teaching - Earth Science Teachers' Association

teaching 

EARTH 

SCIENCES 

Earth System 

Science: A Better 

Way to Teach 

Science Enquiry 

Geology and the 

Human Environment 

– The Nuclear 

Waste Problem 

Iron Ore Formation: 

A Laboratory Model 

Developing 

Observational Skills 

for Geoscience 

Fieldwork: 

a Web-based 

Teaching Exercise 

Earth Science 

Activities and 

Demonstrations: 

Sedimentary Rocks 

An Earth Science 

Fieldtrip for Key 

Stage 3 Pupils 

Further Thoughts – 

Where Next for ESTA? 

New ESTA Members 

Websearch 

Book Reviews 

ESTA Diary 

Cash for Research 

News and Resources 

Journal of EARTH SCIENCE TEACHERS ASSOCIATION 

Volume 26 ● Number 3, 2001 ● ISSN 0957-8005 

www.esta-uk.org

Teaching Earth Sciences: Guide for Authors 

The Editor welcomes articles of any length and nature and on any topic related to 

Earth science education from cradle to grave. Please inspect back copies of TES, 

from Issue 26(3) onwards, to become familiar with the journal house-style. 

Three paper copies of major articles are requested. Please use double line spacing 

and A4 paper and please use SI units throughout, except where this is inappropriate 

(in which case please include a conversion table). The first paragraph of each 

major article should not have a subheading but should either introduce the reader 

to the context of the article or should provide an overview to stimulate interest. This 

is not an abstract in the formal sense. Subsequent paragraphs should be grouped 

under sub-headings. 

Text 

Please also supply the full text on disk or as an email attachment: Microsoft Word 

is the most convenient, but any widely-used wordprocessor is acceptable. 

References 

Please us the following examples as models 

(1) Articles 

Mayer, V. (1995) Using the Earth system for integrating the science curriculum. 

Science Education, 79(4), pp. 375-391. 

(2) Books 

McPhee, J. (1986 ) Rising from the Plains. New York: Fraux, Giroux & Strauss. 

(3) Chapters in books 

Duschl, R.A. & Smith, M.J. (2001) Earth Science. In Jere Brophy (ed), Subject- 

Specific Instructional Methods and Activities, Advances in Research on Teaching. 

Volume 8, pp. 269-290. Amsterdam: Elsevier Science. 

Figures 

Prepared artwork must be of high quality and submitted on paper and disk. Handdrawn 

and hand-labelled diagrams are not normally acceptable, although in some 

circumstances this is appropriate. Each figure must be submitted as a separate file. 

Photographs 

Please submit colour or black-and-white photographs as originals. They are also 

welcomed in digital form on disk or as email attachments: .jpeg format is to be preferred. 

Please use one file for each photograph. 

Copyright 

There are no copyright restrictions on original material published in Teaching Earth 

Sciences if it is required for use in the classroom or lecture room. Copyright material 

reproduced in TES by permission of other publications rests with the original publisher. 

Permission must be sought from the Editor to reproduce original material 

from Teaching Earth Sciences in other publications and appropriate acknowledgement 

must be given. 

All articles submitted should be original unless indicted otherwise and should 

contain the author’s full name, title and address (and email address where relevant). 

They should be sent to the Editor, 

Dr Roger Trend, 

School of education, 

University of Exeter, 

Exeter, 

EX1 2LU, UK; 

Tel 01392 264768; 

Email R.D.Trend@exeter.ac.uk 

Editor 

WHERE IS PEST? 

Published by the Earth Science Teachers 

From this issue onwards PEST 

will not be printed on yellow, 

although it will continue to be 

printed as the centre 4 pages in 

Teaching Earth Sciences. This 

change is to reduce ESTA‚s costs.




Science: A Better 

Way to Teach 





Waste Problem 



Developing 



Fieldwork: 

a Web-based 










Where Next for 

ESTA? 


Websearch 

Book Reviews 

Diary 


hS i 

www.esta-uk.org 

TEACHING EARTH SCIENCES ● Volume 26 ● Number 3, 2001 


EARTH 

SCIENCES 

Teaching Earth Sciences is published quarterly by 

the Earth Science Teachers’ Association. ESTA 

aims to encourage and support the teaching of 

Earth Sciences, whether as a single subject or as 

part of science or geography courses. 

Full membership is £25.00; student and retired 

membership £12.50. 

Registered Charity No. 1005331 

Editor: 

Dr. Roger Trend 

School of Education 

University of Exeter 

Exeter EX1 2LU 

Tel: 01392 264768 

Email: R.D.Trend@exeter.ac.uk 

Advertising: 

Andy Dickinson 

6 Rushton Close, Widnes 

Cheshire WA8 9ZF 

Tel: 0151 424 9358 

Reviews Editor: 

Dr. Denis Bates 

Institute of Geography and Earth Sciences 

University of Wales 

Aberystwyth 

Dyfed SY23 3DB 

Tel: 01970 622639 

Email: deb@aber.ac.uk 

Council Officers: 

President: 

Alan McKirdy 

Scottish Natural Heritage 

2 Anderson Place 

Edinburgh EH6 5NP 

Chairman: 

Ian Thomas 

National Stone Centre 

Porter Road, Wirksworth 

Derbyshire DE4 4LS 

Secretary: 

Dr. Dawn Windley 

Thomas Rotherham College 

Moorgate, Rotherham 

South Yorkshire 

Membership Secretary: 

Owain Thomas 

PO Box 10, Narberth 

Pembrokeshire SA67 7YE 

Treasurer: 

Geoff Hunter 

6 Harborne Road 

Tackley, Kidlington 

Oxon OX5 3BL 

Contributions to future issues of Teaching Earth 

Sciences will be welcomed and should be 

addressed to the Editor. 

Opinions and comments in this issue are the 

personal views of the authors and do not 

necessarily represent the views of the Association. 

Designed by Character Design 

Highridge, Wrigglebrook Lane, Kingsthorne 

Hereford HR2 8AW 

Printed by Gemini Press 

Unit A1, Dolphin Way, Shoreham by Sea, 

West Sussex BN43 6NZ 

CONTENTS 

86 Editorial 

87 From the ESTA Chair 

Ian Thomas 

89 Earth System Science: 

A Better Way to Teach Science Enquiry 

Richard A. Duschl 

94 Geology and the Human Environment – 

The Nuclear Waste Problem 

Owain Thomas 

98 Iron Ore Formation: A Laboratory Model 

John Moseley 

102 Developing Observational Skills for Geoscience 

Fieldwork: a Web-based Teaching Exercise 

Pamela Murphy 

106 Earth Science Activities and Demonstrations: 


Mike Tuke 

110 An Earth Science Fieldtrip for Key Stage 3 Pupils 

Owain Thomas 

112 Further Thoughts – Where Next for ESTA? 

Ian Thomas 

113 New ESTA Members 

114 Websearch 

116 Reviews 

118 ESTA Diary 

119 Cash for Research 

120 News and Resources 


EARTH 

SCIENCES 

Visit our website at www.esta-uk.org 

Cover picture 

The beach south of the harbour at 

Saundersfoot has a spectacular 

anticline – see page 110 

85 www.esta-uk.org


Editorial 

The Key Stage 3 National Strategy has now hit UK 

secondary schools, with new and highly-structured 

approaches to teaching and learning advocated 

(and required?) for all schools. First to be 

implemented are literacy and numeracy, not only within 

English/maths lessons but also across the whole 

school curriculum. Literacy is the most advanced in its 

introduction in schools, apparently because its documentation 

has been produced slightly earlier than the 

maths materials! For Key Stage 3 teachers, other than 

English specialists, the key document is a large leverarch 

file called Literacy Across the Curriculum (DFEE 

2001) which was published in April 2001 for implementation 

during the current academic year. This 

INSET file is full of suggestions for enhancing children’s 

literacy across the KS3 curriculum. There is 

much that is not new but nevertheless the document 

provides a comprehensive source of material. 

Although the KS3 Literacy Strategy is obviously 

intended for children in Years 7, 8 and 9 (aged 11-14 

years), there is much that can be adapted for use in Key 

Stage 4 and post-16. For example the section on 

“Spelling and Vocabulary” includes, among other 

things, a checklist of 25 different strategies for improving 

students’ grasp of specialist words. Most of these are 

appropriate for post-16 teaching: hands up all post-16 

teachers whose students always spell “environment” 

correctly, with the middle “n” intact! 

The section called “Writing Non-fiction” is likely to 

be one of the most relevant sections for TES readers. 

Many of the issues addressed in this section relate not 

only to writing but also to reading, although later sections 

in the file deal with reading more explicitly. 

Analysing texts is one of these issues. Students are 

encouraged to examine texts (either written or read by 

them) at three levels: text; sentence; and word. Different 

questions need to be asked at each level and, 

through evaluation and re-drafting, written texts can be 

improved. By employing the same analyses students 

can enhance their understanding of their reading texts. 

This leads me conveniently to the use of narrative in 

teaching geoscience: an issue which is, unsurprisingly, 

not thoroughly covered in the KS3 strategy. 

Many readers will know of the so-called Deprat 

Affair. Roger Osborne (1999) provides a crisp account. 

The book is written rather as a thriller, with deliberate 

withholding of the final outcome till late in the book. It 

is a good read and not a lengthy book. I won’t spoil it for 

you now: well, not much anyway. 

Briefly, and for the uninitiated, during the first 

decade of the Twentieth Century Jaques Deprat (born 

1880) rose to become one of the most highly-regarded 

young geologists in France, with an international 

reputation. In fact his rise within the profession was 

meteoric. After obtaining a doctorate at the Sorbonne, 

he set off with his wife and two children in 1909 to 

French Indo-China as Head of the Geological Service 

of Indo-China. French Indo-China comprised present-day 

Vietnam, Cambodia and Laos. Deprat was 

based in Hanoi. 

Deprat was an active climber and explorer and much 

of his work in Indo-China involved fieldwork in 

remote and inhospitable localities. The narrator paints 

a vivid picture of a glamorous life . Deprat published his 

work regularly, although this was often a long-drawnout 

process because of the ship travel time to France. 

Specimens and documents were constantly and routinely 

moving between colony and mother country. 

Deprat’s international standing continued to strengthen, 

largely as a result of his pioneer work in structural 

geology: the reputation of the French Indo-China Geological 

Service rose accordingly. Then in 1917 the first 

bombshell struck: he was accused of fraud. To be precise, 

he was accused of placing some European trilobite 

specimens alongside some obtained in Indo-China. 

