Suggests that there is a close relationship between deformation in the western United States and the large-scale motions of tectonic plates. Introduces very-long-baseline interferometry (VLBI) as one of the space-geodetic techniques, vector addition of the VLBI data and geological data, and a new geodetic network. (YP)

Reviews a model used in the teaching of plate tectonics which includes processes and concepts related to: terranes and the amalgamation of terranes, relative plate motion and oblique subduction, the effects of continent-continent collision, changes in plate motion, plate configuration, and the type of plate boundary. Diagrams are included.…

Asserts that how people respond to risk is determined by how they perceive risk. Four-hundred and seven secondary school students answered questions concerning different dimensions of natural hazards (most likely to occur, loss of life, and others). Although the students possessed a high level of awareness much of their information was inaccurate.…

Presents activities to familiarize junior high school students with the processes behind and reasons for volcanism, which is generally a planet's way of releasing excessive internal heat and pressure. Students participate in the creation of four important volcano-related simulations: a lava flow, a shield volcano, a cinder-cone volcano, and a…

One of a series of general interest publications on science topics, this booklet provides those interested in the composition of sea water with a non-technical introduction to the subject. Focusing on the saltiness of the sea, separate sections examine the origins of the sea, sources of the salts, why the sea is not fresh, the complexity of sea…

What can the rocks in old stone walls say about how the earth's crust was shaped, melted by volcanoes, carved by glaciers, and worn by weather? What can they say about earlier people on the land and the first European settlers? The book, written for elementary-age children, tells the story of a New England farmer and his grandson walking beside…

One of a series of general interest publications on science topics, the booklet provides those interested in elevations and distances with a nontechnical introduction to the subject. The entire document consists of statistical charts depicting the nation's 50 largest cities, extreme and mean elevations, elevations of named summits over 14,000 feet…

Designed to provide teachers of earth science with activities and information that will assist them in keeping their curricula up to date, this publication contains activities grouped into six chapters. Chapter titles are: (1) Weather and Climate, (2) Oceans, (3) The Earth and Its Surface, (4) Plate Tectonics, (5) Uses of Space Photography, and…

Reports using a closed-circuit television system for presenting the concept of homogeneous strain so the complete straining sequence can be followed from the initial state through progressively increasing strain ratios. Suggests photographing the screen for materials for student exercises. (DS)

Describes a laboratory exercise testing the Vine-Matthews-Morley hypothesis of plate tectonics. Includes 14 questions with explanations using graphs and charts. Provides a historical account of the current plate tectonic and magnetic anomaly theory. (MVL)

Describes a lesson plan for use in physical geography, earth science, and social studies classes. Suggests that students will find the problem solving approach interesting and will use knowledge of earth-sun relationships, absolute location, and place. Includes objectives, two days of learning activities, evaluations, resources, and an activity…

This booklet, one of a series developed by the Frederick County Board of Education, Frederick, Maryland, provides an instruction module for an individualized or flexible approach to 7th, 8th, and 9th grade science teaching. Subjects and activities in this series of booklets are designed to supplement a basic curriculum or to form a total…

Presents a historical review of physical geography and its role in the school context. The physical geography lesson units (Soil and Water) of the Raumwissenschaftliches Curriculum-Forschungsprojeckt (RCF-Project) of West Germany are also described. (HM)

Develops an exercise in which students use magnetic-profile data gathered in the South Pacific to test the Vine-Matthews-Morley hypothesis. Uses the Eltanin 19N and 20N profiles. Relates the exercise to 20 current geology texts. (MVL)

Illustrates the importance of studying the snow avalanche as a natural hazard. Describes the various kinds of snow avalanches, the types of triggering mechanisms that produce them, the typical avalanche terrain, and the geomorphic and the vegetative evidence for snow avalanching. Depicts methods of human adjustment to the avalanche hazard.…