfalls, eskers, an ancient glacial lake, and other landforms superimposed on a terrain of Silurian metamorphic rocks and Devonian ... Full description.

Step-by-step instructions walk users through working with data from a seismic wave model in a freely available GIS (geographic information system) program, ESRI's ArcVoyager SE. Users generate and examine maps and produce graphs to explore variations in seismic wave velocities at depths of 28 and 100 km below Earth's surface. By examining and analyzing GIS-ready data, users visualize density changes ... Full description.

This guide instructs educators on the classroom use of earthquake data from the United States Geological Survey (USGS) Earthquake Hazards Program. The data consist of locations, magnitudes, and times of earthquakes around the world. It is used by emergency response organizations and by scientists seeking to determine how earthquakes effect an area and whether seismic data can be used to predict future ... Full description.