Trinucleus and Dalmanites spp. were involved. Clearly 

this was a most serious accusation and the story really 

starts here: I won’t go on. 

The Deprat story has all the key ingredients of a 

successful whodunnit: several suspects, strong personalities, 

envy, conspiracy, ambition, nepotism and so 

forth. For TES readers it has the extra ingredient of 

geology. Added to these are the twists in the tale itself: 

it is definitely not a straightforward story and the 

extent to which we have achieved “closure” remains 

highly debatable. 

How can we use rich narrative material such as this 

(Osborne 1999) in our geoscience teaching? First, we 

should recognise that many students, post-16 or otherwise, 

take well to such stories so we might ensure they 

engage with them. The reading simply enriches the 

experiences of some, but obviously not of all. 

Second, and more systematically, we might be able to 

use the narrative as stimulus material: a “way in” to the 

study of trilobites, investigations, structural geology, 

plate movements or whatever. This is particularly 

important for those learners who relate more readily to 

tales of human interaction than they do to scientific 

accounts (which they often perceive as cold) 

Third, as all teachers are teachers of literacy, we 

might be able to use sections of the text, or material 

written by ourselves covering the same ground, as the 

basis for analysis at text, sentence or word levels. At the 

word level, for example, the Deprat story involves not 

only the two trilobite genera named above but also several 

other fossil species, nappes, Tethys, various lithologies, 

Palaeozoic geographies, fieldwork procedures and 

conventions and so forth. At the sentence level the fol- 


86

ESTA? 

Websearch 

Book Reviews 

Diary 


lowing sample from Osborne (1999) is offered as a 

potentially fruitful case for analysis in terms of language 

and geology: “There are numerous specimens of Ptychaspis 

walcotti, a fossil trilobite from the Cambrian, and 

Deprat had found an example of Trinucleus ornatus 

known from Ordovician strata in Europe – one of the 

suspect trilobites” (p. 197). At the text level the entire 

book provides a tightly-structured narrative, with some 

key facts withheld till the closing chapters .....but tantalisingly 

suggested in the earlier chapters. 

Lastly, I am wondering if there is scope to work up a 

learning activity based on the Deprat material which 

develops children’s literacy and geoscience skills? It 

could require students to analyse the geological evidence 

and propose solutions: any offers? 

Roger Trend 

References 

Osborne, Roger (1999). The Deprat Affair: Ambition, 

Revenge and Deceit in French Indo-China. London: 

Jonathan Cape 

DFEE (2001). Literacy Across the Curriculum. London: 

DFEE (Document Code 0235/2001) 

To Advertise in 


EARTH 

SCIENCES 

Telephone 

??? 

on ?? 


EARTH 

SCIENCES 



rth Science 

ach 


Science: A Be ter 

Way to Teach 





Waste Problem 



Developing 



Fieldwork: 

a Web-based 














From the ESTA Chair: 

What a Year! 2000-2001 

How many times have we heard that phrase over the last twelve months – and 

with justification? Taking the period between the two AGMs – the froth of 

the Millennium celebrations was beginning to blow away – the Dome was 

deflated – getting anywhere by road, then rail (and now air) was a nightmare – an 

ever-warming or at least more variable climate, and that was before the ESTA conference 

at Kingston. Within 48 hours, the whole World was plunged into turmoil. 

By contrast, a review of developments across Earth science as a whole, let 

alone the UK or Earth science teaching and ESTA in particular, appears so 

infinitesimal as to be unworthy of consideration. But there are many positives 

to report here in the face of such wide-ranging despondency. 

At the beginning of our year, the first tentative moves had been made to 

engage the co-operation of the Royal Society of Chemistry (RSC) and these 

had received an enthusiastic response. The aim was to seek the involvement 

of those teaching ‘mainstream’ sciences to improve the quality of delivery 

of Earth science in all schools – starting with the secondary sector. Hosted 

by the Royal Society, the first full meeting went exceptionally well, and 

engaged the RSC, the Institute of Physics and the Institute of Biology, 

together with representatives of the geological community. A surprise 

bonus was the announcement by Annette Thomas that UK Offshore 

Operators Association (UKOOA) was prepared to underwrite the running 

costs of the Joint Earth Science Education Initiative (JESEI) and this no 

doubt stimulated the three scientific Institutions to add their support in 

their respective fields. Our sincere thanks go to all concerned. 

So the mythology of all-pervasive antagonism to the Earth sciences by 

non-Earth scientist teachers was not only debunked: there was a real spirit 

of engagement by people prepared to back words with action and finance. 

This is of course the ‘official view from the top’. The position at the chalk- 

(or should we say calcined gypsum) face may not yet be so enlightened, but 

the mechanism of cascading authoritative and proven quality Earth science 

teaching materials with the endorsement of their own institutions is 

designed to address this situation precisely. That was the essential groundwork. 

By the end of the summer, the hard grind of producing that quality 

material, the decisions on the most appropriate vehicle for dissemination, 

style of presentation etc were only just beginning. 

If you feel that you could help this initiative in any way, or have useful 

ideas, please contact me (especially if you are at heart a converted chemist, 

physicist or biologist!). Later stages will need to address primary level and 

links with geography – and, perhaps in the far distance, informing the wider 

public of good Earth science. 

Another ‘reason to be cheerful’, over the year has been the marked success 

of the Earth Science Education Unit at the University of Keele. Whereas this 

is not strictly an ESTA activity, access to the Keele infrastructure has enabled 

ESTA members to pilot an invaluable INSET service (which logistically 

ESTA itself would have been unable to deliver at this scale). Moreover it has 

now achieved a standard sufficiently high in terms of quality and results to 

attract further substantial funding from UKOOA to cover the costs of a 

national ‘roll out’. Long may this partnership continue. 

Having served on the Primary Group for eleven years (and providing 

INSET as far back as the Liverpool conference in 1991) I know that the consistent 

hard work of members has been very largely unsung. They are now 

building on the excellent pack on Rocks, by drawing up teaching material on 

soils. Within their relatively slender budget, their output is very good value for 

money indeed. Neither of these would have been possible without the generous 

support of the Curry Fund – we are most grateful. Cont. on page 88 

87 www.esta-uk.org


Cont. from page 87 

We should take this opportunity to thank Geo Supplies 

for all their efforts on our behalf over the last 15 

years. The new look journal also represents a great deal 

of hard work, particularly on the part of Roger Trend. 

This should mark the first step in improving ESTA’s 

presentation. The academic content of ESTA’s output 

has always been good; the ideas have been first rate (see 

above!) – this is endorsed by the extent to which they 

are copied by others! We now need to extend this standard 

to all our work – we live in a highly competitive, 

design-conscious world. Having worked in the print 

industry, I am only too aware that poor design can be 

the downfall of so many otherwise first class initiatives. 

The relaunch of the ESTA web site marks another 

advance in the same direction – thanks to Helen King 

for all her early work and to Carol Levitt in setting up 

the new site. 

Tribute also goes to Geraint Owen and Duncan 

Hawley for rescuing the Swansea Conference last year 

and to Neil Thomas’ valiant effort in turning around 

the Kingston Conference. Peter Kennett has been heavily 

involved in planning the 2002 conference at the 

British Geological Survey near Nottingham – this 

already promises to be a conference with a difference 

and one not to be missed. 

The year also saw a number of Council changes with 

Alastair Fleming, Andy Britnell, Polly Rhodes and Jane 

Butterfield moving on and Owain Thomas (my father’s 

namesake, but I assure you, no relation – nor are any of the 

other Thomas’s featuring here!) will be joining Council. 

We hope to announce other appointments shortly. In particular 

the work of Alastair Fleming over many, many 

years for ESTA deserves special mention. Although he is 

stepping down from Council for a well deserved retirement, 

he continues to play an active part in JESEI. 

No list can be comprehensive in recording adequately 

all the work of those in ESTA over the year and 

particularly that of my fellow Council members – 

thanks to you all. 

Where next? We need to continue developing and 

extending partnerships as exemplified by JESEI and 

ESEU; we need to extend and cascade some of these 

activities into the geography and primary fields; to continue 

upgrading our presentational standards; and in 

the longer term to consider other initiatives such as 

informal public education. We need to do this in the 

context of a well thought out (say 5 year) plan. (see page 

116 for Further Thoughts). 

Ian Thomas 

Chair, ESTA 

Character Design and the 

New Teaching Earth Sciences 

Editor’s Note. Readers will have noticed the new-look TES. ESTA Council hopes that it meets with members’ 

approval: please let me have your response. ESTA has also changed its design and production 

company. Character Design, based in rural Herefordshire, comprises Richard and Kerry Low: I have 

invited them to tell us about themselves....... 

We met working for a small graphic design company in Sussex at the foot of the South Downs and probably 

spent too many lunch hours walking up on the Downs and imagining living in the countryside. 

In the summer of 1997 we moved to Haywards Heath, to set up “Character Design”. We decided to work 

from home to keep costs down and avoid commuting: this then developed into a whole new way of working. 

Most of our work is now carried out using email, sending proofs digitally to the printers. Although this cuts 

down on meetings with our clients, our top priority at all times is to give a full personal service. 

We work with a number of associations, companies and individual business owners based in Brighton, London, 

Cambridge, Macclesfield and now Exeter (TES Editor). Our work varies: the majority is regular publications, 

newsletters and magazines which often means working into the night to achieve deadlines. We are also 

involved in the production and maintenance of websites. 

In November 1999 we moved into ‘Highridge’ in Herefordshire, with all our clients staying in tow. We now 

have a wonderful scenic view from our office and are able to walk straight out of our house into the fields or 

get lost in our garden - well worth the hard work! 

Working long hours during the week we spend every possible minute of the weekend outside, walking and 

cycling with our two children Sean and Emily. 

Kerry & Richard Low, Character Design 


88


Earth System Science: 

A Better Way to Teach Science Enquiry 

RICHARD A. DUSCHL 

This paper was delivered as the Keynote Lecture at the Annual Conference of the Earth Science 

Teachers Association at Kingston University in September 2001. It provides an overview of the 

context in which Earth System Science has emerged as the dominant perspective on global 

issues. This then provides the platform for the consideration of the Earth System curriculum 

frameworks which have been developed over the last decade. The lecture and this article are 

based on the chapter by Duschl and Smith in “Subject-Specific Instructional Methods and 

Activities”, Advances in Research on Teaching, Volume 8 (Duschl & Smith 2001). 

