Divergent Plate Boundaries

One of the most amazing places on the Earth's crust is where two massive continental plates are moving apart.  Almost ...
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Volcanoes as a STEM teaching tool

Trying to teach STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics) in the classroom can often seem disjointed.  Having a STEM teaching ...
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Geologist Field Gear – the six “H” essentials!

What are the essential pieces of field gear for a geologist - or in fact any geology enthusiast?   What ...
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Olivine – one of simplest rock-forming minerals

Olivine is one of the simplest silicate minerals that can be found in igneous rocks on our planet. All the ...
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Conference Posters – tips to make an impact

So you have been successful in having your topic selected as one of the conference posters.  Good job! Presenting a ...
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Silicates – a simple guide to the Earth’s rock forming minerals

While high school students are taught about chemistry using simple examples of inorganic and organic substances, very few are exposed ...
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Geoscientists need to talk to the public

Too often scientists ignore talking to the public.  They would rather spend all their “communication” time and energy talking about ...
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Geological hammer – a beginners guide to buying your “forever hammer”

A geological hammer is often seen as an essential part of any field geologists equipment.   Often called rock picks ...
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Cinder Cones – a unique volcanic feature.

Cinder cones are volcanic features that are found at volcanic sites where there has been some form of fountaining activity.  Fire Fountains ...
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Evidence for Plate Tectonics

The evidence for Plate Tectonics is very conclusive.  It is very well supported theory, and while scientific debate continues about ...
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Boundaries – how the crustal plates interact

The Earth's plates don't just sit there.  They move and interact at their boundaries - and that is what makes ...
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Plates – understanding the tectonic jigsaw pieces.

The Earth's crust is broken up into around seventeen major pieces that we call tectonic plates.   These plates form ...
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The Earth’s Crust – a simple way to view it.

The Earth's crust - that outermost rocky layer of our planet - can be daunting to understand.   To start ...
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Field Boots – an essential piece of equipment.

If you are a geoscientist you are going to need field boots.   Even if you are being a "geoscientist" just ...
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Field Notes – what students need to learn to do.

Taking solid field notes is a skill that many students are not taught.  The days of a geologist's life recorded ...
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Mica

There’s mica in my toaster!

Mica has been used for many purposes over time and even in my short lifetime I have seen it in ...
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Space Geeks Timeline

Understanding time is something that geoscientists are just great at doing. But we get a little sick of people not understanding ...
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Lava flows – can you outrun a lava flow?

Most people believe that one of the major hazards of volcanoes are lava flows.   They are surprised to find ...
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Diamonds are NOT a girl’s best friend

Diamonds are NOT a girl's best friend - or so I tell my wife.  And here is why. All minerals ...
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Mapping lava flows – using color to work out relative ages

Mapping lava flows using satellite images is a wonderful activity that you can do in your classroom.   In some ...
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Field trips – they are critical for teachers!

Field trips are critical.  Learning Earth science in the field is as important as learning to cook in a kitchen ...
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Spot the cleavage – a characteristic often misunderstood.

Cleavage is an important diagnostic feature of minerals.  However it is often misunderstood.  And more often mistaken for another mineral ...
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How to experience an Earthquake

Often we have to teach about phenomenon, like an earthquake, that our students have never experienced.  We can read eyewitness ...
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I love a dike – my geology hook.

One of the reasons I fell in love with geology was finding evidence of igneous activity in the form of ...
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Not all that glitters is gold!

Gold - the metal on which many empires have grown (and withered) is a strange metal indeed.  In nature it ...
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EarthCache – Let the Earth be your teacher!

An EarthCache is a special place that you can visit using GPS technology to learn more about the geology of ...
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How hard is mineral hardness?

How hard is a mineral?   Geoscientists still use mineral hardness as a way to identify an unknown mineral.  This ...
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Using a Circular Data Calendar

We are all looking at ways to collect and display data with our students.  Most of the time the data ...
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The strange thing about Basalt.

Basalt. It's the fine grained igneous rock that makes up the sea floor and sometimes spews forth from volcanoes on ...
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How long is deep time?

Deep Time is the term used by scientists to describe the vast amount of time that has passed since the ...
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What happened in the Permian?

The Permian period of time started around 299 million years ago when the Earth was in the deep freeze of ...
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Welcome to GEOetc

G'day, Howdy and Hi, GEOetc is a new place to find resources to help you make Earth science exciting for ...
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