In this lesson covers the evolution of a volcanic island from origin to erosion. Students will be able to determine the relative ages of the Northwestern Hawaiian Islands, given their position in the archipelago and why these islands are so much smaller than the main islands of the Hawaiian chain. They will discover that volcanic islands form over a hot spot on the ocean floor and that islands form and erode in eight stages, so the relative age of an island or atoll can be determined based on its state of growth or erosion.
Agroforestry is a land-use method that allows trees to grow in crop and livestock areas. Studies have shown that it is one way to conserve biodiversity, attracts species beneficial to farming, such as pollinators, improves farms by, for example, reducing soil erosion and is economically beneficial to farmers.
This Classroom Connectors lesson plan discusses weather conditions and their contribution to weathering and erosion. Students learn to explain the process of physical and chemical weathering. They also learn to compare and contrast erosion resulting from wind, ice and water. The site provides goals, objectives, an outline, time required, materials, activities, and closure ideas for the lesson. The Classroom Connectors address content with an activity approach while incorporating themes necessary to raise the activity to a higher cognition level.
This site contains several activities for different age level students that model the beneficial aspects of coastal wetlands. These activities will illustrate the value of wetlands as a nursery for young organisms, in controlling erosion and retaining water, and in absorbing and filtering pollutants and excess nutrients that would ultimately affect the Gulf of Mexico.
This essay with a field journal covers how the Wisconsin Glacier created most of the landforms of Long Island. It also explains how storms, erosion, and other forces continually reshape the island and how the shifting of the continents millions of years ago changed the location of Long Island on the globe. Attention is also given to how its landforms have influenced its land use and the types of buildings erected there. Some glacial features explained include: terminal, recessional, and ground moraines; outwash plains; erratics; and kettle lakes.
This brief summary provides an overview of the creation, abandonment, and reclamation of stone walls in New England. Topics include the creation of matter and elements; the formation and erosion of rock to make stones; the harvesting and stacking of stones by humans to form the walls; and subsequent abandonment and reclamation by our modern culture.
This website of the United States Geological Survey (USGS) and the National Park Service (NPS) discusses the geology of Yosemite Valley in California, beginning 100 million years ago with the formation of the granite rocks found in this park and continuing with jointing, exfoliation, and erosion through ice and water. Bedrock Geology includes details about the formation, classification, and descriptions of the plutonic bedrock. It also discusses the relationship of landforms to rock composition and structure and their role in shaping the Yosemite valley.