Introduction 

The second half of the 20th Century has been a time of 

rapid change in the character of the Earth sciences. The 

transition is one moving away from a focus on the surface 

geology of mapping and mining and toward a focus 

on global change and Earth systems (Mayer & Armstrong, 

1990). A science once dominated by historical 

types of explanations revealing the ‘story in the rocks’ is 

slowly evolving into a causal modelling science for 

making predictions (e.g., climate changes, Earthquakes, 

volcanic eruptions, flooding, hurricanes) and understanding 

how human activity effects global change. 

Thus, not surprisingly, the information or subject matter 

and the cognitive and the material tools needed to 

engage in Earth science inquiry have shifted as well. 

John McPhee elegantly captures the character of this 

change in his book Rising From the Plain. The story is 

about the geology of Wyoming told through the experiences 

of a high country, Rocky Mountain regional field 

geologist – Dave Love. For Love, geology was a kind of 

story telling. Through experiences of touching different 

geologic structures, you piece together the implied tectonics; 

i.e., the story in the rocks. He, like many other 

geologists, relate to the Hindu fable of blind men and 

the elephant (each individual feeling a different part of 

the elephant comes to different opinions of what it is). 

But field geologists like Dave Love are a dieing breed. 

In recent years, the number of ways to feel the elephant 

has importantly increased. While science has 

assimilated such instruments as the scanning transmission 

electron microscope, the inductively coupled plasma 

spectrophotometer, and the 39 Ar/ 40 Ar laser microbe 

. . . .the percentage of geologists has steadily diminished 

who go out in the summer and deal with rock, and the 

number of people has commensurately risen who work 

the year around in fluorescent light with their noses on 

printouts. (McPhee 1986, p 146). 

Feeding facts and fragments of the Earth into laboratory 

machines is referred to as “black-box geology” carried 

out by “analog geologists” (McPhee 1986, p 146). 

At the beginning of the 1900s and well into the 20th 

Century geology and the other Earth sciences were 

essentially atheoretical disciplines. The theories and 

paradigms that influenced geological inquiry came 

from the physical sciences – i.e., physics and chemistry. 

In the words of Thomas Kuhn (1970), geology and the 

other Earth sciences (e.g., oceanography, climatology, 

planetary geology, meteorology) were immature sciences 

since they lacked an organizing paradigm. 

The rapid changes in technology during the 20th 

Century have significantly impacted all the sciences. 

But the impacts on the Earth and geological sciences 

were nothing short of revolutionary. For during this 

past century the geological sciences made the transition 

from an immature science to a mature paradigm-driven 

science. Furthermore, observational techniques, tools 

and guiding conceptions (e.g., theoretical frameworks) 

have evolved and along the way shifted what comes to 

count as doing Earth science research and inquiry. In 

brief, descriptive inquiry approaches to the Earth sciences 

have given way to model-based inquiry 

approaches. The focus on local mapping and mining, 

and human-observational techniques have yielded to 

global mapping and modelling, and instrument-observational 

techniques. New tools like websites and CD- 

Roms have literally made it possible for students of the 

Earth sciences to have direct access to the raw data and 

models being used to study planet Earth. 

Consider the release of classified satellite imagery 

data. For approximately 30 years, Landsat satellites 

snapped pictures of the surface of the Earth. Employing 

5 bands of electromagnetic radiation (3 visible light 

bands and 2 infrared light bands), details about the surface 

of the Earth are revealed. The amount of information 

is enormous and computer technologies have now 

made this data available for public use. Schools with 

online capabilities can access the data. Such databases 

allow local, regional, and global groups to conduct 

inquiries about environmental and climatic changes. 

Consider the Terra mission that monitors the vital 

signs of the planet (King & Herring, 2000). Terra is a 

89 www.esta-uk.org


Table 1: 

Terra instruments 

and the vital signs 

monitored by each 

instrument 

Terra Instrument 

ASTER 

Advanced Spaceborne Thermal Emisssion and reflection 

Radiometer 

CERES 

Clouds and the Earth’s Radiant Energy System 

MOPITT 

Measurements Of Pollution In The Troposphere 

MISR 

Multi-angle Imaging SpectroRadiometer 

MODIS 

MODerate-resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer 

Vital Signs being Monitored 

clouds, glaciers, land temp. land use, natural disasters, 

sea ice, snow cover, vegetation 

radiation, clouds 

pollution 

aerosols, clouds, land use, natural disasters, vegetation 

aerosols, air temp., clouds, fires, land temp., land use, 

natural disasters, ocean productivity, ocean temperature, 

radiation, sea ice, snow cover, vegetation, water vapor 

complex, $1.3 billion Earth satellite launched in 

December 1999 that is designed to measure 16 of the 24 

characteristics scientists have identified as factors that 

play a role in determining climate. Terra is part of the 

Earth Observing System (EOS), a National Aeronautic 

and Space Administration (NASA) program designed 

to gather data for developing models of climate and climate 

changes. 

The 16 vital signs being monitored by Terra are: 

aerosols; air temperature; clouds; fires; glaciers; land 

temperature; land use; natural disasters; ocean productivity; 

ocean temperature; pollution; radiation; sea ice; 

snow cover; vegetation; and water vapour. Table 1 gives 

a listing of the specific Terra instruments and the vital 

signs each monitors (King & Herring, 2000). 

Earth System Science 

Examining the list of vital signs being monitored by the 

5 Terra instruments (Table 1), one gains an appreciation 

of the Earth systems students should be learning about 

in schools. Scientists do not yet understand the causeand-effect 

relationships among Earth’s lands, oceans, 

and atmosphere well enough to predict what, if any, 

impacts these rapid changes will have on future climate 

conditions. Scientists need to make many measurements 

all over the world, over a long period of time, in 

order to assemble the information needed to construct 

accurate computer models that will enable them to 

forecast the causes and effects of climate change. These 

new activities have focused our attention on ‘Earth System 

Science’. 

In Earth system science, the planet Earth is viewed as 

evolving as a synergistic physical system of interrelated 

phenomenon, processes and cycles. Given the concerns 

that humankind is impacting Earth’s physical climate system, 

a broader concept of Earth as a system is emerging. 

Within this concept, knowledge from the traditional Earth 

science disciplines of geology, meteorology and oceanography 

along with biology is being gleaned and integrated to 

form a physical basis for Earth system science. 

This concept of the Earth as a complex and dynamic 

entity of interrelated subsystems implies that there 

is no process or phenomenon within the Earth system 

that occurs in complete isolation from other elements 

of the system. 

The initial views of the Earth Systems (ES) approach 

to Earth science education emerged from a conference 

that brought science educators and Bretherton Report 

geoscientists together in Washington DC in April 1988. 

The core issue was to abandon “the reductionist 

approach of focusing on the specific contributions of 

certain scientific disciplines in understanding concepts 

and process with their defined domain and replace it 

with a curriculum framework that relates the concepts 

and processes “to the Earth system in which they operate 

and interact with other processes and concepts” 

(Mayer & Armstrong, 1990; p 155). 

The problem is that whereas scientists function in 

interdisciplinary teams to pursue scientific inquiries 

(for example, more than 800 scientists from many disciplines 

are working on the numerous datasets collected 

by the Terra mission), our science education 

curriculum frameworks still honor the separate discipline 

model of teaching science. The move to Earth 

systems, and thus to an integrated science approach, 

according to Mayer and Armstrong (1990) recognizes; 

(1) the need for curriculum to reflect our social and 

economic systems and the basic understanding of the 

nature of scientific investigation; (2) how science disciplines 

are now intimately intertwined; (3) mathematics 

as an essential tool of modern science; (4) 

application of science in industry and global developments; 

and (5) the need for citizens to understand how 

technology is used in our society, to see the role evidence 

has as the real authority in science, and to see the 

power of theories in the investigation of nature. 

Earth System Curriculum Frameworks 

In the decade following the 1988 conferences, there 

have been several significant developments in the 


90


design of Earth system science curriculum. A nontechnological 

focused approach is found in Mayer’s 

“Earth Systems Education” (Mayer 1991; Fortner, 

1991), which became manifest as PLESE (Program for 

Leadership in Earth Systems Education) (Mayer et. Al., 

1992). Technological approaches to Earth systems science 

can be found in the K-12 GLOBE Program (Global 

Learning and Observation to Benefit the 

Environment) (Rock et al, 1997); and the Learning 

through Collaborative Visualization (CoVis) Project 

(Edelson, Gordin & Pea, 1999). 

PLESE emerged from a teacher enhancement initiative 

at Ohio State University funded by the National 

Science Foundation in 1990. Initial efforts within 

PLESE led to the formation of a set of core concepts 

considered prerequisite for a 21st-century view of planet 

Earth, and the set of seven understandings that constitute 

a framework for Earth systems education: 

Understanding 1. Earth is unique, a planet of rare beauty 

and great value. 

Understanding 2. Human activities, collective and individual, 

conscious and inadvertent, are seriously impacting 

planet Earth. 

Understanding 3. The development of scientific thinking 

and technology increases our ability to utilize Earth 

and space. 

Understanding 4. The Earth system is composed of the 

interacting subsystems of water, land, ice, air, and life. 

Understanding 5. Planet Earth is more than 4 billion 

years old and its subsystems are continually evolving. 

Understanding 6. Earth is a small subsystem of a solar 

system within the vast and ancient universe. 

Understanding 7. There are many people with careers that 

involved study of Earth’s origin, processes, and evolution. 

The PLESE Project yielded Science as a Study of Earth: A 

Resource Guide for Science Curriculum Restructure (Mayer and 

Fortner, 1995) that educators could use to restructure 

their curriculum toward an Earth systems approach. 

GLOBE is a worldwide initiative to recruit schoolaged 

children in the gathering of data to help scientists 

develop models that will test the information contained 

in satellite images. UK teachers can learn more about 

GLOBE by visiting their website www.globe.org.uk 

Students in 9500 schools in 90 countries are currently 

part of the GLOBE effort. Students data-gathering and 

reporting protocols have been established for the areas 

of study outlined in Table 2. Participating schools collect 

environmental observations at or near their schools 

and report their data through the Internet. These data 

are added to NASA and NOAA global databases. Scientists 

use GLOBE data in their research and provide 

feedback to the students to enrich their science education. 

