 Web
Links
Unit A: Studying Soil Scientifically
Unit B: Rocks and Minerals
Unit C: Shaping the Land
Unit D: Plate Tectonics
Unit E: Weather and Atmosphere
Unit F: The Earth in Space
Unit G: Exploring the Solar
System
Unit A: Studying Soil Scientifically
Activity 7
Mapping Soils
Soil
Taxonomy
This site provides the second edition of the US
classification system, based on soil properties actually
seen in the field, called Soil Taxonomy, A
Basic System of Soil Classification for Making and
Interpreting Soil Surveys. There is a PDF
format for printing or viewing that includes text
and soil maps. Printed copy is also available.
The
Twelve Soil Orders
This site gives a detailed description of the
twelve soil orders and detailed maps of their locations
in the United States.
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Unit B: Rocks
and Minerals
Activity 15
Mineral Properties
The
Mineral and Gemstone Kingdom
Find gemstones grouped by a range of search criteria,
including color and crystal shape. The site also has
information about minerals, a photo gallery, and a
glossory. Site authored by Hershel Friedman.
Minerals
by Name
An alphabetical listing of minerals. The description
of each mineral includes a photo, its chemistry, and
its physical characteristics. Site developed by Amethyst
Galleries, Inc.
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Unit C: Shaping
the Land
Activity 29 Weathering, Erosion,
and Deposition
Activity 30 Challenges of the
Mississippi Delta
Activity 33 Earth Processes and
Boomtown's Coast
Activity 29
Weathering, Erosion, and Deposition
American
Geological Institute's Earth Science World Image Bank
To view many photographs of structures formed
by erosion, go to this site maintained by the American
Geological Institute and do a search for key words
such as "erosion," "deposition,"
or other terms such as "delta" or "canyon"
for many excellent images.
For example, the following photographs relate well
to this unit:
hl4l7n shows erosion in an area
cleared for construction (those are lower case l's,
not ones)
hszrp6 shows features formed by
erosion.
hgmxt1 shows Devil's Tower. The
hard rock that forms the tower was revealed after
erosion of the surrounding softer rock.
hhrg5b shows a delta.
hdef5b shows a housing development
on the Mississippi River delta.
Image
Gallery of Landforms
This site, sponsored by NASA, will lead you to images
and descriptions of landforms from around the United
States.
Comparing Erosion
Compare the photos from the following links either
by printing each of them or by opening them in separate
windows on your computer:
Photo
1
(from the Earth Science World Image Bank)
Photo
2
(from the Earth Science World Image Bank)
Photo
3
When you get to this site, click on Photos on the
left side of the page. The middle photograph in
the top row (Photo 2) shows the initial stages of
erosion with a pen to provide scale. The site is
maintained by the School of Environmental Engineering
at Griffith University in Australia.
Arrange the landforms due to erosion by size, from
smallest erosion channel to largest. Which do you
think might form in a very short time? Which do you
think took the longest to form?
Hint: Use other objects in the picture to determine
the size of the channels.
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Activity 30
Challenges of the Mississippi Delta
Personal
Account: Avian Ecology
At this site, maintained by The Virtual Birder,
ecologist Jennifer Nesbitt tells why she decided to
become an avian ecologist and explains how she conducts
research with birds.
NOAA
Ocean Explorer: Marine Ecologist
Peter Etnoyer's pet fish had 200 babies in his aquarium
when he was in elementary school. Go to this National
Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) link
to see what other events inspired this ocean explorer
to become a marine ecologist.
Wetland
Ecologist
Lief Sigren explains how his work as an ecologist
relates to peoples' lives and wetland ecosystems all
over the world at this site sponsored by the National
Institute of Environmental Health Science .
Environmental
Careers for Kids
Do you love trees? Like being outdoors? Check
out this site, maintained by the Wisconsin Department
of Natural Resources, to see what it is like, and
what you need to do to become a forester (a person
who works to maintain habitats in the forest).
