Plot the moving continents

'The Earth time jigsaw puzzle; plot the moving continents, from the past to the future'.

Research has shown that pupils and other people can have great difficulty visualising the great lengths of geological time. This activity has been devised to help them to think in hundreds of millions of years and to picture the steady movement of continents over the expanse of geological time.
Note, the area shown in red on the maps shows part of the micro-continent of Avalonia on which England and Wales formed and of part of the Laurentian plate containing Scotland.
Many activities about moving continents and plate tectonics can be found on our website.

Why are big earthquakes so much more destructive than small ones?

Today we are publishing our 300th Earthlearningidea!
'Spaghetti quakes; why are big earthquakes so much more destructive than small ones?

This activity uses increasingly large bundles of dry spaghetti to demonstrate how each unit of logarithmic increase in earthquake magnitude is related to a 30-fold increase in energy release. It's a demonstration of “earthquake energy” using spaghetti, to help students to appreciate the use of logarithmic scales when measuring quantities with huge ranges in values. And it's fun!
Many more earthquake related activities can be found on our website by using the search engine or the alphabetical index.

European Friendly Rock Network

The European Federation of Geologists’ Panel of Experts on Education

invites you to join the EUROPEAN FRIENDLY ROCK NETWORK.

 The Network is established with the following aims:

1. Raising awareness of young people on nature and interest for geosciences;
2. Increase the schools’ (teachers’/students’) knowledge on the geology and heritage of the region they inhabit;
3. Increase the pedagogical quality of their rock sample collection;
4. Target groups are school students 12-18 years old.

How can I join the network and what am I expected to do?

1. If your school wants to join the network, please fill in an application form. The organisers will inform you about the further details.
2. Collect information on the geology of the region where your school is located by consulting geological surveys, university departments, or museums.
3. Select one or more location(s) from where hand samples can be collected without raising security and/or geoconservation issues.
4. Document the outcrop/location by coordinates, photos and a description, indicate it on a map and draw a geological section if possible.
5. Collect rock samples from the location(s). Document the sample by a short description and photos; indicate the place of the sample on the map.
6. Exchange rock samples with the documentation within the established network of schools in different regions and countries in order to produce thematic geological kits based on rock specimens.

The list of the participating schools from different countries will be provided to the participating schools in order to help the contact and change of rock samples between them.

Milankovitch cycles and temperatures on Earth

Today's new ELI is 'The Earth and Milankovitch cycles – by hand; modelling the Earth’s squashed orbit, tilt and wobble using your hands'.

Pupils can find the Milankovitch cycles, of the variation in the solar radiation received by the Earth, difficult to understand. This activity uses hand modelling to consolidate learning.
Other activities related to temperatures on Earth, solar radiation and the Earth in space can be found on our website by using the alphabetical index or the search engine.

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.