Earth’s Changing Surface Web Links
Our writers recommended these independent websites as background information and content supplements for Earth’s Changing Surface lessons.
Rivers: The Force of Water (Lessons 3-4)
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Artwork Depicting Rivers
View paintings by the Hudson River School artists. (http://www.artcyclopedia.com/history/hudson-river-school.html )
Water Science for Schools
Learn about rivers, rainwater, stream flow, the water cycle, water erosion, and conservation. (http://wwwga.usgs.gov/edu/mearth.html)
Geography Action 2001: Rivers
Information on how to take action to protect rivers, as well as lots of games, activities, and fact sheets about rivers. (http://www.nationalgeographic.com/geographyaction/rivers/)
The Water Environment Federation
This site, designed for elementary kids, has hands-on activities, an online coloring book, online story books, and facts about water. (http://www.wef.org/WefStudents/Elementary/index.jhtml )
BBC Education: Rivers and Coasts
This site focuses on rivers and coasts. There is great information on how people affect rivers andcoastlines. (http://www.bbc.co.uk/schools/landmarks/riversandcoasts/mainmenu.shtml)
NASA: Aerial Images of Rivers and Streams
This site has aerial and satellite photos that show how rivers, streams, floods, lakes, and wetlands shape the surface of the earth. (http://visibleearth.nasa.gov/view_set.php?categoryID=671)
The Cave of Chauvet–Pont-d’Arc
Explore the Stone Age rock paintings and engravings discovered in a cave in Chauvet, France in 1994. (http://www.culture.gouv.fr/culture/arcnat/chauvet/en/)
Sea Caves
This site explores sea caves, another type of cave formed by water.
(http://www.goodearthgraphics.com/virtcave/seacaves/seacaves.html)
USGS: Exploring Caves
There are lesson plans, lots of information about caves, and a great online kid’s book on this site. (http://egsc.usgs.gov/isb/pubs/teachers-packets/exploringcaves/)
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Glaciers: The Force of Ice (Lesson 6)
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NOVA and PBS: Anatomy of a Glacier
This site has a great overview of what glaciers are and how they shape the land, with excellent photos and easy-to-read text. (http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/nova/everest/earth/glacier.html)
NOVA and PBS: Cracking the Ice Age
View articles about the greenhouse effect, how continents move, climate change, and how ice has shaped the earth’s surface. (http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/nova/ice/)
Solcomhouse: Glaciers and Ice Sheets
A simple overview of how glaciers shape the earth’s surface, a collection of research articles, and a large photo collection. The Solcomhouse site is great science education resource. (http://www.solcomhouse.com/icecap.htm)
NASA: Aerial Images of Glaciers
See aerial and satellite images of glaciers around the world. (http://visibleearth.nasa.gov/view_set.php?categoryID=649)
Glaciers
This interactive website allows students to adjust mountain snowfall and temperature to see a glacier grow and shrink. Students use scientific tools to measure thickness, velocity and glacial budget. (http://phet.colorado.edu/en/simulation/glaciers)
Fastest Glacier
This video segment adapted from NOVA scienceNOW features western Greenland’s Jakobshavn Glacier, dubbed the world’s fastest-flowing glacier. Scientists attempt to explain why this glacier is moving at a rate that far exceeds the average speed of glaciers and is contributing to a rise in global sea level. (http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/nova/teachers/earth/fastest-glacier.html)
All About Glaciers
This website, sponsored by the National Snow and Ice Data Center, offers students and teachers background information about glaciers. (http://nsidc.org/glaciers/)
Greenland’s Receding Ice
Background information about Greenland’s receding ice can be found on this website. (http://svs.gsfc.nasa.gov/stories/greenland/)
Mountain of Ice : Life Cycle of a Glacier
Students can follow the journey of a single snowflake as it takes a ride through a glacier, a process that can take as much as 30,000 years to complete, on this interactive website. (http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/nova/vinson/glacier.html)
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Hoodoos and Sand Dunes: The Force of Wind (Lessons 7-8)
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PBS Eyewitness — The Dustbowl Years
Learn more about the people who lived through America’s Dust Bowl through personal accounts, photos, and historical information about the drought and life in America in the 1930’s. (http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/amex/dustbowl/maps/index.html.)
