Geology 10 Web Links

Dr. Richard Sedlock
sedlock@geosun.sjsu.edu

this page last updated Wednesday, July 27, 2005
GEOLOGY

Plate Tectonics

Earthquakes

Volcanoes

Other Geology		 ATMOSPHERE

Ozone

Climate Change and Global Warming

Wind & Weather
 OTHER

Oceanography

Astronomy & Extinction

Plate Tectonics

This Dynamic Planet — Complete yet concise "mini-book" by scientists from the U.S. Geological Survey that covers the history and concepts of plate tectonic theory.

Earthquakes

The following are highlights from a much more extensive collection of links that I developed for Geology 112, Hazards and Risks of Earthquakes and Volcanoes (Area R GE).

SCEC Education Module — An instructional, somewhat interactive site that emphasizes southern California. [For 5 Feb 02, investigate "Section 1" as far as "Strike slip" section (stop at "Footnote"). Try the activities! You may skip "Properties of faults," "Finding strike and dip," "More about faults," and Activity 8.]

Putting Down Roots In Earthquake Country — The full on-line version of an informational/educational pamphlet distributed to southern California residents in 1995 by the Southern California Earthquake Consortium (SCEC).

Northern California EQ Data Center — UC-Berkeley/USGS site focuses on the northern California earthquake catalog.

Shaking Intensity Maps (ABAG) — Very cool site that includes maps of predicted damage (using Mercalli intensity scale) due to various Bay Area EQs in various parts of the Bay Area. For 5 Sept 02: Select materials for different parts of the Bay Area. What patterns do you see? What level of amplification does SJSU face?

Liquefaction Maps (ABAG) — Another cool site that shows includes background information on how liquefaction occurs (under "What is Liquefaction?), and maps showing how different parts of the Bay Area are susceptible to liquefaction (and ground sinking). For 10 Sept 02: Under "What is Liquefaction?" learn how pipelines, airports, roads, and harbors are affected by liquefaction. On the maps, evaluate the liquefaction potential of San Jose and other parts of the Bay Area.

Dam Failure Hazard Maps (ABAG) — Similar to the above: pick a Bay Area city, see which (if any) dams would pose a threat if they failed.

Soil Type Anywhere in the Bay Area — Click anywhere on the map to get a detailed look at the soil in any part of the Bay Area, color-coded to reflect its vulnerability to seismic shaking.

EQ probability in the Bay Area — Full text of report by USGS et al. detailing probabilities on specific faults in the Bay Area (released October 1999).

USGS: EQ Preparedness Links — Links to a number of useful sites that focus on earthquake preparedness.

American Red Cross — Safety tips and guidelines for preparing for, coping with, and surviving all sorts of disasters, not just earthquakes. The Earthquakes section is also available en español. Also check out the entire section devoted to “California Preparedness.”

EQE’s Home Preparedness Guide — High-visibility engineering firm’s brief pages on simple retrofitting, masonry chimneys, whether you need earthquake insurance, contingency plans, etc.

Volcanoes

Santorini — View the island of Santorini as a jpeg image (open the 44 kb .jpeg file).

Nevado del Ruiz — The tragic tale of a small eruption, resulting mudflow, and death and devastation in Armero.

WhyFiles — An eclectic, fun (if that’s possible) look at volcanoes and volcanic hazards.

Volcanoes Primer — Brief, informative discussion of types of volcanoes and types of hazards. For 14 Feb: Learn about the differences between explosive and non-explosive eruptions. Then check out the links to volcanic hazards (Pyroclastic Flows and Pyroclastic Surges are roughly the same thing; OK to skip Volcanic Earthquakes).

VolcanoWorld — User-friendly clearinghouse for information about volcanoes and eruptions. Loads slowly.

Other Geology links

The lower Mississippi River and its delta — Shows vegetation, river drainages, and sediment suspended in the Gulf of Mexico.

The disappearance of Lake Chad — The sad effects of human impact.

The shrinking of the Aral Sea — Click on the smaller .jpeg file. (p.s. Where is the Aral Sea? Consult an atlas or a map of the world, if necessary.)

U.S.-Mexico border at Mexicali — Why do the two sides look so different?

Ancient rivers buried beneath the Sahara Desert — Visible courtesy of satellite-based radar.

Diversion of the Nile by the Sahara Desert — Visible courtesy of satellite-based radar.

Coastal Oman — A nice LANDSAT perspective view that highlights the interdependence of climate, soil, topography, and human development.

