Visualizing Earth from the Classroom

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Meridian: Jan 99: Visualizing Earth

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Visualizing Earth from the Classroom Holly Dodson University of California, San Diego [email protected] Paula Levin University of California, San Diego [email protected] Dave Reynolds Olive Peirce Middle School [email protected] Randall Souviney University of California, San Diego [email protected]

Introduction

"VisEarth is a collaborative effort by university researchers and classroom teachers to

The Visualizing Earth Project (VisEarth) examines how visualizations

can help students learn science. VisEarth, funded by National Science Foundation (NSF) Advanced Technology Division, is exploring the K-12 educational potential of network-based technologies and data sources for geographic and weather visualization. It is a joint project of the University of California, San Diego (UCSD), San Diego State University (SDSU), Pennsylvania State University (PSU), and the Technology Education Research Center (TERC).

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Monday, February 15, 1999


systematically document the teaching and learning opportunities afforded by space-based Earth imagery and other on-line data."

Visualizing Earth National Science Foundation EarthKAM SpaceMath TERC Third grade class Seventh grade class High school class Our Dynamic Planet VistaPro NIH Image Environmental Systems Research Institute's earthquakes

"...we decided to focus curriculum development on geology and plate tectonics


VisEarth is a collaborative effort by university researchers and classroom teachers to systematically document the teaching and learning opportunities afforded by space-based Earth imagery and other on-line data. The richness of the data is illustrated in the above EarthKAM images of Rio de La Plata near Buenos Aires and Lake Menindee along the Darling River in New South Wales, Australia. The project is systematically exploring cognitive outcomes and instructional implications of using geo-information systems (GIS) for analyzing images and other geo-referenced data. We are investigating whether these resources can be effective in helping students improve their scientific visualization skills and their understanding of geoscience concepts. VisEarth was developed as a result of our experience working with teachers on an earlier National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) funded project named EarthKAM (originally KidSAT). EarthKAM made it possible for middle school students to control a digital camera on the Space Shuttle from their classrooms (Gore, 1992; Way, Ride & Stork, 1996). The EarthKAM camera has flown on the Space Shuttle four times over the past three years and there are plans for one flight per academic year until the camera is installed on the International Space Station. In orbit, the camera is controlled by an onboard computer that responds to commands sent from the Mission Operations Center (MOC) at UCSD. The MOC provides real-time information about the Shuttle's current position, local weather information and other online resources. Once the EarthKAM project was up and running, it became apparent that we needed to know much more about how teachers and students would actually integrate the Earth images into lessons and projects in the classroom. Initial findings from Chris Halter's SpaceMath project demonstrated the potential for using space-based imagery for teaching and learning. In this project, closely linked to early EarthKAM activities, shuttle images were used by high school algebra and geometry students to explore the mathematical concepts of proportion and curve fitting. How shuttle images might be used to enhance learning in the sciences became a primary focus of the VisEarth Project. Using Visualizations in Science Lessons In the K-12 classrooms that have access to the latest educational technology, students learn by using multiple media to access and process information. Classroom resources include traditional encyclopedias, CD-ROM applications, Web resources, scanners, video cameras, and other such devices. Currently, in using these various media, the students are required to integrate information from various sources, convert files to compatible forms, and combine information into project reports. A system that can integrate information from these multiple, multimedia sources can have a significant impact on teaching and learning. Such integrated visualizations have the potential to transform information integration Page: 2



plate tectonics in order to take best advantage of the shuttle images."