Careers
in Science and Technology
At this site, sponsored by The Franklin Institute
Science Museum, click on "Geologist" to
meet Lynn, a coastal geologist who studies erosion
along beach shores.
Discover
Engineering
Can you imagine robots so small they can fit inside
the human body? How about a spray on skin that can
be used to treat cuts? Or a glow-in-the-dark bike?
Go to this site sponsored by a group of engineers'
organizations, to read about these and other projects
that engineers are currently working on. This site
also introduces you to several different engineers
and describes their projects.
Engineer
Girl
This site, maintained by the National Academy of Engineering,
has fun facts and cool links that show how turning
imagination into reality can lead to a career in engineering.
Welcome
to the World of Engineering
Do you know what being an engineer means? Do you know
what it takes to be an engineer? Go to this site and
explore the links on the right to answer these and
other career-related questions. This National Academy
of Engineering site also provides information about
school programs and courses that will set you on the
track to becoming an engineer.
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Activity 33
Earth Processes and Boomtown's Coast
Erosion
of Sea Stack in Oregon
This site, sponsored by the United States Geological
Survey (USGS), shows a sea arch in Oregon over a 100-year
period of time. Use the photos to answer the questions
in your book.
Comparison
of Erosion Lines
This Santa Barbara County Parks website shows a 1991
aerial photo of a beach with erosion lines from 1998
and 2003 drawn on top of it.
Click
here for additional photos from this site.
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Unit D: Plate Tectonics
Activity 36 Storing Waste
Activity 40 The Continent Puzzle
Activity 44 Mapping Plates
Activity 47 Spreading Plates
Activity 48 Other Types of Plate
Motion
Activity 36
Storing Waste
Yucca
Mountain Youth Zone
A just-for-kids site that has information about
Yucca Mountain and nuclear waste. Site developed by
U.S. Department of Energy.
Earthquakes
and Yucca Mountain
You can see maps and more information about earthquakes
at Yucca Mountain at the Nevada Seismological Laboratory's
site.
Yucca
Mountain Project: Photo & Graphics Gallery
This U.S. Department of Energy site has photos and
other images about Yuccca Mountain. Scroll down and
select the "Graphics" link. You can find
a map showing the location of high-level nuclear waste
storage sites around the U.S.
Yucca
Mountain Project
Still want more information? Go to the U.S. Department
of Energy's site for the general public on Yucca Mountain.
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Activity 40
The Continent Puzzle
The
Breakup of Pangea
Scroll down the page and use your mouse to animate
the movement of the continents over the last 200 million
years. Site is part of the Christopher Scotese's PALEOMAP
project at the University of Texas at Arlington.
Plate
Tectonics Animation
You can choose the length of time you would like
to animate the movement of the continents, beginning
as early as 750 million years ago. Site maintained
by the University of California's Museum of Paleontology.
Historical
Perspective of Plate Tectonics
See five images that trace the movement of the
earth's continents over the last 225 million years
at this U.S. Geological Survey site.
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Activity 44
Mapping Plates
Major
Tectonic Plates of the World
This U.S. Geological Survey site contains a world
map with major tectonic plates identified by name.
Tectonic
Plate Motion
Examine a world map showing plate movement based on
satellite data. You can then scroll down to the index
map to select a region of the world and see vectors
showing the direction and magnitude of movement. Site
developed by NASA's Space Geodesy Laboratory.
Plate
Tectonics
You can see a world map with vectors showing the direction
and magnitude of movement within tectonic plates.
Site developed by the late John C. Butler, a professor
at the University of Houston.
Activity 47
Spreading Plates
Activity 48
Other Types of Plate Motion
SEPUP
Plate Motion Simulation
Use this simulation to complete Activities 47 and
48. Observe the movement of convergent, divergent,
and transform plate boundaries over periods of time
from 10 years to 20 million years.
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Unit E: Weather
and Atmosphere
Activity 51
Investigating Local Weather
Local
weather information
Use this link to investigate your local weather. On
the site, enter your city in the search box, then
look for the "Seasonal Weather Averages"
link about half-way down the page (above the Astronomy
bar).