Global images based on GLOBE student data are 

displayed on the World Wide Web, enabling students 

and other visitors to visualize the student environmental 

observations. 

The CoVis project also focuses on the support of student 

inquiries. Employing powerful visualization tools 

similar to those used by scientists, students develop and 

test Earth system models. The CoVis researchers have 

so far developed the Climate Visualizer, the Radiation- 

Budget Visualizer, and the Greenhouse Effect Visualizer 

and the Worldwatcher which combines all the 

Visualizers (Edelson, Gordin & Pea, 1999). 

At the KS3 level, Worldwatcher Project www.worldwatcher.northwestern.edu 

students learn about the 

scientific factors that contribute to the controversial 

global warming debate. The project places students as 

advisors to the heads of state of several different 

nations, prompting students to learn about the issue as 

they respond to the various questions and concerns of 

these leaders. As expert scientists on the issue, the class 

is challenged to understand and explain to the heads of 

state what forces affect climate and what global warming 

actually means. Once they do this, they are asked to 

help the different nations of the world understand how 

global warming will affect them and what they can do 

about it. Each student team advises one country and 

presents a proposal that offers a set of solutions which 

address the concerns of their country. Stages of the project 

include an introduction to the basic issues of global 

warming, understanding the factors that contribute 

to temperature change, investigating the factors that 

determine global temperature and energy use, understanding 

potential consequences of atmospheric pollution 

on global climate, and finding solutions to these 

types of problems. 

Area 

Atmosphere 

Hydrology 

Soil 

Landcover/Biology 

Phenology 

Measurements 

Precipitation pH, cloud type, cloud cover, rainfall, 

snowfall, and min. max, and current temperature 

Transparency, water temperature, dissolved oxygen, 

pH, electrical conductivity, salinity, alkalinity, nitrate 

Structure, color, consistence, texture, bulk density, 

particle size distribution, pH, and fertility (N, P, K) of 

samples taken from each horizon, soil infiltration, 

surface slope (in degrees), soil moisture, soil 

temperature, diurnal variation of soil temperature 

Qualitative land cover, quantitative land cover, 

dominant and co-dominant vegetation species, tree 

height and circumference, biomass of the herbaceous 

ground cover. 

Lilac phenology, budburst phenology 

The WorldWatcher KS4 Curriculum Project is 

building a year-long, inquiry-based, visually intensive 

environmental science curriculum centered on three 

key issues: Populations, Resources, and Sustainability; 

Meeting the Demand for Energy in Southern Wisconsin; 

Managing Water Resources in California and Local 

Environmental Issues. In the first unit, students are 

introduced to the investigation techniques that they 

Table 2: 

GLOBE areas of 

study and 

measurements 

91 www.esta-uk.org


will use throughout the curriculum. They begin to 

wrestle with the problems of sustainability as they 

investigate the growth in human population and 

resource usage. 

The second component of the curriculum centers 

on the issue of how a community will meet the increasing 

demand for electricity. The third portion of the curriculum 

focuses on organism interaction, plant 

adoption strategies, and impacts on the ecosystem due 

to resource allocation in the Mojave Desert and Great 

Central Valley in California. A fourth component of the 

curriculum allows students to apply what they have 

learned to their own local area. The activities that make 

up this unit are interwoven with the other three units 

over the entire year. 

Earth science Pedagogical Practices 

The structure of knowledge, the epistemic goals and 

data-gathering processes within the Earth sciences 

afford certain opportunities for learning science, learning 

about science, and learning to do science. The challenge 

is one that resides in the dual agenda of science 

education – learning what we know vs learning how we 

come to know and why we believe it. The challenge 

represents the balance that is sought in the curriculum 

between learning, on the one hand, the canonical 

knowledge of scientific disciplines (what we know) 

and, on the other hand, the epistemic structures and 

social and economic application issues that arise during 

engagement in science-in-the-making activities and 

inquiries. The new Earth system database and technological 

resources coupled with the new Earth science 

systems framework, make possible project-based science 

and extend inquiry-based opportunities not otherwise 

as easily attainable in other disciplines. 

Furthermore, the global, national, regional and local 

environmental perspectives associated with Earth system 

science have the potential to situate the subject 

matter in meaningful and relevant contexts of study. 

The implication is that inquiry instructional methods 

employing model-based learning and reasoning activities 

establish the grounds for best practices in the 

teaching and learning of the Earth sciences. 

The recent focus on science enquiry in the National 

Curriculum (Scheme 1) suggests previous efforts to 

infuse inquiry teaching approaches into science programs 

have not made inroads on science education 

practices. New research results have begun to shift the 

perspective away from final form science to a perspective 

of ‘science-in-the-making’. Driven by a consideration 

of the revisionary nature of the growth of scientific 

knowledge and coupled with analyses of the cognitive 

and social practices of scientists, it is not surprising that 

the focus has been on engaging learners in the conversations 

and languages of science. During science-inthe-making 

episodes, debates and arguments about 

representations, models, evidence, theories, methods, 

aims, are played out. 

The Earth system science frameworks outlined 

above can provide rich contexts for inquiry learning. 

Earth system science is well suited to promote inquiry 

conversations. 

Working with Earth system science frameworks 

Edelson et al (1999), have developed a set of curriculum 

design strategies for planning and delivering inquirybased 

instruction and learning. The strategies include 

(1) using meaningful problems to establish motivating 

contexts for inquiry, (2) using staging activities to introduce 

learners to background knowledge and investigative 

techniques, (3) using bridging activities to bridge the 

gap between the practices of students and scientists, (4) 

using scaffolds that embed tacit knowledge of experts in 

supportive user-interfaces; (5) providing a library of 

resources as an embedded information source; and (6) providing 

record-keeping tools which allow students to record 

procedures and store products generated. 

In my own work, (Duschl and Gitomer, 1997) on 

formative assessment learning environments we have 

developed a whole class instructional strategy called 

‘assessment conversations’. Here teachers select 

examples of student work that reflect the diversity of 

thinking or diversity of strategies. Then, the work is 

shared and discussed to expose what the students were 

thinking and what strategies were used to complete 

the task. In this process of formative assessment, students 

learn from seeing others’ ideas. The role of the 

teacher is to choose the work that leads to attaining the 

goals of the lessons. The five key features of our 

approach to inquiry are (1) situating the curriculum 

unit in a meaningful problem solving context, (2) 

encouraging students to use multiple ways of showing 

understanding (e.g., drawings, labeled diagrams, writing, 

etc.), (3) engaging learners in the public consideration 

of ideas (e.g., assessment conversations), (4) 

employing formative assessment practices in three 

domains – conceptual learning, representational 

learning, and epistemic learning; (5) using scientific criteria 

and curriculum goals as organizing principles to 

evaluate knowledge claims. 

Implications for Instruction 

The Earth system science framework and the inquiry 

models proposed by Mayer, Edelson, and myself challenge 

ideas about the content of Earth science courses. 

One shift is moving from the construction of scientific 

knowledge claims to the construction and evaluation of 

scientific knowledge claims. Another shift is from independent 

activities that verify conceptual relationships to 

sequences of activities/lessons that build and test conceptual 

models and inform decisions about subsequent 

inquiries and designs of investigations. 

The availability of global databases and investigative 

and communication tools coupled with the relevance of 

environmental issues and the problems of sustainable 

development enable the K-12 Earth science curriculum 

to occupy a privileged position in science education. 


92



rth Science 

ach 



Developing 

Observational Ski ls 


Fieldwork: 




ESTA? 


Websearch 

Book Reviews 

Diary 



The Earth system science approach is well suited to 

support the kind of inquiry-based, model-based and 

metacognitive-based approaches that underpin knowing 

science, knowing about science, and knowing how 

to do science. 

Richard Duschl is Professor of Science Education at 

King’s College London. His first degree, and teacher 

certification, is in Earth Science Education followed 

by a Masters degree in geology and a PhD. in science 

education. Richard taught secondary school Earth science 

and college level introductory geology courses. 

Richard A. Duschl 

Franklin-Wilkins Bldg 

Waterloo Bridge Wing 

King’s College London 

Waterloo Rd. London SE1 9NN 

References 

Duschl, R. and Gitomer, D. (1997) Strategies and 

challenes to changing the focus of assessment and 

instruction in science classrooms. Educational 

Assessment, 4(1): 337-73. 

Duschl, R.A. & Smith, M.J. (2001) Earth Science. In 

Jere Brophy (ed), Subject-Specific Instructional Methods 

and Activities, Advances in Research on Teaching. Volume 8 

pages 269-290. Amsterdam: Elsevier Science. 

Edelson, D., Gordin, D. & Pea, R. (1999) Addressing the challenges of 

inquiry-based learning through technology and curriculum design. The 

Journal of the Learning Sciences, 8(3&4), 391-450. 

Fortner, R. (ed.) (1991) Earth systems education (Special Issue) Science 

Activities, 28, 1. 

King, M.D. & Herring, D.D. (2000) Monitoring Earth’s Vital Signs. 

Scientific American, 282(4), 92-97. 

Kuhn, T. (1962/1970) The structure of scientific revolutions, 2nd Ed. Chicago: 

University of Chicago Press. 

Mayer, V., and Fortner, R.W. (Eds.). (1995) Science as a study of Earth: A 

resource guide for science curriculum restructure. The Ohio State University. 246 p. 

Mayer, V. (1995) Using the Earth system for integrating the science 

curriculum. Science Education, 79(4), 375-391. 

Mayer, V. (1991) Earth-system science - a planetary prespective. The 

Science Teacher, 58, 31-36. 

Mayer, V. & Armstrong, R. (1990) What every 17-year old should know 

about planet Earth: The report of a conference of educators and 

geoscientists. Science Education, 74(2), 155-165. 

McPhee, J. (1986 ) Rising from the plains. New York: Fraux, Giroux & 

Strauss 

Rock, B., Blackwell, T., Miller, D. & Hardison, A. (1997) The GLOBE 

program: A model for international environmental education. In K.C. 

Cohen (Ed.), Internet links for science education: Students-scientist partnerships. 

New York: Plenum. 

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93 www.esta-uk.org


Geology and the Human Environment: 

The Nuclear Waste Problem 

OWAIN THOMAS 

This paper was delivered as a workshop at the Annual Conference of the Earth Science Teachers 

Association at Kingston University in September 2001. It describes a Study Day set up at the 

National Museum and Gallery of Wales for AS Geology students. The core exercise requires 

students to engage with the basic spatial, geological and environmental issues which lie behind 

the decision to locate a nuclear power station. 

