PROGRAM 1: DOWN TO EARTH
PROGRAM DESCRIPTION: This program introduces students to the diverse field of geology providing visual examples of some of the processes and landforms that will be examined in greater detail later in this course. A main goal of this video is to get students to appreciate the wonders of Earth.
INSTRUCTIONAL TOPICS AND LEARNING OBJECTIVES:
1. Description of the field of geology.
2. What geologists do.
3. Geological hazards and resources.
4. The unique nature of planet Earth.
5. Preservation of Earth's resources.
READING ASSIGNMENT: Text Visualizing Geology, Chapter 1.
PROGRAM 2: THE RESTLESS EARTH
PROGRAM DESCRIPTION: This lesson review theories and ideas for the origin of our solar system and the evolution of planet Earth. The primary goal is for students to develop an understanding of the beginnings of the solar system and how our planet has changed through time.
INSTRUCTIONAL TOPICS AND LEARNING OBJECTIVES:
1. The theories for the origin of the solar system and Earth.
2. The evolution of this planet.
3. The initial production of free oxygen.
4. Theories for the origins of life.
5. The continuing changes to this planet.
6. The internal structure and internal heat engine of Earth.
7. The theory of plate tectonics.
8. Earth's external heat engine and the hydrologic cycle.
9. The long time it takes for geologic processes.
READING ASSIGNMENT: Text Chapter 1, Review chapter.
PROGRAM 3: EARTH'S INTERIOR
PROGRAM DESCRIPTION: This program illustrates what geologists have learned about the interior of the Earth, including information on how seismic waves occur and explains the measurement of heat flow, gravity, and the Earth's magnetism. The primary goal of this lesson is to demonstrate how geologists have studied the interior of the Earth using indirect tools and the conclusions they have
reached.
INSTRUCTIONAL TOPICS AND OBJECTIVES:
1. Seismic exploration of the Earth.
2. Description of the three main zones of the Earth's interior and their compositions.
3. The features of the crust and mantle.
4. Understanding of the lithosphere and the asthenosphere.
5. How isostatic adjustment works.
6. Understanding of the Earth's magnetic field.
7. The geothermal gradient and the flow of Earth's heat.
READING ASSIGNMENT: Text, Chapter 5
PROGRAM 4: THE SEA FLOOR
PROGRAM DESCRIPTION: This video lesson examines the major features of the sea floor. These primary areas include the mid-oceanic ridge, oceanic trenches and fracture zones. The principle goal of this lesson is to develop an understanding of the sea floor, the work of marine geologists and the
types of materials and features found at the floor of the sea.
INSTRUCTIONAL TOPICS AND LEARNING OBJECTIVES:
1. Learn how the sea floor is studied.
2. Learn about ocean floor topography.
3. Identification of the major features identified on the sea floor. These include- the
continental shelf, slope, rise, abyssal plain, ocean ridges and guyots.
4. Ocean floor volcanism and the association with ocean trenches, Benioff Zones,
island arcs and continental edges.
5. Understand the difference between sea mounts, guyots and aseismic ridges.
6. Explain the three major types of coral reefs.
7. Be able to discuss the nature of sea floor deposits and their distribution.
8. Understand the difference between ocean crust and continental crust.
READING ASSIGNMENT: Text, Chapter 12
PROGRAM 5: THE BIRTH OF A THEORY
PROGRAM DESCRIPTION: This lesson examines the ideas involved in continental drift and sea floor spreading. The main goal of this video is to provide an understanding of these early ideas and to show their contribution into the development of plate tectonic theory.
INSTRUCTIONAL TOPICS AND LEARNING OBJECTIVES:
1. Explain the theory of continental drift.
2. The nature of the evidence used to support the notion of continental drift and the
super continent.
3. Discuss the problems with the theory of continental drift.
4. Explain the methods used to determine the drift history of the continents.
5. Understand the idea of sea-floor spreading.
6. Causes of magnetic patterns and how these patterns provide
information to measure
the rates of sea-floor and plate motion and to predict the age of the sea-floor.
READING ASSIGNMENT: Text, Chapter 4
PROGRAM 6: PLATE DYNAMICS
PROGRAM DESCRIPTION: This program introduces theory and concepts associated with the movements of the Earth's plates. The results of the research into plate tectonics over the last few years have contributed greatly to our understanding of continental formation and development, volcanism, mountain building, earthquakes and many other features and remains studied by geologists. The major goal of this lesson is to provide an understanding of the theory of plate tectonics and the types of information and answers this theory has provided.