Activity 64
Earth's Atmosphere
Earth's
Atmosphere Interactive
Use this link to gather and compare data
from different atmospheric levels.
Activity 68
Worldwide Wind
Worldwide
Wind Interactive
Use this link to collect data about wind direction
for cities all over the world.
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Unit F: The
Earth in Space
Activity 74 As Earth Rotates
Activity 75 Sunlight and Seasons
Activity 76 A Year Viewed from
Space
Activity 78 The Earth on the
Move
Activity 79 The Predictable Moon
Activity 81 Moon Phase Simulator
Activity 82 Tides and the Moon
Activity 83 Marking Time
Activity 74
As Earth Rotates
The
North American Sundial Society
This site provides answers to questions about sundials
and gives information about how to make or set up
your own sundial. It also provides references and
links to other sites.
Sundials
This NASA site discusses sundials and obelisks. Links
at the bottom of the page will take you to a page
on “How Sundials Work” and “Build
a Simple Sundial.” The page on “How Sundials
Work” includes an animation of the movement
of the Sun and shadow from an obelisk.
Making
a Sun Clock
This site from the Exploratorium tells you how to
make a simple sunclock.
A
Walk Through Time
This site of the National Institute for Standards
and Technology provides information on both ancient
and modern methods for measuring time.
Educational
Exhibits about time, clocks, daylight savings, or
calendars
This United States Government site has links to additional
sites about time.
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Activity 75
Sunlight and Seasons
Sun-Earth
Day 2005—Ancient Observatories
This NASA site contains links to a timeline and photographs
of ancient structures used to observe the Sun and
indicate the seasons.
Activity 76
A Year Viewed from Space
SEPUP
Seasons Interactive
Use this link to explore the seasons on Earth
as viewed from space.
Activity 78
The Earth on the Move
A
Change of Season
This NASA site explains the seasons and includes an
animation.
Seasons
The animation at this site shows the change in seasons
as the Earth orbits the Sun.
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Activity 79
The Predictable Moon
Virtual
Reality Moon Phase Pictures
This site of the United States Naval Observatory provides
virtual views of the Moon for any date in the past
or future.
Earth
View
This site provides today’s view of the Moon.
Activity 81
Moon Phase Simulator
Moon
Phase Simulator
NASA
Eclipse Home Page
This site provides information about eclipses
of the Sun (solar eclipses) and the Moon (lunar eclipses).
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Activity 82
Tides and the Moon
Why
Tides?
This animation of the Earth’s rotation and the
tides helps you understand why there are usually two
high and two low tides each day. It also shows how
the phase of the Moon relates to extreme tides.
Tide
Region Selection
This site allows you to look up tides at numerous
sites in the United States.
Activity 83
Marking Time
Calendars
and their History
This site provides information on the history and
astronomical basis of calendars. It includes information
on the Gregorian, Julian, Jewish, Islamic, Indian,
and Chinese calendars.
The
Aztec Calendar
The
Classic Maya Calendar and Day Numbering System
Maya
Calendar
The
World Calendar
Activity 86
Observing The Night Sky
Tonight's Sky
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Unit G: Space
Exploration
Activity 97 Exploring Outer
Space
Activity 98 Choosing a Mission
Activity 97
Exploring Outer Space
Have you ever wondered what is it like to travel
in space? The following NASA sites describe how astronauts
handle everyday tasks like getting dressed, eating,
sleeping, and exercising while in a microgravity environment.
Living
in Space
Eating
in Space
Sleeping
in Space
Exercising
in Space
Space
Flight Questions and Answers
Are you interested in becoming an astronaut? These
NASA sites will help you learn what you can do to
work toward a career in space.
How
Do you Become an Astronaut?
What
It's Like to Be an Astronaut
So
You Want to Be an Astronaut...
Activity 98
Choosing a Mission
NASA's
Current Missions
This NASA site provides schedules and information
about its current missions, some piloted and some
unpiloted, that are exploring space right now.
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