Science Education Resource Center at Carleton College
Serc: Earth Science Education Activities: Prof. Larry Braile
A lesson collection covering plate tectonics, with some structural geology and planetary science projects. The PDF files include activities, hand outs, maps, and directions for building a simple seismometer and seismograph. Also included...
Science Education Resource Center at Carleton College
Serc: Fairly Simple Geology Exercises
A collection of geology exercises which include relevant background information, complete instructions, student handouts, and answer keys. Topics include rock and mineral identification, Bowen's reaction series, crystal models,...
Science Education Resource Center at Carleton College
Serc: Hotspot Lesson: Final Project
Student groups work on a assigned hotspot chain in this culminating assignment for a series of activities about hotspots and plate motions. Each group gets to study a seamount trail from around the world and presents their findings to...
Science Education Resource Center at Carleton College
Serc: Hotspot Lesson: Mantle Plumes
A lesson that explains a theory on magma generation at hotspots called the mantle plume theory. The goal of this lesson is to introduce students to a theory that scientists are actively trying to prove or refute. Through this, students...
Science Education Resource Center at Carleton College
Serc: Hotspot Lesson: Samoan Hotspot
Using the Hotspot Theory and Plate Velocities, students make comparisons between Hawaii and Samoa in an attempt to determine the volcanic origin of Samoa.
Wikimedia
Wikipedia: Continental Drift
A brief Wikipedia encyclopedia article on continental drift. It tells what continental drift is, what causes it, and gives examples of evidence that continental drift has occurred.
National Institute of Educational Technologies and Teacher Training (Spain)
Ministerio De Educacion: Los Cambios en El Medio Natural I
In this unit you can learn about the internal structure of the Earth. It has 13 interactive activities.
National Institute of Educational Technologies and Teacher Training (Spain)
Ministerio De Educacion: Los Cambios en El Medio Natural Ii
In this unit you can learn about the deformation of rocks, magmatism, plutonism and seismic waves. It has 16 interactive activities.
Purdue University
Purdue University: San Francisco Bay Area Earthquakes
Students use geologic fault maps of the San Francisco Bay Area to find relationships between tectonic plate fault lines and landscape features, topographic features, and epicenters of past earthquakes.
National Institute of Educational Technologies and Teacher Training (Spain)
Ministerio De Educacion: Estructura Interna De La Tierra
In addition to exploring the inside of the earth, this unit will explore the consequences on the dynamics of the outer layers; it will deepen the knowledge of plate tectonics and the movement of the plates in the past. It includes 16...
Science Education Resource Center at Carleton College
Serc: Hawaiian Islands: Volcano Ages, Hotspots and Plate Motion
The ages of volcanic rocks are used to investigate speed of motion of the Pacific plate, to analyze the distinctive bend in the chain, and to consider the age data in the context of a hotspot model of formation.
PBS
Pbs Teachers: Seismometer
Build an instrument for measuring movement to learn about how scientists measure the Earth's movement with a seismometer.
Math Science Nucleus
I. Science Ma Te: Integrating Science, Math and Technology
This site offers a wealth of online textbook-related materials that encourage the discovery of science in the world around us. Enter the site to access material on specific topics. Each section contains reading material (complete with...
PBS
Pbs Teachers: Deadly Shadow of Vesuvius
Observe the relationship among volcanoes, earthquakes and lithospheric plates by collecting data and creating maps. This activity was created to be used with the NOVA program, "Deadly Shadow of Vesuvius" but the video is not necessary...
PBS
Pbs/wgbh: Tectonics: Mountain Maker, Earth Shaker
A visual interactive illustrating the impact of tectonic plate motion. Users will move each plate to see what happens to the Earth's surface.
PBS
Mountain Maker Earth Shaker
This resource gives an introduction to the theory of plate tectonics. It also has animations of four types of plate boundary interactions (convergent, divergent, transforming, collisional).
PBS
Continents on the Move
Scientists believe that all the continents were once combined in one supercontinent. That means that the continents must be moving. Find out how scientists can measure the movement of whole continents!
Other
An Introduction to the Abc's of Plate Tectonics
Resource presents the basics of plate tectonics, as well as a summary of the current thinking about plate tectonics and its mechanisms.
Other
Pangea: Alfred L. Wegener Biography
Two biographies of Wegener and his work including his theory on how raindrops form.
Other
San Andreas fault.org: Tectonics
Provides a good overview of plate tectonics with embedded links to related information.
US Geological Survey
Usgs: November 29, 1975 Kalapana
Describes details of the earthquake of November 29, 1975 Kalapana in Hawaii, the tsunami, and the eruption of the volcano Kilauea as a result of the earthquake.
US Geological Survey
Usgs: Volcanic Hazards, Features, and Phenomena
Site from the U.S. Geological Survey provides a brief list of volcano terminology including descriptions as well as links to major menus.
PBS
Pbs: Scientific American Frontiers: Earth on the Move
The interactive resource examines the plate tectonics, magnetic reversals, and continental drift of the Earth. An animation of the Earth's continental drift over the last 750 million years is included.
University of Southern California
Earthquake Country Alliance: Putting Down Roots in Earthquake Country
This handbook is a resource for living in earthquake country. It provides information about why we should care about earthquakes in Southern California, what we should do to be safe and reduce damage, and also what we should know about...