Dramatic geological events - natural hazards

Our ELI today is 'What catastrophic natural processes affected your region in the geological past? Use the evidence in your local region to interpret dramatic geological events'.

Several photographs are used to stimulate discussion about possible rapid geological processes in the past which might have had “catastrophic” outcomes if there had been humans on the Earth at those times.

Many related activities can be found in our Natural Hazards category.

Igneous rocks plus a list of other revision activities

Now we are approaching exam time, our ELI today is a good revision exercise, as are the other activities in the 'Picturing . .' series - 'Picturing igneous rocks 1 - visualise and draw igneous rocks from a verbal description'.

This ELI enhances pupils’ skills of description and interpretation using photographs of igneous rocks and scenery. It could form a useful revision activity. The answers to the matching exercise are given in the back-up text.

Related revision activities can be found in the table at the end of each 'Picturing . . ' activity:

Rock history of an exceptional piece of slate

Following on from looking at metamorphic rocks last week, today we investigate an exceptional piece of slate - 'Every rock tells a story; reading the rock history from an exceptional specimen of slate'.

This ELI gives a detailed analysis of structures of igneous, sedimentary and metamorphic origin in a single rock specimen. The photo of the specimen is fully annotated in the activity.

Related activities can be found in Rocks in our Earth Materials category.

Looking at Metamorphic rocks

Today's ELI is 'Building Stones 4 - Metamorphic rocks; what are the differences between metamorphic rocks commonly used as building stones'.

This activity uses photographs of metamorphic rocks used for ornamental purposes. This activity follows ‘Building Stones 1’ and is intended for pupils to deepen their understanding of metamorphic rocks. A table showing how the series of Earthlearningidea building stone activities link together is given on the final page.

Related activities can be found in Rocks in our Earth Materials category.

Why do slopes collapse?

Today we are continuing our theme of slope stability with 'Sandcastles and slopes; what makes sandcastles and slopes collapse?'

This activity investigates the factors which affect the angle at which loose materials rest before they begin to slide.

Related activities can be found in the Natural Hazards category - Landslides and failing slopes.

How rock cliffs and slopes can collapse

'Failing slopes; modelling how rock cliffs and slopes can collapse'.

This activity investigates the factors which affect the angle of slope at which materials fail and slip. It could be used in a lesson on slope failure itself, or as an application of the physics of friction.

Watch the teaching video

Demonstrate ocean currents and density currents in a lunch box

'Atmosphere and ocean in a lunchbox; a model for all pupils – of hot, cold and cloudy density currents

This ELI develops an earlier teacher demonstration in 'Atmosphere and ocean in a tank' into a smaller-scale model for pupil group use.

It explains how warm ocean water, or warm air, rises upwards while cold ocean water or cold air, sinks. It then demonstrates how density currents flow in the water, or air, and can be used as an analogy of density currents in the oceans and atmosphere.

Related activities can be found in our Oceanography category.