INSTRUCTIONAL TOPICS AND LEARNING OBJECTIVES:
1. Differentiate between the lithosphere and the asthenosphere and their significance to plate tectonic theory.
2. Understand the three primary types of plate boundaries.
3. Island arcs and deep-sea trenches.
4. Evidence and examples of continental collisions.
5. Relationship of plate tectonics to volcanoes, earthquakes, mountain ranges and seafloor features.
6. The theories for the driving force behind plate tectonics.
7. The Hawaiian Islands and hot spot theory.
8. Understand unresolved questions regarding plate tectonics.
READING ASSIGNMENT: Text, Chapter 4
PROGRAM 7: MOUNTAIN BUILDING AND THE GROWTH OF CONTINENTS
PROGRAM DESCRIPTION: This video program discusses the development and growth of major mountain belts and continents. Included are examples of mountain systems, terminology associated with orogeny, the characteristics of mountain systems and how mountains grow. The main goal for this lesson is to help understand how mountains develop.
INSTRUCTIONAL TOPICS AND LEARNING OBJECTIVES:
1. Learn the attributes of mountain belts in terms of their:
a. size and alignment
b. age
c. thickness and density of rocks and rock layers
d. folding and faulting
e. metamorphism and plutonism
2. The evolution of a mountain belt from its inception.
3. Understand the concept of orogeny.
4. Learn the ways in which mountains grow.
READING ASSIGNMENT: Text, Chapters 4, 6
PROGRAM 8: EARTH'S STRUCTURES
PROGRAM DESCRIPTION: This video program illustrates the ways that tectonic forces operate to fold, fault and alter the Earth's crust. As a result of stress or force applied to rocks, these layers may bend or break, resulting in a variety of land forms and features. These include synclines, anticlines and
different types of unconformities. The main goal of this program is to illustrate how bedrock responds to tectonic forces originating in the Earth.
INSTRUCTIONAL TOPICS AND LEARNING OBJECTIVES:
1. Compare and contrast the types of stress and strain.
2. Describe how geologic structures provide clues to decipher the geologic past.
3. Strike and dip.
4. The different types of folds and faults.
5. Compare the types of unconformities and what they tell us about geologic events.
READING ASSIGNMENT: Text, Chapter 9
PROGRAM 9: EARTHQUAKES
PROGRAM DESCRIPTION: This lesson examines earthquakes. Some of the topical areas included in this program is information related to how, why and where earthquakes occur, how they are measured, and what geologists are doing to learn more about this common phenomenon. The major goal of this program is to help the viewer understand the nature and consequences of earthquakes.
INSTRUCTIONAL TOPICS AND LEARNING OBJECTIVES:
1. Understand the factors responsible for earthquakes.
2. Learn about seismic waves.
3. Determine how earthquakes are located and measured.
4. The comparison between earthquake intensity and magnitude.
5. Comparing earthquakes in different regions of the United States.
6. The effects of earthquakes.
7. The origin of tsunamis.
8. The relationship to the location of earthquakes globally to plate tectonics.
READING ASSIGNMENT: Text, Chapter 5
PROGRAM 10: GEOLOGIC TIME
PROGRAM DESCRIPTION: This program studies the concept of geologic time and illustrates the enormous length of time over which geologic phenomenon and events occur. Included are discussion of what we learn about time from examining the layers of rock, geologic correlation, methods used for dating fossil and rocks and fossils and fossilization. The goal of this lesson is to understand how geologists study time and the recognition that geologic features and events take place over a great deal of time.
INSTRUCTIONAL TOPICS AND LEARNING OBJECTIVES:
1. The concept of time.
2. The contributions of James Hutton.
3. The concept of uniformitarianism.
4. Be able to distinguish between relative and absolute time.
5. Explain the principles of original horizontality, cross- cutting and superposition.
6. How geologic correlation works.
7. Evidence for the age of the Earth.
READING ASSIGNMENT: Text, Chapter 3
PROGRAM 11: EVOLUTION THROUGH TIME
PROGRAM DESCRIPTION: This program chronicles the development of life on Earth, from current theories about how and why life changes through geologic time, to studies of mass extinctions. The main goal of this lesson is to understand the evolution of life on this planet.