Introduction 

The National Museum and Gallery of Wales has an 

excellent record of supporting education throughout 

Wales. The Education Department is responsible for 

developing resources to complement the displays, 

including the superb “Evolution of Wales” exhibition. 

About eighteen months ago I suggested developing 

some educational resources to support the new AS/A2 

level specifications. Geraint Price, the Senior Education 

Officer was very keen to support the initiative and he 

worked with both Museum and Cardiff University 

staff to put together a study day for AS Geology students. 

I contributed a set of worksheets to complement 

the presentation made by the experts. 

We aimed to bring together as many aspects of the AS 

course as possible in an integrated problem-solving 

exercise and to meet this aim we developed the idea of 

choosing a suitable site for a nuclear waste facility on 

the imaginary South Pacific island of Nova Cambria. 

The study day 

Two groups of students attended the Museum for the 

study day in November 2000, one group from 

Amman Valley School, the other from Coleg Sir Gar 

(Carmarthenshire College) accompanied by their 

teacher, Dr. Liz Richards. Geraint Price arranged for a 

number of experts to give short presentations to the 

students, with each presentation being followed by a 

practical exercise. Dr Bob Owens and Sarah Chambers 

led respectively sessions on rock specimen identification 

and the use of fossils for relative dating. 

These were followed by Prof. Mike Bassett discussing 

fossil evidence for plate tectonics. Geraint contributed 

two sessions, one on volcanic hazards the other on 

groundwater processes. Dr Carolyn Heeps from the 

Education Department analysed the erosion and 

depositional processes affecting coasts. Earthquake 

hazards and monitoring was covered by Dr Pete Brabham 

from the University and his colleague, Dr 

Charles Harris, finished the day with a session on site 

investigation techniques. 

I think that the day was very successful. The students 

felt that the sessions were very interesting and provided 

a lot of interesting background information, despite the 

fact that we had tried to cover a great deal of material in 

the single day. The practical aspects were particularly 

popular with the students. 

Geraint Price and I decided that we would try to 

develop the materials so that they could be used in a 

number of different ways. The pack can be used in 

schools using specimens readily available in a standard 

departmental collection. Alternatively, materials can be 

borrowed from the Museum’s outreach collection and 

it is anticipated that the study day will be repeated at 

some point in the future. 

The activity pack 

The intention is that the pupils will practise a number 

of skills as they work their way through this pack, 

including: 

● rock specimen description and identification; 

● fossil identification; 

● cross-section drawing; 

● locating earthquake epicentres; 

● interpreting volcanic monitoring data; 

● calculating rates of coastal erosion; 

● determining permeability; 

● interpreting geophysical survey data. 

Each of the above activities is introduced to the students 

assuming relatively little prior knowledge. 


94


It is suggested that teachers begin by giving the students a scenario: 

The island of Nova Cambria is in the southern Pacific Ocean, approximately 1000 km east of 

New Zealand. Generating electricity is a major problem on the island because, at present, it 

has no accessible fossil fuel reserves. Mining was carried out in the past but the mines were 

abandoned long ago and mining records have since been lost. For many years the islanders 

have relied on imported fossil fuels, but this is now very expensive. Recently a deposit of 

uranium ore has been discovered and the island Government has decided to use it to generate 

electricity in a nuclear power station. The power station has been constructed but the problem 

is to find a suitable site for the storage of radioactive waste. 

The islanders have selected five possible sites. Your job is to use the geological data on the 

island to evaluate these sites and to choose the most appropriate location for the waste 

facility. Alternatively you can choose to abandon the project altogether. 

NORTH PACIFIC OCEAN 

N 

JAPAN 

HAWAIIAN ISLANDS 

PACIFIC OCEAN 

KILOMETRES 

0 450 900 1200 

PAPUA NEW GUINEA 

Tuvalu 

Solomon Islands 

Fiji 

Western Samoa 

AUSTRALIA 

Coral Sea 

Vauatu 

Tonga 

NEW 

ZEALAND 

SOUTH PACIFIC OCEAN 

Tasman Sea 

NOVA CAMBRIA 

Fig 1: 

Nova Cambria 

Location Map 

95 www.esta-uk.org


Fig 2: 

Outline Geological 

Map of Nova Cambria 

X 

45 

marble 

North Town 

E 

NORTH 

KEY 

spotted 

Possible waste site 

siltstone 

slate 

Town 

marble 

Spring 

A 

30 

Port Michael 

River 

Nuclear 

Power 

Plant 

30 

30 

Dip and direction 

of dip 

Geological 

boundary 

Prysville (Island capital) 

West Village 

D 

30 

SCALE 

1km 

B 

Rock Units 

30 

Youngest 

Sedimentary 

C 

siltstone 

South Town 

Mount St. Thomas 

(extinct volcano) 

30 

Oldest 

Igneous 

Y 


96


See Figures 1 and 2 which provide the spatial context 

for the decision-making exercise. 

The following Activities 1 - 6 are intended to show the 

students that some of these sites are unsuitable for 

locating a nuclear waste facility. As they proceed 

through the pack, it is envisaged that they will progressively 

eliminate some of the sites. Eventually they will 

be left with a few possibilities from which they must 

choose, justifying their proposals. 

Activity 1 - Background 

The first activity asks students to think about the social, 

economic and geological factors associated with siting 

the facility - this is merely “setting the scene”. Hopefully 

the students will be able to assess the impact of the 

waste facility on island life. 

Activity 2 - The geology of the island 

In this exercise, the students are provided with a set of 

five specimens to describe and identify. These specimens 

correspond to the five potential sites. Fossils are 

included among the specimens and the pupils should 

compare them with the stratigraphic column in the 

pack. The fossils can be used to determine the relative 

ages of the sedimentary rocks. Dip arrows shown on the 

outline map can be used by the pupils to draw a simple 

cross-section (see Fig 2). 

Activity 3 - Plate tectonic setting 

This section covers the hazards associated with living in 

a tectonically active region. Earthquakes generated in 

the nearby collision zone may affect the island and the 

students are asked to plot the epicentre of earthquakes 

using seismograms. Volcanic monitoring data from the 

island is given and the students should try to interpret 

the significance of the measurements. 

Activity 4 

One of the proposed sites is located near the coast (see 

Fig 2). This activity examines the hazards posed by 

coastal processes; using historical coastline positions 

students can calculate the mean rate of erosion. If a 

sample of volcanic sand is available, the process of longshore 

drift can also be discussed. 

Activity 5 

Students can use the specimens to investigate permeability. 

This is an important factor in the choice of location 

since it is important to eliminate the chance 

radioactive material being transported by percolating 

groundwater. There are also several surface watercourses 

on the island, many near population centres. 

Activity 6 

Site investigation techniques are used prior to any 

major civil engineering project. Two examples of site 

investigation data are given and the students use these 

to locate subsurface problems in the region of one proposed 

site. 

Finally, the students are expected to fill in a short 

report, identifying the most appropriate choice and justifying 

their selection. 

Using the pack 

Geraint Price and his colleagues at the Museum have 

worked towards publishing this resource pack on the 

Internet, financially supported by the Curry Fund. It is 

intended that readers will be able to download the pack, 

(including a teachers’ guide with suggested answers) 

directly from the Museum’s website. 

Feedback 

The pack was presented to delegates at the ESTA 2001 

Annual Conference at Kingston University and we 

were delighted with the positive feedback on the activities. 

In addition, some suggestions were made for 

improving and developing the pack further and I am 

very grateful to everyone who contributed. If any readers 

use the pack in their teaching, feedback would be 

greatly appreciated. 

Acknowledgements 

I would like to thank everyone who contributed to the 

development of the pack, in particular Geraint Price 

and his colleagues, the participants on the study day 

Dr Carolyn Heeps, Prof. Mike Bassett, Dr Charles 

Harris, Dr Pete Brabham, Dr Bob Owens and Sarah 

Chambers. A number of other people also contributed 

ideas and suggestions Dr Barbara Knowles (NERC), 

Dr Andrew Butcher, Dr David Bailey, Dr Glen Ford, 

Dr Jill Norton (all from the BGS), Dr Lesley Cherns, 

Dr Rod Gayer, Mr Pete Loader, Ms Jo Conway and Dr 

Liz Richards. I would also like to express my gratitude 

to the students from the two schools and to the Geologists’ 

Association for support from the Curry Fund. 

Owain Thomas 

Teacher i/c Geology 

Amman Valley School, 

Margaret Street, 

Ammanford, 

Carmarthenshire. 

SA18 2NW 

Tel. (01269) 592441 

97 www.esta-uk.org




JOHN MOSELEY 

Geochemical processes are not easy to replicate. Actual time, temperature, pressure and pH-Eh 

levels can be difficult to reproduce accurately in a school laboratory. However, an interest in 

small-scale hematite deposits in Charnwood Forest (Leicestershire), South Shropshire, and the 

well-known iron ore deposits of the Forest of Dean, Gloucestershire has stimulated the 

development of some simple laboratory models. This investigation can be used to develop 

interesting and perhaps contentious discussion on geochemical processes as well as providing 

material for ‘A’ level geology course work. 

Figure 1 

The Precambrian 

geology of 

Charnwood Forest 

Geological Background 

The very late Precambrian to early Cambrian Charnian 

Supergroup of Charnwood Forest is overlain unconformably 

by red Triassic breccias, sandstones and mudstones. 

Field evidence and geochemical analyses show 

that more silicic rocks, silicified rhyolitic volcanics and 

quartz arenite sandstones are all preferentially hematised 

(Moseley 1994). The strong, slaty cleavage that 

penetrates all Charnian rocks provides structural planes 

that are stained, or carry thin deposits of hematite. Pale 

grey rhyolitic dust tuffs low in the succession carry a 

reddish hematite signature while quartz-rich sandstones 

from the Brand display thin hematite deposits 

along joint and cleavage planes. Cracked quartz phenocrysts 

in some of the porphyries (Whitwick) Complex 

of northwest Charnwood are an attractive red 

colour where hematite fills fractures (see Figure 1). 