with the effects potentially showing up in the lesson planning activities of classroom teachers and in the products of students (Hall, 1992; Saferstein, 1991; Saferstein & Souviney, 1997; Souviney, Saferstein & Chambers, 1995). Over the three-year duration of the project, we have been observing teachers and students using on-line visualizations and computer simulations in science lessons and have been documenting its use by teachers for lesson design. After each implementation, we have interviewed teachers to elicit information about lesson effectiveness and their assessment of student performance. Finally, we have also administered student pre- and post-tests, described further below, to measure relative gains in science knowledge and visualization skills. Development of the Visualizing Earth Activities The activities of Visualizing Earth were developed by university faculty and researchers at UCSD and SDSU working in close collaboration with the middle and high school teachers. Early on in the development process, we decided to focus curriculum development on geology and plate tectonics in order to take best advantage of the shuttle images. Complementary curriculum development activities at TERC focused on weather and atmospheric studies. All VisEarth teachers and researchers worked with high resolution shuttle images from NASA around which to organize geology lessons. In a trial implementation in Stephanie Buttell-Maxin's third grade class, Eric Frost (SDSU) taught Earth Science topics over a two week period using images, demonstrations, and activities. Since the classroom had no networking capabilities, Frost used hard copies of images of Earth and the solar system taken from space and from Earth. Instead of using computer animations, Frost led the students through the animations having them act out different roles such as a subducting oceanic plate, an earthquake, or the rising portion of a convection cell. Although the third grade students were highly engaged in the activities, we concluded that the subject matter was too far advanced, and focused our curriculum development at middle and high school level. In the next implementation, Kevin Robinson (SDSU) and Holly Dodson (UCSD) developed a two week unit for seventh grade science students, based on topics selected by the classroom teacher, Jay Klopfenstein. Robinson, assisted by Dodson and Klopfenstein, provided instruction for the activities. During the third year of the Visualizing Earth Project, a high school science teacher, Anna Wilder-O'Neil, worked in collaboration with Dodson in developing a series of VisEarth activities which Wilder-O'Neil then taught to her Earth Science students. At this same time, a second middle school science teacher, Dave Reynolds, was working in his own classroom to design activities to take advantage of students' access to space shuttle images. His implementation is described in detail in the next section. Page: 3





Thus, throughout the development and implementation of VisEarth Activities, there was shift in the collaboration of VisEarth personnel. Initially university faculty and researchers took the lead in teaching the lessons with the consultation, assistance, and guidance of classroom teachers. By the end of the project, middle and high school teachers were designing and implementing their own VisEarth activities, with the assistance of university personnel. Visualizing Earth in Middle School Science In all, the geology activities within the VisEarth Project have been developed and implemented in one elementary school, two middle school, and two high school classrooms over the past three years. In this paper, we focus on the implementation of the Visualizing Earth activities by Dave Reynolds, a science teacher at Olive Peirce Middle School (OPMS), located in a rural community near San Diego. Reynolds has participated in the project since it inception and has himself adapted lessons that were previously developed and implemented by project staff at other sites. He adapted the VisEarth activities and co-designed many of the lessons. He taught the lessons independently with project staff observing and providing technical assistance as needed. In the first year of implementation, all six of his eighth grade science classes (190 students) completed the VisEarth lessons described in this paper. The class had access to eight networked PowerPC Macintosh computers for the duration of the unit. Computer based simulations included Our Dynamic Planet, Epicenter, VistaPro, and a fault-identification activity using NIH Image. Color printed and on-line shuttle images were used throughout the implementation. The students, working in groups of four, built three-dimensional physical models from topographic maps and then created topographic maps of the three-dimensional representations they build in VistaPro. The students also learned to use on-line aerial photographs and oriented their 3-D models to the aerial photos. During the second year of implementation, again Reynolds worked with all six of his eighth grade science classes (160 students) on the Visualizing Earth activities. This time 16 networked PowerPC Macintosh computers were available for student use in the classroom, and the activity schedule was expanded by several days to include more time on the programs Our Dynamic Planet, Epicenter, and the Environmental Systems Research Institute (ESRI) "live earthquake maps" site.

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Meridian: A Middle School Computer Technologies Journal a service of NC State University, Raleigh, NC Volume 2, Issue 1, January 1999 ISSN 1097-9778 URL: http://www.ncsu.edu/meridian/jan99/visearth/index.html contact Meridian All rights reserved by the authors.


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Meridian: Jan 99: Visualizing Earth: page 2


Visualizing Earth from the Classroom "Students were able to create, animate and explore landscapes of their choice. "

VisEarth lesson plans and activity sheets Implementation at Olive Peirce Middle School EarthRise database ESRI's live earthquake maps

"Students can see the data that supports the theory of plate tectonics."

