This site explains how to use evidence from fossils to understand the ecology of ancient organisms. Fossils provide clues and together abiotic and biotic factors combine to form complete ecosystems, each with its own unique ecology and history. Predator and prey relationships and dispersal are used as examples to show how fossils can also tell us about biotic factors, such as what organisms are present ... Full description.

This interactive site demonstrates how fossil evidence and the principle of superposition are used to determine the age of rock layers and fossils. It contains several examples of index fossils and how they are used to date events. Geologic changes including continental drift are also related to fossil evidence. Full description.

This provides many links to articles, graphics, scientific papers and podcasts to help students understand how scientists determine probabilities for earthquake occurrences. Topics include the locations of faults and how much they need to move in order to release the strain that accumulates; the study of past earthquakes on each fault to predict the size of possible earthquakes that could occur in ... Full description.

This brief tutorial and activity will provide younger students with some idea how earthquakes occur. The text explains how strain builds up along a fault until the rock breaks, releasing energy in the form of seismic waves. This concept is reinforced by a simple experiment in which the students break a foam rubber block in half and then try to slide the broken halves past each other. Full description.

This tutorial provides information on the four types of wave motion seen in earthquakes (S, P, Love, and Rayleigh waves). A table accompanied by text describes their particle motion, typical veolcity, and other characteristics. The four animations show a rectangular block of material with outlined with grid lines and a filled-in grid square to highlight the particle motion and direction of propagation. ... 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 educational module has been designed to provide students with the opportunity to interactively investigate the nature of earthquakes. The module has been divided into three major sections, "What is an Earthquake?", "The Distribution of Earthquakes", and "Measuring Earthquakes". Each section presents background material and interactive learning activities allowing students to understand such characteristics ... Full description.

This tutorial provides general information on soil liquefaction, a hazard associated with earthquakes, for interested lay persons, and more detailed information for engineers. Topics include what soil liquefaction is, and when, where, and why it occurs. There are also suggestions for minimizing the risk of soil liquefaction, links to sites on soil liquefaction research, and links to sites on related ... Full description.

This interactive tutorial provides students with an overview of Earth's history and its relation to geologic time. Topics include the age of the Earth, the use of timelines, and the concepts of relative and actual age. Once these topics have been covered, their applications to rocks and fossils are explained through the concepts of superposition (oldest rocks on the bottom), the use of fossils to ... Full description.