Figure 2: Geology of South Shropshire 

Localities where rocks have been hematized 

1. Manstone Rock; 2. The Knolls; 3. Myndtown; 4. Wart hill 

In South Shropshire the Stiperstones Quartzite of 

the Ordovician Shelve inlier and Precambrian Uriconian 

Volcanic Group of The Knolls and Wart Hill 

inliers display some small scale hematisation, as do 

Longmyndian sandstones near Myndtown and 

Caradocian sandstones near Wart Hill (Moseley 

1994). There is no red bed cover here, but red Triassic 

strata crops out 20 km to the north. These strata might 

once have extended further south but have since been 

removed by erosion (see Figure 2). Sparse hematite 

deposits near Manstone Rock on the Stiperstones have 

some malachite and azurite associated with them and 

the possibility of derivation from weathering of traces 

of chalcopyrite associated with the sulphide-barite 

deposits of the overlying Mytton Flags Formation 

should not be overlooked. 


98


Figure 3: 

The Geology of the 

Forest of Dean 

The Carboniferous Crease Limestone and Coal 

Measure sandstones of the Forest of Dean (see Figure 

3) display some intense hematisation (Lowe 1993, King 

1998, Moseley 2000). These deposits were once extensively 

worked, and views differ on their origin. Weathering 

of either red Triassic strata or pyritous Coal 

Measure shales and coal probably sourced the iron. 

Speliogenesis might have accompanied hematisation as 

acidic, iron-bearing solutions descended and circulated. 

A pleasant walk of 500 metres westwards from the 

south end of Cannop Ponds along a forest track brings 

one to the memorial for miners lost in the Union Colliery 

disaster of 1904 (see Figure 4). Close by is a small 

privately owned drift mine. Pyritous shale waste can be 

seen here, already limonite stained due to pyrite 

decomposition. At the entrance to the nearby Slade Hill 

quarry, large joint-bounded sandstone blocks carry 

hematite deposits up to 2 cm thick. 

N 

O m 200 

Drift Mine 

Memorial 

Quarry 

Slade Hill 

To Lydney 

Forestry Track 

B4234 

Cannop Ponds 

Works 

Figure 4: 

Slade Hill Area, 

Forest of Dean 

Below: 

Titration 


The interpretation of British hematite deposits is that 

iron-bearing solutions derived from weathering of a red 

bed cover, or pyrite rich rocks (King 1998, Lowe 1993), 

or as in the Furness deposits (Rose and Dunham 1977), 

from a volcanic source, have circulated laterally and/or 

downwards, and deposited iron oxides in silicic or carbonate 

rocks. Unweathered source rock material is 

unproductive for generating solutions for laboratory 

99 www.esta-uk.org


Table 1: 

Names and 

Formulae of 

Chemical Species 

Formula 

Fe 3+ (aq) 

Fe 3+ (aq) 

Fe203 (s) 

FeS2 (s) 

[Fe 111 (H20)6] 3+ (aq) 

[Fe 111 (OH) (H20)5] 2+ (aq) 

[Fe 111 (OH)3 (H20)3] 0 (s) 

FeCl3 

H2CO3 (aq) 

HCO3 (aq) 

CaCO3 (S) 

H2O (1) 

Iron (Ill) ion 

Iron (Ill) ion 

Iron (Ill) oxide (hematite) 

Iron sulphide (pyrite) 

Hexaaqua iron III.complex 

Hydroxopentaaqua iron Ill complex 

Trihydroxotriaqua iron III complex 

Iron chloride 

Carbonic acid 

Hydrogen carbonate ion 

Calcium carbonate 

water 

02 (g) oxygen 

C02 (g) 

2 

S04 (aq) 

Name 

carbon dioxide 

sulphate ion 

Species states 

Abbreviation 

aq 

g 

l 

s 

State 

aqueous solution 

gas 

liquid 

solid 

models. Crushed weathered pyritous Coal Measure 

shale and red Triassic sandstones stirred thoroughly 

with water can provide iron containing solutions. 

Aqua-ion chemistry (see Table 1) shows that iron 

in solution generates and maintains acid conditions. 

The pH and iron (III) concentration of the solutions 

described above can be determined by titration (see 

Photograph). As iron (III) concentration controls 

acidity (pH) rather than anion concentration (e.g. 

sulphate ion from oxidation and weathering of pyrite) 

iron (III) chloride can be employed at appropriate 

concentrations to replicate natural solutions. Samples 

of crushed pyritous shales produced solutions where 

hydroxonium ion concentration is 10 -4 M to 10 -5 M, or 

pH of 4-5, so 0.027g to 0.0027g of hydrated iron chloride 

dissolved in 1000 cm 3 H 2 O provides an appropriate 

concentration range for iron (III) and 

hydroxonium iron concentration. 

Different rock types and minerals can then be 

immersed in various iron-containing solutions. Even 

very dilute solutions (e.g. 10 -5 M iron (III) ions) over a 

few days react with carbonate rocks which develop a 

hydrated iron oxide coating. Unexpectedly (but much 

more slowly) sandstones can also develop iron oxide 

coatings (see discussion). Non-pyritous shales and 

mudstones show no reaction. 

This investigation is appropriate for laboratory based 

‘A’ level geology coursework. Depending on the range 

of concentrations for iron-bearing solutions, one to two 

hours should be allowed for initial setting up. Small 

hand specimens can be allowed to stand in solutions in 

250 ml. beakers. Reactions should be observed regularly 

over a one to two week period. 

Safety: Protective goggles should be worn at all 

times, due to acidic solutions used. 

Discussion 

Various discussion topics can be developed from the 

model described above. For example: Does the model 

replicate natural processes? If so, what are the geochemical 

reactions? This question may also appeal to ‘A’ 

level chemistry students who have some appreciation of 

aqua-ion activity. 

The role of weak acids in speliogenesis is well 

known (Lowe 1993). Strong acids are those almost 

completely dissociated to give a high hydroxonium 

ion concentration. Weak acids undergo a small degree 

of dissociation to give low hydroxonium concentration. 

The aqua-ion model implies the development of 

strong acid conditions (Lowe and Gunn 1995) as 

limestone was rapidly attacked with the subsequent 

deposition of iron oxides. This can promote discussion 

on the possibility of speliogenesis not always 

being a slow process where limestones are overlain by 

pyritous sediments. 

Preferential mineralization is well documented if 


100


Some equations that may be applied now follow... 

1. Weathering and oxidation of pyrite 

Pyrite + oxygen + water = iron III ions + sulphate ions + hydrogen ions 

FeS2 (s) + 3 1 /2 02 (g) + H20(l) = Fe 2+ 2- 

(aq) + 2S04 (aq) + 2H + (aq) 

Iron II ions + hydrogen carbonate ions + oxygen + water = iron oxide + carbonic acid 

2Fe 2+ - 

(aq) + 4HCO3 (aq) + 

1 

/2O2 (g) + 2H20(l) = Fe203 (s) + 4H2C03 (aq) 

2. Formation of hydrated complex ions generating acidic conditions 

Iron III + water = hexaaqua iron III ions 

Fe 3+ (aq) + 6H20(l) = [Fe 111 (H20)6 ] 3+ (aq) 

Hexaaqua iron 111 + water = hydroxopentaaqua iron 111 + hydroxonium ion 

[Fe 111 (H20) 6] 3+ (aq) + H20(l) = [Fe 111 (0H)(H20)5] 2+ (aq) + H30 + (aq) 

3. Acidic solutions attacking limestones 

Hydroxonium ions + calcium carbonate ion = calcium ions + hydrogen carbonate + water 

H30 + (aq) + CaCO 3 (s) = Ca 2+ - 

(aq) + HCO3 (aq) + H20(l) 

4. Desiccation of hydroxoaquairon complexes to precipitateiron oxide 

Trihydroxotriaqua iron III = iron oxide + water 

2[Fe 111 (H2O)3(OH)3] 0 (s) = Fe203 + 9H20(l) 

not always fully understood. Mineralogically more simple 

rocks often seem more susceptible to mineralization 

processes. 

The susceptibility of carbonate rocks to acid attack 

means that, not surprisingly, iron ore deposition has 

occurred in these rocks (Moseley 2000). Hematisation 

of silicic rocks is less easily explained. There is the possibility 

of attraction between positive dipoles on 

aqua~ions and negatively charged SiO4 4- units (Moseley 

1994), an association hinted at in the variety of 

quartz called citrine. Much research remains to be done 

in this field. 

John Moseley 

Hutton Grammar School 

Liverpool Road 

Hutton 

Preston 

PR4 5SN 

Bibliography 

King, R.J. (1998) The History of Iron Mining in the Forest of’ Dean and 

Origin of the Ores. Bedrock Newsletter. 4:1-2. 

Krauskopf, K.B. (1989) Introduction to Geochemistry. Second Ed. McGraw- 

Hill. 

Lowe, DJ. (1993) The Forest of Dean Caves and Karst: Inception 

Horizons and Iron-Ore Deposits. Cave Science, 20(2):31-43. 

Lowe, D.J. and Gunn, J. (1995) The role of strong acid in 

speleoinception and subsequent cavern details 

Moseley, J.B. (1994) The Origin and Significance of the Hematisation of 

Silicie Rocks of Precambrian and Ordovician age in South Shropshire. 

Mercian Geologist, 13(3):111-115. 

Moseley, J.B. (2000) The Application of Geochemical Models to the 

Interpretation of the Forest of Dean Iron Ore Deposits. Proceedings of the 

Cotteswold Naturalists’ Field Club, Vol. Xli ((III) Forest of Dean Iron Ore 

Deposits. Proceedings of the Cotteswold Naturalists’ Field Club. Vol.XLI (III). 

Rose, W.C.C., and Dunham, K.C. (1977) Geology and Hematite Deposits of 

South Cumbria. Geol.Surv. of G.B. H.M.S.O. 

101 www.esta-uk.org


Developing Observational Skills for Geoscience Fieldwork: 

A Web-based Teaching Exercise 

PAMELA MURPHY 

Introduction 

The use of field notebooks is a mainstay of geoscience 

teaching: most geologists would consider keeping an 

accurate field notebook, with data and observations in 

the form of both notes and field sketches, to be an 

essential skill. Assessment of fieldwork frequently takes 

two forms: the field notebook is used to develop and 

assess the observational skills of the student, through 

note taking and sketches; while field reports or assignments 

prepared after the fieldtrip are used to assess students’ 

abilities to develop their ideas, apply their 

observations or put them into geological context. 