VisEarth Geology Activities

The following 10 VisEarth geology activities are linked to detailed lesson plans, student activity sheets, commentary and photographs of the actual implementation in Reynolds' classroom.

Activity 1: Topography Activity-Building a Model of Mt. Woodson This activity helps students to visualize, in three dimensions, features represented by contour lines on a topographic map. Students worked in groups to make a three dimensional topographic model of Mount Woodson. Students were able to view Mt. Woodson from the classroom. When we used this activity in other schools we used a feature from the topographic map of the local quadrangle. We surmised that a local feature would be of greater interest to the students. Lesson Plan Activity Sheets OPMS implementation Activity 2: Comparing Topographical Maps to 3-Dimensional Models In Activity 2, students were introduced to the program VistaPro, an inexpensive virtual reality imaging program that uses real world data from the USGS (United States Geological Survey) and NASA. Students were able to create, animate and explore landscapes of their choice. The students viewed several animations that the classroom teacher had previously created. They were asked to create a topographic map of areas after viewing the 3-D fly-around or drive through movie. The students then looked at the DEM (digital elevation model) and compared their drawing to the DEM. They learned how to depict craters, mountains and canyons in topographic maps. Time permitting, students were able to render their own images using VistaPro DEM's. They used the preview feature to fly through (wire-frame) their landscapes. Lesson Plan Activity Sheets OPMS implementation Activity 3: Discovering the Principle of Isostasy Using Common House-Hold Materials Using samples of wood, sponge, and styrofoam to represent the continental and oceanic lithosphere, students learned about density and isostasy. The students each made their own predictions about the household materials (used to represent various Earth layers) while samples of the wood, sponge, Page: 1




and Styrofoam were displayed. The students then completed the experiments in which the properties of each of the household materials are determined. Lesson Plan Activity Sheets OPMS implementation

Activity 4: Understanding the Earth, Both on the Inside and Out, Using Our Dynamic Planet This activity centered around the interactive CD-ROM Our Dynamic Planet. Students were able to discover properties of the Earth by accessing vast databases through a simple, "user-friendly" interface. Our Dynamic Planet CD-ROM - This activity centered around the interactive CD-ROM Our Dynamic Planet created at U.C. Santa Barbara by Dr. William A. Prothero, Jr. This teaching tool was created for first-year University students, but we have been using it successfully with middle school students. This software provided students with access to a wide range of global data that they can explore for themselves. Students can see the data that supports the theory of plate tectonics. There are three major parts to this CD: the map activity, the profile game, and the geography game. The map activity is the part that we concentrated on, but we also used the profile game to help the students become accustomed to the information shown in a profile and to teach students how to use the program. The map activity contains a vast amount of data which was easily accessible to the student. Some of the databases that the students accessed were the elevation, earthquake, and volcano databases. In the visual display for the map activity, students were shown a Mercator projection of the world and were able to zoom in on any section. They used the profile tool to draw a line across a feature they wished to examine in profile view. The profile shows up beneath the map. The CD's tutorial does an excellent job of explaining what information is shown in the profile. Lesson Plan Activity Sheets OPMS implementation

Activity 5: Introduction to Seismicity Students were introduced to seismic waves, using a demonstration with the slinkies to explain P and S waves and their properties. This activity is an important precursor to using the program Epicenter, in Activity 6. See the lesson plans for more information and a figure showing the different motions. Lesson Plan Activity Sheets OPMS implementation

Activity 6: The Student as Seismologist: Triangulating the Location of an Page: 2




Earthquake Using Epicenter Using the program Epicenter, students studied why earthquakes occur where they do and how to determine the location of an earthquake. Students became seismologists trying to triangulate the location of an earthquake by using seismograms. Another interesting topic that can be addressed using this activity are map projection and great circles. Lesson Plan Activity Sheets OPMS implementation