North American Drought — A Paleo Perspective
A comprehensive site on drought. This NOAA site looks at the big picture of climate change through time. (http://www.ngdc.noaa.gov/paleo/drought/drght_home.html)
National Drought Mitigation Center — The Dustbowl
Learn about the dustbowl years and how people develop and implement measures to reduce vulnerability to drought. (http://drought.unl.edu/whatis/dustbowl.htm)
Drought Monitor: Current U.S. Conditions
View U.S. maps (click and print) that show precipitation, drought warning areas, rainfall, stream flow, snow pack, and much more. (http://www.drought.unl.edu/dm/current.html)
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Weathering (Lesson 9)
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Peakware World Relief Maps
This site is home to 3-D interactive relief maps of continents, mountain ranges, and specific peaks. (http://www.peakware.com/encyclopedia/zoom.htm)
USGS: A Field Guide to Buildings in Our Nation’s Capital
This site provides a tour of buildings in Washington, D.C. that show the effects of weathering. (http://pubs.usgs.gov/gip/acidrain/fieldguide.html)
National Park Service: Arches National Park
The extraordinary features of the park, including balanced rocks, fins, and pinnacles, are highlighted by a striking environment of contrasting colors, landforms, and textures. (http://www.nps.gov/arch/index.htm)
World Art Treasures
The frescoes of Sandro Boticelli can be used to discuss the effects of weathering on works of art. Giovanna Paying Homage to Venus and the Graces is the fresco displayed on this site. (http://www.bergerfoundation.ch/wat4/zoom_english.cgi?dia=18)
Sandro Boticelli: St. Augustine
The frescoes of Sandro Boticelli can be used to discuss the effects of weathering on works of art. St. Augustine is the fresco displayed on this site. (http://www.artchive.com/artchive/B/botticelli/st_augustine.jpg.html)
Sandro Boticelli: Giovanna degli Albizzi Receiving a Gift of Flowers from Venus
The frescoes of Sandro Boticelli can be used to discuss the effects of weathering on works of art. Giovanna degli Albizzi Receiving a Gift of Flowers from Venus is the fresco displayed on this website. (http://www.artchive.com/artchive/B/botticelli/albizzi.jpg.html )
Andrew Wyeth
An online gallery of Andrew Wyeth’s paintings, art prints, and posters, including many works depicting weathered buildings and structures. (http://www.andrewwyeth.com/)
Weathering of Rocks
A list of terms about the effects that various types of chemical and physical weathering have on rocks. (http://www.innvista.com/science/earth/geology/weath.htm)
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Mountains and Volcanoes (Lessons 11-12)
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Inside the Earth
These sites detail the structure of the earth, including its layers, and provide background information on plate tectonics. (http://www.enchantedlearning.com/subjects/astronomy/planets/earth/Inside.shtml )
Earth Floors: Spheres
Learn all about the earth’s structure and plate boundaries. The text is easy to read and there are great photos. (http://www.cotf.edu/ete/modules/msese/earthsysflr/spheres.html)
Mountain Building Plate Tectonics Activity
This mountain building activity allows children to move tectonic plates in various directions and see how folded mountains form. (http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/aso/tryit/tectonics/#)
This Dynamic Earth: The Story of Plate Tectonics
Learn about the earth’s structure, plate tectonics, hotspots, and plate motions. View stunning images. (http://pubs.usgs.gov/publications/text/dynamic.html)
When Continents Collide
See an animation of folded mountain formation. (http://www.clearlight.com/~mhieb/WVFossils/collision.html)
Birth of the Himalaya
Explore photos and information on the geology, formation, and ecology of the Himalayas and Mount Everest. View an animation of the formation of the Himalayas. (http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/nova/everest/earth/birth.html)
Images of Earth’s Folded Crust (Folded Mountains) from Space
Space imagery, or mega geomorphology, provides an additional tool to reinforce that the compression of the earth’s crust results in folded mountains. (http://rst.gsfc.nasa.gov/Sect17/Sect17_3.html)
World Mountains Encylopedia: Highest Peaks
Information on the highest mountain peaks in the world. (http://www.peakware.com/encyclopedia/highest.htm)
Highest Peaks of the World
An additional site with information on the highest mountain peaks in the world. (http://www.infoplease.com/ipa/A0001771.html)
Mountains on the Earth
A photo gallery of mountains found throughout the world. (http://www.igf.fuw.edu.pl/hill/photo.html)
Mountains in North America: Appalachian Mountains
Includes detailed information and pictures about the Appalachian Mountains. (http://www.igf.fuw.edu.pl/hill/nappal.html)
Mountain Arts and Crafts
This site introduces you to several of the crafts and craftspeople of the Blue Ridge Mountains. (http://www.mtnlaurel.com/Crafts/crafts.htm)
Structure of a Composite Volcano
View diagrams of the parts of a volcano. (http://www.enchantedlearning.com/subjects/volcano/)
Natural Hazards: Volcanoes