However, many students do not understand this 

emphasis on the notebook. Why do we assess their field 

notes when we don’t assess their lecture notes? Why do 

they need to make a sketch, when they have taken a 

photograph? Why should they make a sketch, when 

they can’t draw? Unless students understand the reason 

for the field notebook, and for field sketches, they are 

unlikely to make a good job of them. Although students 

can be shown examples of “good” field notebooks, they 

are more likely to learn what is required by undertaking 

exercises which ask them to decide for themselves what 

is good and bad practice, and to develop and use the 

necessary skills. 

Even if geoscience students understand the purposes 

of the field notebook and the importance of observational 

skills, many are still nervous about making 

observations in the field. Too often the notebook is 

treated as lecture notes rather than field observations. 

Field sketches should play a significant role in field 

notes but frequently student field sketches bear little 

relation to the actual outcrop. This is not through lack 

of artistic talent (which the students assume is the problem) 

but rather through lack of observation. The students 

need to develop their confidence in making field 

sketches, and to understand that it is in fact a skill that 

can be learnt. 

Work in the field is limited by constraints of time and 

expense. Developing in the classroom before a trip 

begins the skills and confidence necessary for fieldwork 

ensures that the students will gain as much as possible 

from their time in the field. To address these problems, 

an online teaching exercise has been developed. This 

can be accessed at www.kingston.ac.uk/esg/fieldwork 

The exercise is designed to teach students the reasons 

which underpin the tasks they are being asked to 

do, as well as to teach them the skills they need to produce 

a good field notebook. It therefore seeks to explain 

the reasons for field notes being recorded in certain 

ways: for example, the reason why an orientation and a 

scale are important on a field sketch, or indeed why a 

field sketch is required at all. The aim is to promote 

deeper understanding through practice and evaluation. 

Development 

Why on the web? 

A web-based exercise seemed ideal for this project 

because it is flexible, allows the use of photographs, and 

text and graphic explanations can be added where necessary. 

Websites comprise an attractive format for students, 

making it more interesting than a normal, 

paper-based exercise. The students can spend as long as 

necessary on each part of the assignment and can access 

it from university or school computers or from home. 

Little or no introduction or contact teaching time is 

needed. The web-based format also allows the resource 

to be shared between institutions. 

Who is it aimed at? 

The site was designed for Level One degree students, 

but it can also be used for A or AS Level students. Very 

little specific prior knowledge is assumed, and text and 

graphic explanations are included to cover, for example, 

normal versus reverse faulting, sedimentary way-up 

structures, or en echelon vein sets. 

How does it work? 

The exercise has been created as a fairly simple website, 

using HTML and javascript, and can be accessed using 

any appropriate web browser (e.g., Netscape or Internet 

Explorer). The site can also be copied to CD and then 

accessed in the same way. The website uses a framesbased 

layout. Although frames are often discouraged 

for web sites, because they can confuse navigation and 

search engines, in this case there should be no need to 

“search” the pages. When a link is followed, the lefthand 

frame loads the text or explanation page, while the 

right hand frame loads a graphic example (see Figure1). 

It was decided that use of online assessment would 

limit the exercises to multiple choice, short answer or 

drag-and-drop labelling exercises, preventing practice 

in drawing. Instead, a worksheet (in the form of a Word 

document) can be downloaded, printed out and completed. 

The worksheet has space for individual answers 

and diagrams, and a marking scheme. 

Features 

Photos 

The website is illustrated with numerous photographs of 

outcrops and geological features. These were mainly taken 


102


a) b) 

Original Rocks 

Figure 1 

Example from the 

webpage: 

Fault Plane 

● Work out what the direction of movement is on this fault. 

Produce a labelled diagram of the fault, showing the direction of 

movement, and the evidence you used to work it out. 

If you are unsure about how to work out and mark the fault 

movement, click below for an explanation. 

EXPLANATION 

Normal Fault 

Extensional: rocks are 

pulled apart and upper 

block slides downwards 

Reverse Fault 

Compressional: rocks are 

squeezed together and upper 

block moves upwards. (Also 

called a thrust fault) 

Strike-slip Fault 

Rocks move horizontally. There 

may be a component of normal 

or-reverse movement: 

(oblique-slip) (Also called a 

wrench or tear fault) 

© Pamela Murphy 2001 

a) Left-hand frame: 

a photo-based 

exercise. If 

students need 

more information, 

they can click on 

the “explanation” 

button, which will 

bring up the 

information shown 

in (b). 

b) Right hand 

frame: a simple 

explanation of 

fault movement to 

help with the 

exercise. 

from South-West England, in order to link with a 

Kingston University first-year residential fieldtrip. However, 

knowledge of the regional geology is not necessary. 

Many of the photographs are active, and clicking on them 

allows users to zoom in for more detail of particular sections. 

In some examples, moving the mouse over a photo 

or graphic will bring up explanations of certain areas. 

Frequently Asked Questions 

The website is set out in fairly informal language, and 

uses the common web format of a FAQ (or Frequently 

Asked Questions) page to explain the background and to 

answer students’ common questions about notebooks. 

Examples include why they are being asked to draw 

things, or why some teachers or lecturers insist that they 

“ink in” their field notebook, while others insist they do 

nothing to it at all once they leave the field. 

Explanations 

Very little prior knowledge is assumed, and explanations 

are given of the geological features in the examples. For 

example, alongside an exercise requiring students to 

draw a diagram from a photograph of a fault, and to 

work out and mark the direction of movement, there is 

a link to a page explaining fault movement, and reverse 

versus normal faulting (see Figure 1). In another example, 

a labelled diagram of a fold shows features such as 

axial planar cleavage: students are asked to produce a 

similarly labelled diagram from a photo of another fold, 

identifying similar key features (see Figure 2). 

Simple animated graphics have been created to 

demonstrate dynamic processes, such as refolding of 

folds or the production of curved mineral fibres in 

veins through shearing. 

a) b) 

Fold Hinge 

Axial Plane 

Figure 2 

Example exercise 

from the website. 

Intersection 

of Cleavage 

on bedding 

Axial Planar 

Cleavage 

a) Explanation of 

the features within 

a fold. 

b) Exercise 

requiring students 

to produce a 

labelled diagram 

of a fold. 

Fold Axis 

Fold Limb 

© Pamela Murphy 2001 

● Using the diagram above, work out which features can be seen 

on the photo. Then make a labelled diagram of this fold. 

(Click on the photo to zoom in) 

103 www.esta-uk.org


Exercises 

The students are asked to download and complete the 

workbook. Some of the exercises require short textual 

answers, such as: 

● Explaining which of several methods of data recording 

is the best 

● Assessing the quality of examples of work from field 

notebooks by listing good and bad points 

● Listing the important features of an outcrop from a 

photograph. 

However, most of the exercises require students to produce 

a labelled diagram from a photograph. The aim of 

the task is not simply to copy the photograph: the diagram 

must be labelled, and it must contain information 

such as the direction of movement on a fault or the 

way-up of sedimentary structures. The students are 

therefore being asked not only to make observations 

but also to interpret them. 

A common problem when students are asked to produce 

field sketches is that they have no confidence in 

their drawing ability: they believe that they cannot draw. 

While there is no doubt that some people have a talent for 

drawing and others do not, many of the problems with 

student field sketches are the result of a lack of observation 

and care, rather than a lack of drawing ability. To 

overcome these problems, the students are taken 

through a sequence of steps, beginning with the decision 

whether or not a field sketch is necessary. It they decide 

to proceed with a field sketch, they have to identify its 

purposes (what the sketch is meant to show) before they 

begin to draw. They are then taken through the steps of 

adding labels, details, orientation and scale. In all cases, 

examples are given to illustrate the points being made. 

There are also tips such as how to record angles or proportions 

by first imagining a grid over the outcrop. 

In one exercise, the students are asked to draw a 

number of folds, using the minimum number of lines 

(see Figure 3). The point of this task is to develop students’ 

skills of concentration on accurate observation of 

Figure 3 

Example exercise: 

students are 

asked to draw the 

shapes of these 

folds, using a 

limited number of 

lines. This forces 

them to 

concentrate on the 

shapes of the 

folds, rather than 

shadows, fractures 

or colours. 

A 

C 

2 lines should be 

enough to show 

this fold. 

In this case, one 

of the beds has 

been weathered 

out, leaving a 

hole, but this 

does not affect 

the shape of the 

fold. Two or three 

lines should be 

enough to show it. 

B 

D 

Again, one or two 

lines should be 

enough. There is 

some minor 

faulting present, 

but for this 

exercise it is not 

important: it is the 

shape of the fold 

you are looking at. 

Take extra care 

with this example, 

as the shapes are 

complicated. 

2. Using as few lines as possible, draw the shapes of these folds (only use lines, not labels): 

A 

B 

C 

D 


104

WINTER 2001 ● Issue 35 

VOLCANOES 

BAD AND GOOD? 


Published by the Earth Science Teachers’ Association Registered Charity No. 1005331 

This issue of Teaching Primary Earth Science addresses aspects of the National Curriculum areas of 

Geography and Science. Activities involving ICT and Literacy skills are suggested. There is opportunity 

to include Atlas skills, Research skills, imaginative writing and discussion. 

Introduction- Some Background Information 

In this issue we intend to consider Volcanoes, not only as a hazard but also to draw attention to how 

they can benefit people as well. 

Most volcanoes, on land or at sea, are located at or near plate boundaries. (See Teaching Primary 

Earth Science, number 4 - winter 1993- Mountain Building). 

Some of the disadvantages 

Volcanic eruptions are usually very spectacular. The really explosive and dangerous eruptions make 

the headlines in the news. Many of the less spectacular ones do not. The character of volcanic 

eruptions are very varied. The variations are related to the chemistry and temperature of the molten 

rock (lava). 

Runny lavas flow easily away from the crater of the volcano rather than solidifying in or close to it. 

Dissolved gases within the lava escape easily and so pressure rarely builds up. As a result the 

volcanoes associated with this type of lava erupt with less violence, but usually more frequently. Even 

fast flowing lava rarely kills anyone, though it can cause serious damage to property. Volcanoes in 

Iceland, for example, are of this type. 

