Reading Ice Core Lesson Plans

Here's a wonderful lesson plan where the teacher makes simulated ice core samples for the students to study:

Frozen in Time: Ice Cores by Jan French


Click here for the Pdf lesson, complete with ice core instructions and student worksheet.



Click here for PBS "Stories in the Ice."



Click here for National Ice Core Laboratory.



Click here for another Pdf lesson in which the students model their own ice cores using play dough and other substances. Then their cores are exchanges and studied. Very kewl!



Click here for a nice "movie" of the life of a snowflake, showing how a glacier forms in layers from snow. Click here for accompanying lesson.

Reading Iceland Ice Cores

An interview with Vasilii Petrenko, who is working in Greenland where cores are being taken from the Greenland ice sheet. They are studying trapped air in the ice to learn about its composition--especially its CO2 content and the clues that it might provide about climate change.

Top Ten Hurricanes and Earthquakes

Tornado that touched down Aug 20, 2006
between Bennett and Watkin, Colorado

Estimated Insured Losses for the Top 10
Historical Hurricanes Based on Current Exposures

Source: strategicrisk.co.uk

Date/Event name/2009 Insured Loss

1. September 18, 1926 Miami Hurricane - $101 billion
2. August 24, 1992 Hurricane Andrew - $57 billion
3. September 17, 1947 1947 Fort Lauderdale Hurricane - $55 billion
4. September 17, 1928 Great Okeechobee Hurricane - $51 billion
5. August 29, 2005 Hurricane Katrina - $42 billion
6. September 9, 1900 Galveston Hurricane of 1900 - $40 billion
7. September 21, 1938 The Great New England Hurricane - $38 billion
8. September 9, 1965 Hurricane Betsy - $36 billion
9. September 10, 1960 Hurricane Donna - $31 billion
10. September 5, 1950 Hurricane Easy - $21 billion

Estimated Insured Losses for the Top 10
Historical Earthquakes Based on Current Exposures

Date/Event name/Magnitude/2009 Insured Loss

1. February 7, 1812 New Madrid, MO - 7.7 $100 billion
2. April 18, 1906 San Francisco, CA - 7.8 $96 billion
3. August 31, 1886 Charleston, SC - 7.3 $37 billion
4. June 1, 1838 San Francisco, CA - 7.4 $27 billion
5. January 17, 1994 Northridge, CA - 6.7 $21 billion
6. October 21, 1868 Hayward, CA - 7.0 $21 billion
7. January 9, 1857 Fort Tejon, CA - 7.9 $8 billion
8. October 17, 1989 Loma Prieta, CA - 6.3 $6 billion
9. March 10, 1933 Long Beach, CA - 6.4 $5 billion
10. July 1, 1911 Calaveras, CA - 6.4 $4 billion

Click here for similar disaster list in slide show format from Live Science.com.

2000 Leonid Meteor Shower

Great Vodcast from BBC about this year's Leonid Meteor Shower:



This year's Leonid Meteor Shower will occur on November 17th.

Encourage your students to watch!

Click here for details.

Click here for how to observe.

Click here for a fun Fact Sheet about Leonid Meteor Showers.

Find out how light pollution has changed the way we view the night sky.

Go to StarDate Online for short video.

Tennesee Rockslide Video

Great video caught by video news crew:


Show today at the beginning of each class or this coming Monday as a "rocking" good way to start the week, especially if you are teaching EROSION!