INSTRUCTIONAL TOPICS AND LEARNING OBJECTIVES:
1. How life changes through geologic time.
2. Be able to describe the life forms that dominated the pre-Cambrian, Paleozoic, Mesozoic
and Cenozoic eras.
3. Understand the processes that can either destroy the
remains of an organism or
preserve it as a fossil.
4. The importance of stromatolites.
5. Theories for mass extinctions.
6. Radiometric dating and development of the geologic time scale.
READING ASSIGNMENT: Text, Chapter 3, 14
PROGRAM 12: MINERALS- THE MATERIALS OF EARTH
PROGRAM DESCRIPTION: This lesson explores the diversity and importance of minerals in geology.
An understanding of mineralogy provides insights into many geologic processes and in particular the
formation of rocks. Included in this program is information on the chemical elements, minerals and
rocks. The goal of this video is to relate the origin, classification and importance of minerals.
INSTRUCTIONAL TOPICS AND LEARNING OBJECTIVES:
1. Distinguish between rocks, minerals and chemical elements.
2. Atoms and atomic bonding.
3. Identification of the eight most common elements in the Earth's crust.
4. Understand the crystalline structures of minerals.
5. What constitutes a mineral.
6. Identification of the properties of rock forming minerals.
7. Learn about the physical properties used to identify minerals.
8. Understand that minerals are the building blocks of rocks.
READING ASSIGNMENT: Text, Chapter 2.
PROGRAM 13: VOLCANISM
PROGRAM DESCRIPTION: This program explores one of those popular and fascinating areas of geology, volcanism. Part of this interest lies with the explosive potential of volcanos and the dramatic impact volcanos can have on peoples lives. In this video, you will learn about different types of volcanic activity and volcanos, how volcanic activity contributed to the development of the Earth's atmosphere, volcanic rocks and volcanic activity on other planets. The main goal of this lesson is to understand how volcanos are formed and how they affect the Earth.
INSTRUCTIONAL TOPICS AND LEARNING OBJECTIVES:
1. Recognize the importance of volcanic activity to the science of geology.
2. Volcanism and the origin of the Earth's atmosphere.
3. Compare the beneficial versus the destructive effects of volcanism on humans.
4. Indicate factors that control the explosive violence of eruptions and influence the
size and shape of volcanos. And, compare the major types of volcanos.
5. Differentiate between mafic, felsic and intermediate lavas.
6. Recognize what are volcanic domes and describe plateau and pillow basalts.
7. Indicate factors that affect the texture of igneous rocks.
8. Understand the relationship between volcanism and plate tectonics.
READING ASSIGNMENT: Text, Chapter 6
PROGRAM 14: INTRUSIVE IGNEOUS ROCKS
PROGRAM DESCRIPTION: This program studies what happens to magma that cools in the earth’s interior instead of on the surface as with volcanos. Intrusive cooling forms important minerals, such as feldspar, quartz, biotite and hornblende along with the formation of igneous rocks, such as granite.
Along with these materials, many structures result from intrusive cooling, such as batholiths and stocks. The goal of this lesson is to illustrate the importance of igneous activity and the rock-forming processes of magma that solidifies underground.
INSTRUCTIONAL TOPICS AND LEARNING OBJECTIVES:
1. Learn and distinguish the major intrusive structures.
2. Explain how the texture of igneous rocks gives clues to their origin.
3. Describe how igneous rocks are classified.
4. Identify the sources of heat that may contribute to rocks melting.
5. Understand relationship between temperature and minerals present on melting and
cooling.
6. Bowen's Reaction Series.
7. The origin of basaltic, andesitic and rhyolitic magmas.
8. Relate plate tectonics to types of igneous rocks and intrusive activity and structures.
9. Describe how intrusive igneous activity and volcanism are related.
READING ASSIGNMENT: Text, Chapter 6
PROGRAM 15: WEATHERING AND SOILS
PROGRAM DESCRIPTION: This program demonstrates how minerals and rocks change when subjected to physical and chemical conditions that exist at the Earth's surface. This involves the breakdown of rocks and minerals into smaller pieces, eventually forming various types of soils. The goal of this lesson is to develop an understanding of the processes of weathering and how soils develop.
