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.

In this activity, students plot earthquake hypocenters along a cross-section in an attempt to create an image of a fault deep beneath the surface. The hypocenters they will be using come from the aftershock sequence of the magnitude 5.6 North Palm Springs earthquake that occurred in 1986. The students will learn that accurate positioning of earthquake hypocenters can produce a rough image of a fault, ... Full description.

Since large fault ruptures require the build-up of a great deal of stress, many years pass between repeated surface ruptures on a single fault. The average time between such ruptures, known as the recurrence interval of that fault, is a useful measurement for assessing both the slip rate of the fault and the risk the fault presents. This activity contains three exercises. In the first, students study ... Full description.

This collection of basic definitions and answers to questions about hurricanes and tropical cyclones includes how they form, how they are named, how intensities are measured, and how storms are forecast. Historical information, information on myths surrounding these storms, links to sites displaying real-time storm information, and safety tips are also included. Full description.

This page provides an overview of the role of plate tectonics in the generation of earthquakes. It provides a map of plate locations and figures that illustrate fault types and tectonic environments (extensional, transform, and compressional). Examples of surface features in the Pacific Northwest, Nevada, Indonesia, the San Andreas Fault, the Red Sea, the Zagoros Mountains in Iran, and on the planet ... Full description.

This video shows the retreat of the Laurentide ice sheet that covered much of North America from 18,000 to 8,000 years ago. Full description.

These two shaded relief maps of the United States allow students to observe the differences in texture of the various areas, bearing in mind the concept of physiographic province, a region where the topographic features share common characteristics (and similar texture). The first map, in color, clearly shows the provinces, even though they are not named, as differences in texture. The second map ... Full description.

This collection of imagery from the The Global Land One-km Base Elevation (GLOBE) Project features color and shaded relief images of Africa and Arabia, Asia, Australia and New Zealand, Europe, and North and South America. The images are low-resolution GIF files; higher resolution imagery is available. Full description.

This is the home page for the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA). The goal of the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration is to describe and predict changes in the Earth's environment, and conserve and wisely manage the Nation's coastal and marine resources. This page provides access to the many component organizations, educational resources, and opportunities at the National ... Full description.

This lab activity is part of the Starting Point collection. In this short, serial basic-meteorology lab, students identify different cloud types and estimate cloud cover over a period of several days. This website details learning goals, context for the lab, and teaching notes. A list of teaching materials and links to further resources are also provided. Full description.