What goes on during an earthquake? Who came up with the theory of plate tectonics? What can the fossil record tell us about the evolution of life on Earth? These are all fine questions, and students and educators with a thirst for geological knowledge will find the answers to these (and many more) questions in the "Earth Revealed" television series. Offered as part of the Annenberg Media website,...

If you want to go around the world via thousands of visually stimulating and engaging photographs, this is a good place to start. Provided by the American Geological Institute (AGI), the Earth Science World Image bank website contains over 6,000 images related to the geophysical sciences for use by educators, the public, and the geoscience community. The photos are contained within a few dozen...

It's always great to learn about an interesting new resource for teaching college students about environmental health, and this one is quite handy. Created as part of the Science Education Resource Center at Carleton College, the Environmental Health Risk Assessment site helps instructors and students "locate and use some of the numerous health-related tools and databases that can be found on the...

Geologic Maps are unique in that they show the distribution of geologic features on a landscape through specific symbols and colors. The United States Geological Survey's (USGS) site Geologic Maps provides visitors with a good introduction to these concepts, which include the unique features of a geologic map; the meaning of their lines, colors, and symbols; the location of faults; and more....

This Geological Survey of Ireland website can increase the public's excitement about geology by offering simple, straightforward materials on the basics of geology. The website is divided into numerous themes such as Volcanoes, Rocks, Caves, and the Water Cycle. The links from each of the headings introduce the topic with simple descriptions and remarkable pictures and offer easy experiments when...

The folks at the Science Education Research Center (SERC) at Carleton College have worked with a team of colleagues to create these "Guided Discovery Problems." The materials here help students learn about the world of geology via intriguing puzzles, structured hands-on activities, carefully worded leading questions, and crucial hints. The problems were developed by Ann Bykerk-Kauffman of the...

Have you ever wanted to learn more about the Permian Reef Complex of the Guadalupe Mountains? Probably not, but Dr. Peter A. Scholle, the Director and State Geologist of the New Mexico Bureau of Mines & Mineral Resources of New Mexico Tech has provided a complete virtual field trip for those who would. Visitors can read and view pictures of the area, the structural history of the mountains, the...

The Lake Tahoe Data Clearinghouse Web site is part of the US Geological Survey's Lake Tahoe Initiative. The agency's goal for the site is to facilitate the coordination of research, monitoring, and environmental-management activities in the Lake Tahoe Basin and to ensure the widest possible access to data and information resulting from such activities. Products available include Digital Elevation...

The Louisiana Geological Survey, located at Louisiana State University, developed this website to promote its goal to provide geological and environmental data that will allow for environmentally sound natural resource development and economic decisions. Users can find general information about the Survey's mission, staff, plan, and history. The website features the research and publications of...

Bringing together the atmosphere, hydrosphere, and the lithosphere can be a formidable challenge. This classroom activity created by H. Catherine W. Skinner of Yale University manages to do that quite elegantly, and it is one that geology teachers will want to try out in their own classrooms. In this activity, students will be presented with the opportunity to explore the natural processes that...