Activity 7: Fault Investigations Using the Image Processing Software, NIH Image This activity allowed students to use the graphics program NIH Image and images of tectonic faults from the EarthRise database. EarthRise is a database of photos of Earth taken by astronauts in the space shuttle. Each image has metadata and many of the images have detailed captions. The students received handouts and a National Geographic map to assist them with their identification of the faults. The assignment was to identify and label the faults. Most of the students were able to investigate the following faults: Point Reyes (San Andreas and Hayward Faults), California; Dead Sea Fault, Israel and Jordan; Atacama Desert Fault, Chile; and the Nayband Fault, Kerman, Iran. Lesson Plan Activity Sheets Downloadable TIFF images OPMS implementation

Activity 8: What Exactly Do Plate Tectonics Have to Do with Earthquakes? In this activity, students investigated the three types of plate boundaries (convergent, divergent, and transform) and the types of faults (thrust, normal, and strike-slip) normally associated with each boundary. Students worked with shuttle images of the Earth, National Geographic world maps, 11"x17" copies of tectonic maps, and worksheets. A demonstration on the "handedness" of lateral faults was necessary. Lesson Plan Activity Sheets OPMS implementation

Activity 9: Understanding Sea-floor Spreading Using the Program, Sea Floor-Spreading The students were introduced to the program, Sea Floor-Spreading, in order to visualize divergent margins. Students used the program to recreate sea-floor spreading and the pattern of magnetic stripes that are created by different configurations of plate boundaries. They saw how transform faults at mid-oceanic ridges function. Lesson Plan Activity Sheets OPMS implementation Page: 3





Activity 10: Studying Recent Earthquakes Using ESRI's "Live Earthquake Maps" The students used ESRI's "live earthquake maps" site to access near real time seismic data from a simple graphic interface. They worked with the various data to understand what earthquakes are currently happening on the Earth and why. The students created maps of areas that interested them. Each time they created a map, the pertinent earthquake data for that region was listed at the bottom of the image. The students were especially interested in the earthquake swarms occurring near Mammoth Mountain, California. Lesson Plan Activity Sheets OPMS implementation

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Meridian: A Middle School Computer Technologies Journal a service of NC State University, Raleigh, NC Volume 2, Issue 1, January 1999 ISSN 1097-9778 URL: http://www.ncsu.edu/meridian/jan99/visearth/visearth2.html contact Meridian All rights reserved by the authors.


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Visualizing Earth from the Classroom "...we designed these on-line activities to collect data about student understanding of orientation, scale, and surface features of selected images."

Script for on-line image task

How Does Visualizing Earth Work?: Using Image Task for Assessment

One component of the Visualizing Earth Project has been the

development of a series of Web sites which allow students to complete image interpretation (Dodson, Johnson, Levin & Souviney, 1998.) Working with Dr. Lynn Liben (PSU), we designed these on-line activities to collect data about student understanding of orientation, scale, and surface features of selected images. An undergraduate researcher at UCSD, Jeff Johnson, wrote a script that creates these on-line image tasks. Space-based Earth images are presented individually or in pairs. Using the on-line image tasks, student responses are automatically collected in a database for later analysis. Image Task #1 assesses student visualization skills, beginning with several close-up shuttle images of the San Diego area. Students are asked to identify the places they recognize and also the general geographical features. They are also asked to identify specific image features such islands, space, lakes, bays, and rivers. They are then shown a series of images of the same region at different scales and orientations and asked to match features in all the images. Students also perform mental rotations of images so that they match the orientation of their paired image.

Task 1 to assess

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visualization skills Task 2, end-of-unit assessment Pre-test on basic geology Unit post-test


After working with images of San Diego, students perform similar tasks with images of the Middle East. In order to elicit students' thinking in image interpretation, we point students to an unnamed feature of a Middle East image (in this case, the Suez Canal), and ask them to explain whether they think the feature is man-made or natural, and their reasons. All students also complete Image Task #2, a similar on-line exercise, as an end of unit assessment.

Evaluation statistics Earth and Space Science course

" We anticipate that more extensive work with images, as an integral component of classroom lessons, will result in enhanced student conceptual understanding of Earth science topics and improved image interpretation skills."

These two space shuttle photographs of Earth are used in the Image Task. They are both from the EarthRise database. On the left is Baja California, Mexico, and on the right is the Sinai Peninsula and the Middle East.

