The Grand Canyon, the natural wonder visited most often in the United States, is explored on foot, on burro, and by boat in this article. Learn about the canyon's different rock layers as well as its erosion, plant life, animal life, and water flow. (JM)

Discussed is the earth's gravity and its geological significance. Variations of gravity around the earth can be produced by a great variety of possible distributions of density within the earth. Topics discussed include isostasy, local structures, geological exploration, change of gravity in time, and gravity on the moon and planets. (DS)

Describes a model for generating solution features, or karren, on gypsum blocks within 24-48 hours in order to illustrate terrain-forming processes. This method for replicating landforms provides hands-on experience for students, and can be varied to demonstrate a number of principles. (LS)

Presents fault activity with an emphasis on earthquakes and changes in continent shapes. Identifies three types of fault movement: normal, reverse, and strike faults. Discusses the seismic gap theory, plate tectonics, and the principle of superposition. Vignettes portray fault movement, and the locations of the San Andreas fault and epicenters of…

This article features the Ultimate PE Challenge. The idea had been born when the fifth-grade teachers complained that teaching physical geography was boring, and the technology instructor simultaneously noticed a climbing wall in the gym. "Could physical education simulate the geographic characteristics and obstacles of North America?"…

The use of field classes and the need for university master planning are presented as a way to enhance learning. This field-oriented, goal-oriented approach to learning is proposed as a general model for university-level geographic education. This approach is presented for physical geography classes, but could also be applied to other subdivisions…

This paper examines the relationship between job sprawl and the spatial mismatch between blacks and jobs. Using data from a variety of sources, including the 1990 and 2000 U.S. Census and U.S. Department of Commerce's ZIP Code Business Patterns, I control extensively for metropolitan area characteristics and other factors. In addition, I use…

Students frequently struggle when scientific instruction seems divorced from personal experience, especially in the physical sub-disciplines, like climatology, where exercise books often present historical or abstracted case studies. In contrast I present a three-phase project involving student input on experimental design, data collection, and…

This paper represents an attempt to trace the development of the change in American attitudes toward resources and the environment and to analyze past, present, and future trends in resource development and environmental protection. (Author)

Examines the hydrologic cycle, the overall flow of water in the geosystem. Reviews the basic phase relationships among water, ice, and water vapor which are integrat parts of the hydrologic cycle. (JR)

In an effort to improve understanding and to provide better solutions to the world's political problems, this paper examines national territory or states in terms of their functional processes and their spatial structures. Examples from Third World states are provided. The author first presents a model of political territory. It has a boundary…

A diagrammatic climate key is presented as an attempt to simplify the teaching of climate classification. The chart emphasizes four critical temperatures in the Koppen classification and shows their relationships to various climate types. (Author)

Describes a program to increase teacher skills and attitudes in interpreting geographical concepts to children. Reservice teachers were taken for airplane rides to (1) identify from the air natural and man-made geographical features and (2) use the information in developing lesson plans for elementary pupils. For journal availability, see SO 505…

Discusses the use of remote sensing techniques to obtain locational, estimated, and mapped information at the scales varying from individual fields and farms, to entire continents and the world. (AEM)