INSTRUCTIONAL TOPICS AND LEARNING OBJECTIVES:
1. Recognize the relationship between weathering, erosion and transportation.
2. Compare the processes of mechanical versus chemical weathering.
3. How gases and water decompose rocks.
4. Compare the chemical weathering of feldspars versus quartz.
5. How soils forms and their relationship to life on land.
6. Describe the characteristics of each soil type and soil profiles.
7. Explain how climate affects the formation of pedocals and pedalfers.
8. Describe the origins of bauxite and laterite.
READING ASSIGNMENT: Text, Chapter 7
PROGRAM 16: MASS WASTING
PROGRAM DESCRIPTION: This video program deals with the subject of mass wasting. Mass Wasting is described as the down slope movement of materials due to gravity. Studied in this lesson are the causes, types and effects of mass wasting. The goal of this lesson is to understand the processes of mass wasting and its potential as a geological hazard.
INSTRUCTIONAL TOPICS AND LEARNING OBJECTIVES:
1. Identify the controlling factors and cause of mass wasting.
2. Identify the types of mass wasting and their rates of movement.
3. Be able to recognize landscape features that indicate slope instability and areas of previous mass wasting.
4. Compare the techniques for controlling mass wasting.
5. Explain the relationship between humans and mass wasting.
READING ASSIGNMENT: Text, Chapter 7
PROGRAM 17: SEDIMENTARY ROCKS- THE KEY TO PAST ENVIRONMENTS
PROGRAM DESCRIPTION: The program deals with our understanding and interpretation of sedimentary rocks. From the initial stages in the sedimentary process this lesson looks at the development of sedimentary rocks, how they are classified and the information they provide us about the development of various environments. The goal is to appreciate the importance of sedimentary rocks in the understanding of Earth's history.
INSTRUCTIONAL TOPICS AND LEARNING OBJECTIVES:
1. The influence of weathering on sedimentary rocks.
2. Clastic particles and grain size.
3. Rounding, sorting and deposition of sediments.
4. Explain on loose sediment becomes rock.
5. Clastic, non-clastic and organic sedimentary rocks.
6. Determine the origins of non-clastic rocks.
7. Identify the different sedimentary environments.
8. The value and uses of sedimentary rocks.
9. Description of sedimentary structures.
10. How are sedimentary rocks used to explain Earth's history.
11. Explain the origin resources from sedimentary rocks.
READING ASSIGNMENT: Text, Chapter 8
PROGRAM 18: METAMORPHIC ROCKS
PROGRAM DESCRIPTION: This video lesson explores the processes of metamorphism. Once rocks and minerals are formed, many are likely to be subjected to heat and pressure associated with volcanism, plate tectonics, and other forces. The result of this heat and pressure is that existing materials may melt and recrystallize into an altered form. Geologists say that they have been
metamorphosed. The goal of this program is develop an understanding of the causes of metamorphism and the types of rocks produced.
INSTRUCTIONAL TOPICS AND LEARNING OBJECTIVES:
1. How metamorphic rocks form.
2. The different types of metamorphism.
3. The effects of confining versus directed pressure.
4. How metamorphic rocks are classified and named.
5. Hydrothermal rocks and metamorphic facies.
6. The relationship of metamorphism to plate tectonics.
READING ASSIGNMENT: Text, Chapter 10
PROGRAM 19: RUNNING WATER I- RIVERS, EROSION AND DEPOSITION
PROGRAM DESCRIPTION: This video lesson analyzes the role of running water in sculpting the Earth's surface and discusses tectonic and hydrologic cycles and how they work together to shape the land. The goal of this program is to illustrate to importance of water as an agent of erosion and landscape development.
INSTRUCTIONAL TOPICS AND LEARNING OBJECTIVES:
1. Distinguish between the tectonic and hydrologic cycle.
2. The different types of water flow and stream properties.
3. How rivers erode the land.
4. Velocity, erosion and deposition of sediment.
5. Stream loads.
6. Features created by stream action.
7. Relationship of humans to rivers and river hazards.
READING ASSIGNMENT: Text, Chapter 11
PROGRAM 20: RUNNING WATER II- LANDFORM EVOLUTION
PROGRAM DESCRIPTION: This lesson describes the processes by which streams and valleys are shaped and landscapes are formed. This video recognizes the role than people can have in reducing or increasing the dangers that rivers pose, such as flooding. The goal is to illustrate the importance of streams on the evolution of land forms and environments.
INSTRUCTIONAL TOPICS AND LEARNING OBJECTIVES:
1. Understand the relationship between the tectonic and hydrologic cycle.