Visitors to this site can access information on tropical storms and hurricanes in the Atlantic Ocean as far back as 1851. Information provided here includes a yearly map showing the tracks of all storms, and individual maps for each storm. The individual maps are accompanied by data tables that show latitude, longitude, wind speed, dates, and times. Full description.

This document outlines the development of the theory of contintental drift and how many lines of evidence collected over several decades by various researchers were brought together to explain how the seafloor spreads and the continents move about. Links to additional information are included. Full description.

Visitors to this site can learn about conditions necessary to view auroras from their geographical location. Materials provided include an explanation of geomagnetic activity and maps showing its distribution, and an explanation of how geographic latitude differs from magnetic latitude, with tables showing magnetic latitudes for major cities around the world. Links are provided to auroral activity ... Full description.

This site explains how core samples are taken from the ocean floor. Topics include how research cruises are planned, who makes up the crew of a research vessel, and what a cruise track is. Links to additional information are embedded in the text. Full description.

This resource describes what mineral sands are, and discusses the heavy, dark-colored minerals that they contain (rutile, ilmenite, zircon, monazite). A map shows locations of mineral sands deposits in Australia. Full description.

Visitors can use sea surface temperature data to build animations that show seasonal and yearly fluctuations, and compare them to data from other selected months and years. The animations can be constructed in map or globe formats and may be viewed on the website or downloaded. Full description.

This account of the history and evolution of the Mississippi River Delta makes use of text, photographs, and satellite imagery to describe how the delta has formed and migrated throughout recent geologic history. Users can read about the formation and subsequent abandonment of various delta lobes and how deltaic landforms (back bays, levees, barrier islands) are formed and destroyed as a result of ... Full description.

This site discusses the loss of ice from the West Antarctic Ice Sheet, which has been observed for the last thirty years. Topics include why, when, and how much ice was lost by the ice sheet since the last glacial maximum, and whether the ice sheet was ever smaller than it is today. Full description.

This resource uses text, images, maps and a laboratory exercise to explain how differences in the temperature and salinity of ocean water cause the formation of deep-ocean currents. It is part of the Jet Propulsion Laboratory's "Ocean Surface Topography from Space" website. This material is also available on the "Visit to An Ocean Planet" CD-ROM. Full description.

The most profound deformational event involving the interaction of lithospheric plates is a collision between continents; for example, the collision of the Indian continent with the Eurasian continent, which began in the Eocene. This continuing collision has produced intracontinental thrust sheets responsible for the highest mountains in the world. Mount Everest, the Annapurna Range, and the rest ... Full description.