VisEarth Assessment in Reynolds' Class In order to examine the feasibility of the Image Task assessment, the activity was first tested with 70 of Reynolds' students at the end of the year in which VisEarth lessons were developed. Levin conducted a preliminary analysis of the data, and these findings indicated that students were generally competent in identifying features on images, especially when these images were of actual locations with which they had personal familiarity. When asked to identify matching locations on two images that differed in scale, students were also highly successful. Further modifications of the Image Task were made to allow for the examination of the role that familiarity of images plays in the ability to recognize similar features across images that differ in scale. Students were most challenged by tasks that asked them to compare images which differed from one another in orientation. Very few students successfully determined the direction of rotation of specific features on the images. We modified Image Task #1 and developed Image Task #2 to assess changes in image interpretation as a result of participation in VisEarth activities the following year. In the implementation year, students in Reynolds' class completed a pre-test of 10 questions evaluating previous knowledge of basic geology information. Image Task #1 was given to each student, individually and on-line. The post-test consisted of 20 questions which included the 10 from the pre-test. At that time students also completed Image Task #2. Average score growth was significant for both content knowledge (p < 0.0001; n = 107) and ability to interpret images (p < 0.0001; n = 100). However, since there was no control group, net gain cannot be solely Page: 2




attributed to the image-rich geology activities. Discussion What are the implications of using an image-rich curriculum to enhance content knowledge and visual processing skills? In general, middle school Earth science students rarely have the opportunity to use visualizations to help them develop conceptual understanding. Typical Earth science lessons may be limited to viewing rock collections, looking at maps of plate boundaries, and perhaps watching a video of a volcanic eruption. Using these limited visualization tools, students have difficulty making the connection between geologic forces, the movement of continental plates, and the resulting features on the Earth's surface. Reynolds found the VisEarth activities to be effective in assisting his students develop conceptual understanding of complex geological processes. Viewing profiles of plate boundaries dynamically and coordinating these displays with actual images of the Earth and other georeferenced data made it easier for students to understand complex plate-tectonic interactions. As a result of VisEarth activities, more students were able to make the critical connection between current geologic formations and real-life plate-tectonic forces. Conclusion Results of this study suggest that participation in the VisEarth activities, even for the limited three-week period, enhanced student geology learning. We anticipate that more extensive work with images, as an integral component of classroom lessons, will result in enhanced student conceptual understanding of Earth science topics and improved image interpretation skills. To examine this conjecture, Wilder-O'Neil is implementing VisEarth activities in a year long grade nine Earth and Space Science course. As a result of this implementation, we expect to learn about the long-term achievement effects of extended and varied engagement with space-based images on student knowledge and visualization skills. References Dodson, H. , Johnson, J., Levin, P. & Souviney, R. (1998). Visualizing Earth project. Computers & Geosciences, 24 (5). http://www.uh.edu/~jbutler/anon/holly.html Gore, A. (1992). Earth in the balance: Ecology and the human spirit. New York: Houghton Mifflin. Hall, S. (1992). Mapping the next millennium: How computer-driven cartography is revolutionizing the face of science. New York: Vintage Books. Saferstein, B. (1991). Cultural processing of technology: Two cases of the strength of cognitive ties. Paper presented at the annual meeting of Page: 3





the American Sociological Association. Saferstein, B. & Souviney, R. (1997). Secondary science teachers, the Internet, and curriculum development: A Community of explorers. Journal of Educational Technology Systems, 26 (2), 113-126 . Souviney, R., Saferstein, B. & Chambers, E. (1995). InternNet: Network communication and teacher development. The Journal of Computing and Teacher Education, 11 (4), 5-15. Way, J., Ride, S., & Stork, E. (1996). KidSAT quantative remote sensing for science and applications. (pp. 578-580.) in T. Stein (Ed.) International Geoscience and Remote Sensing Symposium 1. New York: IEEE. Image References EarthKAM images can be found at http://www.earthkam.ucsd.edu/ EarthRise images can be obtained from http://earthrise.sdsc.edu/ Photographs of classroom implementation were captured from video taken in Reynolds' class by Dodson and OPMS student videographers, K. Yeaton and B. Hook. The authors wish to thank Daryl Stermon for his assistance with analyzing the statistical data for this project.