Sticky lavas trap gas more easily. They don’t flow as far before they cool and solidify. Sticky lavas 

often ‘plug’ the volcano which causes pressure to build up below the earth’s surface. Eruptions are 

usually more violent. They consist not only of lava but also lava droplets and solid bits of rock 

blasted into the air. These bits are varied in size from small ash fragments to big ‘bombs’ and 

‘blocks’. Ash fall out is not particularly deadly but it may cause damage to buildings as a result of 

ash overloading roofs and causing them to collapse. The eruption in 1991 of Mount Pinatubo in the 

Philippines was of this type. 

Sometimes dissolved gas from the erupting lava mixes with the ash to produce a dangerous red-hot 

cloud that travels rapidly down the side of a volcano usually causing death and damage. Poisonous 

gases associated with volcanic eruptions kill people. Generally the air is unpleasant with sulphurous 

gases smelling like bad eggs. The ash that settles on the side of a volcano may at a later occasion get 

swept down in a huge mudslide. 

A good detailed account of Volcanic Hazards can be found on the Internet: 

www.cotf.edu/ete/modules/volcanoes/vclimate.html

WINTER 2001 ● Issue 35 ● VOLCANOES – BAD AND GOOD? 


Some of the advantages 

● Soils that form from weathered basalt lava and ash fragments are normally very fertile. Crops grow 

very well. Many people choose to live on the flanks of the volcano to take advantage of such soils. 

● Lava flows that enter the sea build new land. This has happened in Hawaii, for example. 

● Fragments often make good building materials 

● Useful mineral deposits such as diamonds and opal are associated with volcanoes. 

● In Iceland, water heated by molten rock is used for heating homes or for making electricity. 

● Volcanoes such as Mount Vesuvius in Italy are important tourist attractions. 

● The earth’s atmosphere and the water on it evolved from gases produced by volcanic eruptions. 

● Volcanic eruptions that happened over millions of years created the earth’s atmosphere that 

enabled life to evolve on Earth. 

Suggested Activities 

Raising awareness of Hazards Associated with Volcanoes 

It would be topical to look at volcano hazards at the time of a volcanic eruption that was being 

regularly reported in the news. Many less spectacular volcanoes don’t make the news. However you 

can obtain relevant information on current eruptions from the Internet. Look at information on Current 

Eruptions on the following sites 

http://volcano.und.nodak.edu/ 

http://volcanoes.usgs.gov/ 

Class exercise: 

Use a World Map poster to locate and mark the volcanoes that are currently erupting. This might be an 

ongoing exercise that can be updated throughout the school year. Also mark onto the World Map any 

volcanoes that the children actually know about or have visited. 


Encourage the children to bring in any mementoes from their holidays- photos or rock specimens 

relating to volcanoes. Make a class display. 


Start a class scrapbook of articles from newspapers and magazines about volcanoes. 

Use video clips to illustrate how volcanoes can be dangerous. 

Source of good video footage and commentary may come from News reports from the Main News or 

from BBC Children’s Newsround. Alternatively record programmes and documentaries relating to 

volcanoes. 

Obtain information from the Internet describing the hazards of an eruption. 

The following site has a very detailed account of the 1991 eruption of Mount Pinatubo: 

http://wrgis.wr.usgs.gov/fact-sheet/fs113-97/ 

A class exercise using ICT Skills for older children: 

Using resources from the Internet, newspaper articles and video information word process a 

newspaper report about a volcanic eruption with attention to the dangers volcanoes present to people. 

For younger children: 

Read the following (above right) extract to the class to emphasis the dangers of volcanic eruptions.



Mount Pinatubo in the Philippines, a volcano dormant for 600 years, erupted on June 12th 1991. Thunderous 

explosions, shot out a mushroom of ash estimated by some to be 24km high was heard 80km away. There was 

so much ash that it blotted out the sun and made it cold. The volcano made the ground shake (earthquakes) 

which also caused damage to buildings. The eruption caused panic among the residents of nearby towns and 

cities. Many people left their homes and tried to get away from the eruption. Rocks the size of tennis balls were 

thrown up to 50km from the volcano. The ash gradually fell out of the sky. A reporter flying over the area wrote 

that the surrounding mountains looked as if snow had fallen on them. The ash fell everywhere- on towns, roads, 

cars, fields, and people. In some places it was 35cm deep. The weight of the ash caused many buildings to 

collapse, killing more people than the eruption itself. Electricity, water and telephones all failed. People found 

it difficult to breathe with all the ash in the air. The air also stank from the sulphur rich gases that had been 

thrown out in the eruption. It was like a massive stink bomb had been let off. The ash that fell on them 

destroyed many crops growing in the fields. Heavy rain washed much of the ash away and turned it into huge 

mudflows. These travelled very quickly down the hillsides and destroyed many bridges , roads and buildings. 

Unfortunately many people were swept away and lost their lives. 

Discuss with the class the meaning of the words in bold lettering. List the variety of hazards described 

in the article. 

A class exercise: 

Imaginative writing: To write a diary of a person who lives near Mount Pinatubo during the time of its 

eruption in 1991. 

Encourage the class to write about what it was like during the eruption. They could write about what 

they could see, hear, smell and feel. 

How did they feel during the eruption? 

They could also write about the ways in which the eruption made everyday life difficult and dangerous 

for people. 

Raising awareness of some of the benefits Associated with Volcanoes 

Overleaf is a list of statements that highlight some of the advantages and disadvantages (good and 

bad features) of volcanic eruptions. The list includes many features that are not used in any of the 

previous suggested resources and activities 

Duplicate and enlarge the list, laminate and cut into individual statements. Have spare blank cards 

prepared. 

Group Exercise: Each group separates the statements into ‘ good’ and ‘bad’. 

Alternatively lead a class activity and place ‘good’ and ‘bad’ onto prepared posters of two volcanoes. 

As visual aids use a bottled water such as Volvic that comes from a volcanic region. Obtain some 

pumice from Boots. In both cases students should be able to suggest additional comments- good and 

bad that they have witnessed in the previous activities. They could be written onto blank cards and 

also added to the work. 

Book references: 

Investigating Volcanoes and Earthquakes by Robin Kerrod. Published by Hermes House. 

Pocket Book of Planet Earth by Martyn Bramwell Published by Kingfisher Books. 

Usborne Nature Trail Book of Rocks by Martyn Bramwell 

Usborne Sience and Experiments Planet Earth by Fiona Watts



The Laki eruption in Iceland in 1783 

killed no people. People living nearby 

were able to get safely away. 

The Laki eruption of 1783 covered and 

destroyed two churches and 14 farms. 

Ash and the gas from the Laki eruption of 

1783 killed grass and crops. 

The ash from the Laki eruption thrown 

into the air blotted out the sun. It made it 

cooler. Crops could not grow very well. 

The gases from ancient volcanic 

eruptions helped to create the 

atmosphere on Earth. 

A volcanic eruption on the island of 

Heimaey, Iceland in 1973 added a lot of 

extra land to the island. It provided better 

protection to the harbour. 

Mount Pinatubo threw much sulphur 

dioxide gas into the air. Scientists believe 

this caused a 1o C fall in world 

temperatures for over 5 years. 

Some people think that bottled drinking 

water from volcanic areas contains 

minerals that are good for their health. 

In Iceland as a result of the Laki eruption 

of 1783, nearly all of the cows, sheep 

and horses died. Many people died of 

famine. 

Icelandic people quarry a volcanic rock 

called pumice. Pumice is sold to Boots 

the Chemists in England who sell it to 

people so that they can scrub themselves 

in the bath!! 

In Iceland they use hot rock moving under 

the ground to heat water. This is used to 

heat people’s homes, outdoor swimming 

pools and even to help make electricity. 

In many parts of the World, ash from 

volcanoes makes very rich, fertile soil. 

Crops grow very well in those soils. Today 

people are once more farming the sides 

of Pinatubo. 

Many people go on holiday to Iceland to 

look at the volcanoes. Especially those 

that are not erupting! 

The ash from volcanic eruptions can get 

into the engines of aeroplanes flying 

through it. This is very dangerous!! 

In 2001 a group of tourists visiting Mount 

Pinatubo were surprised to find that 

many animals such as deer and monkeys 

are now once again living in the area. 

Gold and silver may be formed in 

volcanic material. 

COPYRIGHT 

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Teaching Primary Earth Science if it is required for teaching in 

the classroom. Copyright material reproduced by permission 

of other publications rest with the original publishers. 

To reproduce original material from P.E.S.T. in other 

publications, permission must be sought from the ESTA 

committee via: Peter York, at the address below. 

This issue was written by Peter York. Additional comments 

by John Reynolds, Nikki Whitburn and Stewart Taylor. 

Edited by Graham Kitts 

To subscribe to Teaching Primary Earth Science send 

£5.00 made payable to ESTA. 

c/o Mr P York, 

346 Middlewood Road North, 

Oughtibridge, 

Sheffield S35 0HF


the geological elements rather than any “noise”. They 

have to draw the shape of the fold, and not get distracted 

by shadows, unimportant fractures or vegetation. 

Using the website 

The project was developed at Kingston University for 

first year students on a range of degree courses including 

Geology, Applied or Environmental Geology, Joint Honours 

Geology/Geography, Earth Sciences and Earth and 

Planetary Sciences. The original plan was for the students 

to complete the web-based exercise just before 

attending a week-long field course to South West England. 

However, the outbreak of Foot and Mouth in 

Spring 2001 meant that the field trip had to be delayed 

for several months. As a result, the exercise was not fresh 

in the students’ minds by the time they reached the field. 

However, references to the exercise were made during 

the fieldwork to remind them (and they often recognised 

sites of photographs, such as the refolded fold at Penally 

Point). The quality of field sketches did appear to have 

improved relative to previous years. 

Plagiarism 

A few students chose to copy off each other, rather than 

making drawings from the website photographs. This 

was fairly easy for the tutor to spot because the suspect 

pairs of drawings often looked almost identical but very 

different from the photographs! If the website was to be 

used purely within Kingston University, this problem 

could be avoided by using a learning management system 

(such as Blackboard (tm)) which can keep track of 

access by individual students. However, in this case the 

intention was to make the resource available to external 

users, so such a solution was not practical. 

Evaluation 

Students were asked to provide feedback via an anonymous 

questionnaire. Most completed the yes/no questions 

but many students did not select any of the 

optional comment boxes. The questions were: 

● How long did you spend on the assignment? 

40% 1-2 hours, 

50% 2-3 hours, 

10% >3 hours (usually 3 1/2 hours) 

● Do you think it will improve your field notebook 

skills? 

(100% