This is a partially developed activity description. It is included in the collection because it contains ideas useful for teaching even though it is incomplete.

Initial Publication Date: February 11, 2008

Feature Exploration on the Seafloor

Glenn Richard, Gareth Funning and Ned Gardiner
Topic: integrating data/interdisciplinary
geophysics/geomorphology
finding, customizing, importing, using data
Course Type: upper level

Description

The students will utilize existing capabilities of geobrowsers such as GeoMapApp to access and explore resources but supplement them with ancillary data that have not yet been integrated into those geobrowsers.

Goals

The students will explain terrain and topographic features by integrating their understanding of solid earth processes from multiple perspectives. First, they will access tectonic datasets such as fault structures, age of crust, etc. to understand the tectonic environment and history. Second, they will search for additional datasets that inform the post-tectonic geomorphic changes that shape present-day landforms. For example, to understand the Hudson River/Estuary Valley, students will synthesize last glacial maximum coverage and sea level/shoreline data to determine subaerial exposed/erosional surfaces. Alternatively, explore slumps off the Hawaiian Islands. Explore hot spot motion using age of the crust. Examine terrestrial elevation and seafloor sediment depth to infer landslide dynamics.

Assessment

The student will successfully explain the noted feature utilizing data obtained within GeoMapApp but also supplementing these with resources the student identifies through published research, the internet, paper maps, or other sources.

References

http://www.geomapapp.org