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Meridian: A Middle School Computer Technologies Journal a service of NC State University, Raleigh, NC Volume 2, Issue 1, January 1999 ISSN 1097-9778 URL: http://www.ncsu.edu/meridian/jan99/visearth/visearth3.html contact Meridian All rights reserved by the authors.


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VE_stats.html


Pre-test (%)

Post-test (%)

Change (%)

Significance*

n

Content Test

39

61

22

p < 0.0001

107

Image Task

60

67

7

p < 0.0001

101

* Wilcoxson Matched Pairs test.

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Meridian:Jan 99:Visualizing Earth: OPMS implementation



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Visualizing Earth from the Classroom Olive Peirce Middle School Implementation of Lesson Plans Activity 1 Activity 2 Activity3 Activity 4 Activity 5 Activity 6 Activity 7 Activity 8 Activity 9 Activity 10

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Meridian: A Middle School Computer Technologies Journal a service of NC State University, Raleigh, NC Volume 2, Issue 1, January 1999 ISSN 1097-9778 URL: http://www.ncsu.edu/meridian/jan99/visearth/olvprc/index.html contact Meridian All rights reserved by the authors.


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Olive Peirce Middle School Ramona, California

We began with a model building activity. The students buildt models of Mount Woodson, a 2984 foot peak visible from the classroom. They used topographic maps to build accurate models of the mountain.

Above, you can see the students' models in various degrees of completion. In this exercise the students learned how to translate a two-dimensional map into a three-dimensional object. BACK

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Olive Peirce Middle School

After completing the model of Mount Woodson, students adressed issues of scale and orientation. Here a student orients his model of Mt. Woodson to an aerial photograph of the same area. The students also calculated the scale of the model, which was approximately 1:14,000.

Using the program VistaPro, students viewed 3-D movies of features such as Mount Shasta (above left) and craters on Mars (above right.) They then created topographic maps of the features.

To the left is a DEM (digital elevation model) of a portion of Mount Shasta. To the right is a student's topographic map of the craters on Mars.

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Olive Peirce Middle School The next subject was isostasy. A large container of water was used to model the asthenosphere, the upper layer of the Earth's mantle on which the lithosphere floats. Blocks of styrofoam and wood represented continental lithosphere, and a sponge represented the oceanic lithosphere. In the image to the left, two pieces of continental lithosphere collide to form a mountain belt.

Above left, the more dense oceanic lithosphere (represented by the sponge) was show to collide with, and subduct beneath the more buoyant continental lithosphere (represented by the styrofoam.) Above right, is a Fig Newton which is also an excellent model of the uppermost layers of the Earth. The cookie part represents the rigid, stony lithosphere. The jelly part represents the plastically flowing asthenosphere. When students subjected the Fig Newtons to divergent or convergent stresses, the cookie part cracked, while the jelly part flexed or flowed. This procedure works best when the cookie is warm. BACK

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http://www.ncsu.edu/meridian/jan99/visearth/olvprc/ Olive_Peirce4.html

VisEarth in Action



Several days were set aside to work with the CD-ROM, Our Dynamic Planet, created at UC Santa Barbara by Dr. William Prothero. The students used the Profile Game to identify unknown features. Above left is a profile drawn across an island. The students investigated unknown features using the programs' tools, and then answered questions about that feature. Their answers were automatically scored by the program and any mistakes are pointed out.

Above left is a profile across a ridge. To the right is an oblique view of a depression. This program has many useful tools, and students were able to investigate the features using several views of different orientation.

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VisEarth in Action


Another feature of Our Dynamic Planet is a map activity. This activity contains a vast amount of information which was easily accessible to the student. Some of the information that students accessed were elevation, earthquake, and volcano databases. Above, students are shown working on the Map activity.