Ozone

Compare these: Average global ozone 1979 Average global ozone 1991

The Ozone Hole Tour — Courtesy of researchers at Cambridge University in England.
For Geol 10 on 9 April, investigate Part I and especially Part II (also the Before You Start section).

Climate Change and Global Warming

Melting Tropical Glaciers — From the Why Files — evidence for increasing air temperatures.

Freeze/Thaw Dates of Rivers — From the Why Files — more evidence for increasing air temperatures.

The Mauna Loa CO2 record — Since March, 1958, scientists have measured the amount of CO2 in the air atop Mauna Loa, on the Big Island of Hawaii. These measurements cover a longer period of time than from anywhere else on Earth, and clearly show the steady rise of CO2 in our atmosphere.

Effects of Global Warming on California — An intriguing page from the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency that discusses the impact of a 5°F increase in average temperature on many aspects of life in California.

Wind & Weather

Seasons Reasons — A brief, clear explanation of the reasons for the seasons.

What Causes the Seasons? — Windows on the Universe presents these pages on the Reasons for the Seasons, at Beginning, Intermediate, and Advanced levels.

What is the marine layer in the Pacific Ocean? — A brief, clear explanation by a professional meteorologist (scroll down the page to find this information).

Dust Storm — Satellite images, photographs, and text surrounding pertaining to the April 2001 dust storm. Track the storm using the maps on "Page 1" and "Page 2;" see photos on "Page 1" and "Page 3."

Atmospheric Impact of Mt. Pinatubo — Images showing the amount of aerosols ("optical depth") before and after the eruption of Mt. Pinatubo in June 1991. How long did it take for the atmosphere to completely clean itself of Pinatubo's fine-grained ash and return to its pre-eruption level?

Oceanography

All About El Niño — This site could serve as your main "on-line text," because your textbook inexplicably ignores El Niño completely. All sections of this site are useful, simply written, and well-illustrated.

NOAA's El Niño Theme Page — Lots of background information with good graphics, as well as links to prediction pages.

NOVA's El Niño site — More good background information. Some of the articles are a few years old (referring to the late 1990s El Niño event), but this site is full of readable article on all aspects of El Niño and La Niña.

NOAA's Climate Prediction Center — Scientists use measurements of wind directions, SST, ocean currents, etc. to predict the SST throughout the Pacific Ocean in the months ahead. Examine "3-Month SST Outlook" and "Monthly SST outlook" and compare the temperature anomalies (use colors and scale bar) to determine the basis for predictions regarding El Niño in 2002-2003.

Astronomy

Astrology is NOT Astronomy — But it's difficult to define know just what it is, given the anecdotal, unsystematic, and often contradictory clothing in which it is presented by astrologers. Read this lengthy article if you believe that "the Full Moon in Taurus is a good time to attend to the thyroid gland," "women travel on their Mars lines to meet men,", or "Neptune is associated with universal love, spirituality, dreams, and drugs" (actual statements from astrologers). Author Ivan Kelly, an Education professor at the University of Saskatchewan, concludes that astrology offers no valid contribution to understanding ourselves, nor our place in the cosmos.

The Pillars of Creation — Famous 1995 image of the Eagle Nebula taken by the Hubble Space Telescope.

Galaxies & Nebulae — Click on each image to enlarge; you can also pan sideways and up-down. Taken by the Hubble Space Telescope, these are some of the most awe-inspiring images ever taken by humans. For the final exam, be ready to describe, and perhaps sketch, the first image (UGC 10214) — especially the background of the Tadpole. Use the zoom feature to check it out.


Extinction sites (for WebQuest 1)

BBC 1 — Clear language, but content coverage isn’t thorough. Some pages have incorrect titles, but the links all seem to be OK.

Enchanted Learning — Fairly straightforward language, moderately thorough content. Also examine the other three main links at this page (short titles: K-T, Other, and Studying).

BBC 2 — Summary of evidence, with many different pages (use the tabs). Pages on this site load quite slowly, so be patient and perhaps work in another page while you're waiting.

BBC 3 — Summary of theories; also loads slowly.

UC Berkeley Museum of Paleontology — Filled with paleontological details that probably won’t be in your paper but are useful for evaluating extinction hypotheses.

Prof. McLean's site— A remarkable site. Much (but not all) of the science is fairly technical, and I don’t expect you to master it, but do read about the dark underside of science where personality, power, influence, and fame obstruct the idealized nature of scientific progress.
Return to the Geol 10 Home Page