This page is from James Madison University's Department of Geology and Environmental Science. It provides an introduction to minerals, an alphabetical list of minerals and dichotomous keys to identifying minerals in PDF. There are also links to other department pages on igneous, sedimentary, and metamorphic rocks.

Resource Type: Reference Material - Nonfiction Reference
Grade Level: K, 1, 2, 3, 5, 6

Welcome to virtual age - dating

http://www.sciencecourseware.org/VirtualDating/

A learning module on isochron and radiocarbon dating of rocks.

Resource Type: Assessment Material, Instructional Material - Tutorial, Audio/Visual - Illustration
Grade Level: 5, 6

The geologic time spiral - A path to the past

http://pubs.usgs.gov/gip/geotimespiral/

A graphic representation of the past 4.5 billion years in PDF and is downloadable. See USGS Fact Sheet 2007-3015 at http://pubs.usgs.gov/fs/2007/3015/ for ages of geologic time periods. Ages in the spiral have been rounded from the age estimates in the Fact Sheet. B.Y., billion years; M.Y., million years.

Resource Type: Audio/Visual - Illustration
Grade Level: 5, 6

The Dirt on Soil

http://school.discovery.com/schooladventures/soil/index.html

This page is from Discoveryschool.com. It has three sections. The first one, Down and Dirty, describes the various soil horizons. The second section, Field Guide, identifies some soil organisms and the third section, Soil Safari, is an animated tour of th

Resource Type: Reference Material - Nonfiction Reference, Audio/Visual - Illustration, Audio/Visual - Photograph
Grade Level: K, 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6

Porosity - porosity and permeability of soil

http://www.seed.slb.com/qa2/FAQView.cfm?ID=426

A concise explanation of soil porosity with links to educational activities.

Resource Type: Reference Material - Article
Grade Level: 4, 5, 6

Virtual river

http://www.sciencecourseware.org/VirtualRiver/Flooding/index.html

A series of interactive exercises designed to help you learn about river processes such as discharge, flooding, flood frequency, erosion, and deposition.

Resource Type: Instructional Material - Tutorial, Audio/Visual - Photograph
Grade Level: 2, 3, 4, 5, 6

Sea floor spreading

http://www.pmel.noaa.gov/vents/nemo/explorer/concepts/spreading.html

A concise description of sea floor spreading enhanced with a graphic.

Resource Type: Reference Material - Nonfiction Reference, Audio/Visual - Illustration
Grade Level: 3, 4, 5, 6

Landforms - face of the earth

http://www.edu.pe.ca/southernkings/landforms.htm

A module on each of the following landforms: Valleys,Plateaus, Mountains, Plains, Hills, Loess, and Glaciers. Each landform is photographed and text is provided describing its features.

Resource Type: Reference Material - Nonfiction Reference, Audio/Visual - Photograph
Grade Level: K, 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6

Weathering - face of the earth

http://www.edu.pe.ca/southernkings/weatheringjm.htm

A one page description of the different kinds of weathering, accompanied by photos.

Resource Type: Reference Material - Nonfiction Reference, Audio/Visual - Photograph
Grade Level: 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6

USGS geology in the parks - what on earth is plate tectonics?

http://geology.wr.usgs.gov/parks/pltec/index.html

Discusses the crust, mantle and core with text and schematic drawings. Links to other sections of the same publication on the lithosphere and plate tectonics.

Resource Type: Instructional Material - Tutorial, Reference Material - Nonfiction Reference, Audio/Visual - Illustration
Grade Level: 2, 3, 4, 5, 6

1900 Air Pollution

http://www.teachersdomain.org/9-12/sci/life/eco/graphairgas/index.html

This graph,from the Web site accompanying the FRONTLINE NOVA special What's Up with the Weather?, reveals how atmospheric carbon dioxide, methane, and nitrous oxides from coal- and oil-burning power plants, cars, and other fossil-fuel-burning sources have climbed along with the world population, with as yet unknown effects on the climate system.

Resource Type: Dataset - List/Table, Instructional Material - Instructor Guide/Manual, Audio/Visual - Graph
Grade Level: 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6

Water sourcebooks - Factsheets

http://www.epa.gov/safewater/kids/wsb/pdfs/FACTS.pdf

A 91 page pdf on a variety of topics, including water pollution pp. 8-12, and water conservation pp.36-37.

Resource Type: Reference Material - Nonfiction Reference
Grade Level: K, 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6

Fossil energy - how fossil fuels were formed

http://www.fossil.energy.gov/education/energylessons/coal/gen_howformed.html

A one page article describing the formation of fossil fuels, enhanced with illustrations. At its end, there are three links to specific fuels: coal, oil and gas, for more specific information.

Resource Type: Reference Material - Article, Reference Material - Nonfiction Reference
Grade Level: 3, 4, 5, 6

Clouds - Dans Wild Weather Page

http://www.wildwildweather.com/clouds.htm

See how many cloud formations you can name on this page brought to you by a meteorologist in Alabama.

Resource Type: Reference Material - Nonfiction Reference, Audio/Visual - Photograph
Grade Level: K, 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6

Earth system evolution - activity 2 paleoclimates

http://www.agiweb.org/earthcomm/earthsystem/climatechange/activity2.html?State=MI

This page is from a comprehensive module intended for high school students. It contains information and links regarding using fossil evidence, such as pollen, ice cores and tree rings to infer climatic change over time. Additional related topics and activities are found in the right hand navigation bar such as Activity 5 -How Do Carbon Dioxide Concentrations in the Atmosphere Affect Global Climate?

Resource Type: Reference Material - Nonfiction Reference
Grade Level: 2, 3, 4, 5, 6

Trees, soil and water - Journey to Forever

http://journeytoforever.org/tree.html

Trees, soil and water: Journey to Forever - healthcare for mountains, trees for deserts, trees for people, forest, forestry, deforestation, erosion, soil conservation, water conservation, desertification.

Resource Type: Reference Material - Article, Reference Material - Nonfiction Reference
Grade Level: 3, 4, 5, 6

What is the hydrosphere

http://earth.rice.edu/MTPE/hydro/hydrosphere/hydrosphere_what.html

This page defines and describes the hydrosphere and provides several photographs.

Resource Type: Reference Material - Nonfiction Reference, Audio/Visual - Photograph
Grade Level: K, 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6