In the activity above, two different types of convergent margins were being investigated. On the left is a convergent boundary where oceanic lithosphere is subducted beneath continental lithosphere, giving rise to the volcanic Andes Mountain chain. On the right is a collision zone where two continental lithospheric plates (India into Asia) have crashed into each other, forming the Himalayan Mountains. At the bottom of each image, the profile is displayed. When students viewed the profiles, they discovered that the oceanic lithosphere was more dense, and therefore floated lower in the asthenosphere than the continental lithosphere. In the left hand profile, you can actually see the trench which is formed when oceanic lithosphere is subducted beneath continental lithosphere.

Above left, a student added the volcano database and was in the process of adding the earthquake database to the subduction zones (Aleutian, Kamchatka, and Kuril) in the northern Pacific Ocean. To the right is a view of the northwestern United States with the volcano data. BACK

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VisEarth in Action

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Mr. Reynolds presented background information about seismic waves before students went to work with their Slinky.

Above, the students demonstrate the P wave, a compressional wave which can travel through solid, liquid, or vapor. It is the faster of the two seismic body waves that they learned about today.

Above, the students demonstrate the S wave, a shearing wave, which can only travel through solids. BACK Monday, February 15, 1999


VisEarth in Action



Earthquakes are a compelling subject to students living in Southern California. Students learned more about earthquakes by using Epicenter, an interactive earthquake epicenter finding program. After using a Slinky to learn the difference between P and S waves, students were ready to tests their skills as seismologists. Above left is a seismogram from a seismic station, from which the students determined when the P and S waves arrived. Above right, student recorded their data.

After determining when the P and S waves arrived at the seismic station, students used the information to find the distance from that station to the earthquake's epicenter. Once the distance was determined, the program drew a circle with a radius of that determined distance around the station. Once this process was completed for three stations, the location of the earthquake was easily determined by finding the intersection of the three circles (some of which appear as lines on the Mercator projection base map.) Above right, students did an excellent job of finding the location of an earthquake on the Mid-Atlantic Ridge.

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VisEarth in Action


To the left is the screen that students used to create their own earthquakes. They controlled when the earthquake occured, where it occured, and how strong it was.

Above, students compared seismograms taken from different seismic stations. To the left is a seismogram from a station very near the epicenter of the earthquake, and to the right from a station farther away from the earthquake's epicenter. BACK

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VisEarth in Action



Students investigated what faults look like when viewed from space. They looked at several images of faults taken from the space shuttle and obtained from the EarthRise database. The students used a number of maps and diagrams to determine what was happening, tectonically, in each image. Above, students identifyed the San Andreas Fault which passes through Point Reyes in Northern California. Students also identified the Hayward Fault in that image.

To the left, the students identified the location of the Atacama Desert fault in Chile. Other faults that the students investigated and identified were the Dead Sea Fault and various locations along the Nayband Fault in Iran.

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VisEarth in Action



A student collaborated with Mr. Reynolds to demonstrate a left-lateral fault.

Above left, students worked on the tectonics activity using space shuttle images and a National Geographic map. On the map to the right students identified the different types of interactive plate margins. BACK

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VisEarth in Action


Olive Peirce Middle School Below are several images from the Sea-Floor Spreading program.

To the left is a simple spreading ridge. The red designates the actual spreading center, where new sea floor is being created. The blue depicts transform faults where pieces of the sea-floor are sliding past each other in opposite directions.

To the left students point out the symmetry of the addition of new oceanic crust around the mid-oceanic ridge.

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VisEarth in Action


To the left is a more complex spreading ridge. The red designates the actual spreading center, where new sea floor is being created. The blue depicts transform faults where pieces of the sea-floor are sliding past each other in opposite directions.

The next two images show a migrating (downward) transform fault. The first image is early in the time sequence, as the transform fault is still migrating down. In the second image, the migrating transform fault has terminated.

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VisEarth in Action



Above left, is the seismic map of the entire Earth with the recent earthquakes depicted by colored circles. The students recognized that nearly all of the earthquakes occurred on plate boundaries. To the right, they zoomed in on the United States.

Above left, students checked out the seismic activity in California during that week. They were especially interested in the Mammath Lakes region, and, on the right, Southern California. BACK

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Visualizing Earth from the Classroom

Visualizing Earth from the Classroom

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