Misconceptions about calcium carbonate

‘I’m pure calcium carbonate’ – the calcium carbonate question; a discussion focussed on common misconceptions about calcium carbonate.

This activity helps pupils to understand the likely purity of minerals and rocks.
Is limestone pure calcium carbonate? Is chalk? Find out by doing this Earthlearningidea.
Many more suggestions for activities about rocks and minerals can be found on our website by either using the search engine or the alphabetical index.

Modelling faulting – by hand

The new ELI today is another in our 'hands' series - 'Modelling faulting – by hand; using your hands to demonstrate different fault features'.

Pupils use their hands to illustrate the different types of faulting through this activity. Understanding and describing faulting involves complex terminology. This activity helps pupils to understand the processes and terms involved.
Lots of other ideas for teaching structural geology can be found on our website.

Porosity and permeability

'Does my rock hold water and will water flow through it? Investigating the differences between porosity and permeability'.

This activity can be used in any science or geography lesson where the ability of rocks to hold water or hydrocarbons is being discussed.
Many similar hands-on activities, (where you can eat some of the equipment), can be found on our website.

View to the future - and the past

New ELI today is - 'View to the future – and the past; using a viewpoint or overview educationally'.

A good view is often enough in itself to inspire pupils. However, by asking them to undertake this activity, they need to examine the landscape for surface processes that attack the land and then to visualise their effects in the past and the future.
More Earthlearningideas about the landscapes and environments around us can be found on our website.

What can boreholes tell us about the Earth?

'Boring chocolate! What can boreholes tell us about the Earth?'

This activity can be used in any science or geography lesson about finding what is beneath the Earth’s surface, including the search for natural resources and understanding past environments.
Many more hands-on (good-to-eat) activities can be found on our website.

Visualising plunging folds - with your hands and a piece of paper

The new ELI today is another in our 'hands' series - 'Visualising plunging folds - with your hands and a piece of paper' In this activity you use your hands and folded/torn paper to show the patterns made by plunging folds.

This is a class activity using hands and torn or cut papers to visualise the patterns formed by plunging folds. It helps pupils to see how plunging folds produce fold patterns on near-horizontal surfaces or on maps.
Many more activities about folds and fold mountains can be found on our website by using the alphabetical index or the search engine.

Geological structures using sponge rolls

Have you tried this ELI? It's good fun and you can eat it - and it's educational! 'Swiss roll surgery; investigating geological structures and their outcrops using sponge rolls'

This activity can be used in any science or geography lesson when folded and faulted rocks are discussed. By adapting the terminology, it can be used with any age group when explanations of folded and faulted rocks are required.
More activities related to geological structures can be found on our website by either using the search engine or the alphabetical index.