Windows to the Universe is a user-friendly learning system pertaining to the Earth and Space sciences. The objective of this project is to develop an innovative and engaging web site that spans the Earth and Space sciences and includes a rich array of documents, including images, movies, animations, and data sets that explore the Earth and Space sciences and the historical and cultural ties between ... 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.

The RIDGE Program is a National Science Foundation initiative that promotes interdisciplinary study, scientific communication, and outreach related to all aspects of the globe-encircling, mid-ocean ridge system. The RIDGE Multibeam Synthesis Project site provides free access to downloadable multibeam bathymetric images and datasets of suboceanic ridges and vents. From either a hotlinked world map ... Full description.

This site covers the four main types of faults (not including growth faults): the normal fault, reverse fault, transcurrent (strike-slip) fault, and thrust fault. Animations show the type of movement for each different type of fault. There is a section on the initial stage of a landform, containing a diagram of a graben and horst system. Also included are photographs of fault scarps along Hebgen Lake, ... Full description.

This beginning geophysics course is designed for geology majors. It provides a relatively rigorous and homework-intensive overview of the structure and evolution of the Earth and terrestrial planets, at a level higher than a descriptive geology class, but lower than the standard introduction to geophysics for seniors or first year graduate students. Demonstrations are presented with links to a variety ... Full description.

Athro, Limited is a for-profit corporation that publishes high school and college level biology, earth science, and geology course supplements and independent learning materials on the Web. This site provides instruction in interpreting the order of events in three hypothetical and one real geological section. For each section there is a list of events and an animation of the history of the section ... Full description.

This United States Geological Survey (USGS) publication discusses the San Andreas Fault in California; specifically what has caused the fault, where it is located, surface features that characterize it, and movement that has occurred. General earthquake information includes an explanation of what earthquakes are, and earthquake magnitude versus intensity. Earthquakes that have occurred along the fault ... Full description.

This on-line project is part of the Center for Improved Engineering and Science Education (CIESE) program. As they complete this series of lessons, students will use real-time data to solve a problem, study the correlation between earthquakes and tectonic plates, and determine whether or not there is a relationship between volcanoes and plate boundaries. Musical Plates has four Core Activities that ... Full description.

This activity uses food to demonstrate plate tectonic motions. Students construct a model using different snacks, which represent various parts of the Earth. For example, frosting represents the asthenosphere, fruit rollups are the Earth's plates, and graham crackers are meant to be the Earth's crust. Students learn how tectonic plates (lithosphere) ride atop the slow flowing asthenosphere layer, ... Full description.

This site is a collection of interactive, inquiry-based learning exercises for variety of science topics. Activities are grouped by category and include earthquakes and seismicity, global warming, absolute dating, hydrology, and biology. Earth science tutorials and online laboratory activities feature photographs, maps, diagrams, interactive graphs, and helpful illustrations and animations that make ... Full description.