Extension Activities

There are many opportunities to extend and expand the activities listed in this module. Several examples are listed below. Extension 1 United States Geological Survey – Schoolyard Geology Lesson Plans: These are well documented, very accessible, and cover a wide variety of geologic topics. Extension 2 Unit on Erosion: Wind, water and ice erosion lessons […]

Tectonics, Weathering & Erosion

There is a strong correlation between landforms, tectonics (the lithosphere) and climate (the hydrosphere and the atmosphere). This is one of the exciting recent developments in the study of mountain building processes.   The Himalayas Through detailed studies of rain and snowfall patterns from weather stations and satellite records, scientists have created detailed records showing […]

Weathering & Erosion

Weathering is the slow, continuous chemical and mechanical breakdown of rocks into fragments and dissolved compounds. Around Butte, Montana, weathering has turned solid granite into the sand and gravel that underlies most of the city. Weathering and erosion are strongly controlled by climate. Water is a major contributor to chemical weathering and mechanical or physical weathering, […]

Tectonic Forces

Landscapes are formed by the various combinations of tectonic forces, weathering, erosion, and deposition. Plate tectonics are driven by gravity and the Earth’s heat. Heat from the Earth’s interior escapes through convection just like the convection you see in a pot of boiling water or in a lava lamp, only much m-u-c-h slower. Cold, dense […]

The MSP project is funded by an ESEA, Title II Part B Mathematics and Science Partnership Grant through the Montana Office of Public Instruction. MSP was developed by the Clark Fork Watershed Education Program and faculty from Montana Tech of The University of Montana and Montana State University, with support from other Montana University System Faculty.