See detailed background information on the formation, characteristics, and hazardous nature of volcanoes. (http://members.lycos.co.uk/NaturalHazards/Volcanoes.html)
Franklin Institute Science Museum: Earth Force
Learn about forces inside the earth that cause motion like volcanic eruptions and earthquakes. (http://sln.fi.edu/earth/earth.html)
Volcano Animation
See an animation of several eruptive stages of a composite volcano (stratovolcano). (http://www.pbs.org/wnet/savageearth/animations/volcanoes/index.html)
Photo Glossary of Volcanic Terms
Photographic glossaries of volcanic terminology. (http://volcanoes.usgs.gov/images/pglossary/index.php
Types of Volcanoes
Compare diagrams of fissure, dome, composite, ash-cinder, shield, and caldera volcanoes. (http://library.thinkquest.org/C003124/en/fullvolcano.htm)
How Volcanoes Work
This website is an educational resource that describes the science behind volcanoes and volcanic processes. Scroll down the left side of the page for links to a wide variety of different volcanic topics, including volcanic landforms and products of eruptions. (http://www.geology.sdsu.edu/how_volcanoes_work/)
The Eruptive History of Mount Vesuvius
This site provides a chronological history of the eruptions of Mount Vesuvius with associated artistic renderings and animations. (http://vulcan.fis.uniroma3.it/vesuvio/79_eruption.html)
The Destruction of Pompeii
An informative web site outlining the events surrounding the eruption of Mt. Vesuvius. (http://www.eyewitnesstohistory.com/pompeii.htm)
Volcanic Phenomena at Pompeii
This site provides Brief Chronology of Pompeii frozen in time by the 79 A.D. eruption of Mount Vesuvius. (http://urban.arch.virginia.edu/struct/pompeii/volcanic.html)
Legends of Volcanoes
Read about the legends behind some of Earth’s volcanoes. (http://www.chevroncars.com/learn/wondrous-world/volcano-legends)
Mount St. Helens VolcanoCam
Take a virtual trip to Mount St. Helens. (http://www.fs.fed.us/gpnf/volcanocams/msh/)
USGS: Cascades Volcano Observatory
This site has excellent information on Mount St. Helens, other volcanoes in the U.S., volcano hazards, monitoring, and much more. There are excellent maps, photos, and a detailed glossary. (http://vulcan.wr.usgs.gov/home.html)
USGS: The Hawaiian Volcano Observatory
Explore the volcanoes of the Hawaiian Islands. This site is comprehensive and filled with great photos. (http://hvo.wr.usgs.gov/howwork/)
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Virtual Field Trip to Bryce Canyon (Lesson 13)
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Bryce Canyon National Park
The official Bryce Canyon National Park web site has detailed information on Bryce Canyon’s geology and natural history. (http://www.nps.gov/brca/index.htm)
Utah! The Geology and History of Bryce Canyon
This site is a visual guide to the geology and history of Bryce Canyon. There is a beautiful photo tour of the park. (http://www.utah.com/nationalparks/bryce.htm)
Color Landform Atlas of the United States
Identify landforms in states and local areas through shaded relief maps and satellite image maps of each state. (http://fermi.jhuapl.edu/states/states.html)
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Cataclysmic Events
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NOAA: The Kid’s Natural Hazards Quiz
Explore thunderstorms, tornadoes, hurricanes, floods, winter storms, earthquakes, tsunamis, volcanoes, landslides, wildfires, and family disaster planning. (http://www.ngdc.noaa.gov/hazard/kqStart.shtml)
Tornadoes and Other Natural Hazards
View detailed information about tornadoes. There are links to information on earthquakes, fires, floods, hurricanes, landslides, tsunamis, and volcanoes. (http://www.fema.gov/areyouready/tornadoes.shtm)
Colorado Avalanche Information Center
View a great collection of avalanche photos and link to avalanche education, danger scales, warning signs, and more. (http://geosurvey.state.co.us/avalanche/photos.html)
Kid’s Earthquake Hazards Program – USGS
Explore a wide range of information on earthquakes, including a glossary with excellent photos and definitions of earthquake terms. (http://earthquake.usgs.gov/4kids/)
“Earthquakes Learning Studio” — Exploratorium Museum
Explore earthquake myths and legends, seismology, and personal perspectives. There are lots of hands-on activities. (http://www.exploratorium.edu/lc/pathfinders/earthquakes/)
Earthquake ABC book
View an alphabet book about earthquakes with words that children illustrated and defined. There is a guide for parents and teachers. (http://earthquake.usgs.gov/learn/kids/abc/)
Understanding Earthquakes
Read about how earthquakes happen and learn about historic earthquakes. There are earthquake quizzes and fact sheets. (http://www.crustal.ucsb.edu/ics/understanding/)
U.S. National Weather Service and NOAA
This site provides national updates on floods, snow storms, and other weather hazards, including national warnings, local weather, world weather, and current issues. Includes U.S. weather maps. (http://iwin.nws.noaa.gov/iwin/graphicsversion/bigmain.html)
The Hurricane Research Center
This comprehensive site on hurricanes has in-depth fact sheets and great photos. There are links to current hazards information.(http://www.aoml.noaa.gov/hrd/weather_sub/faq.html)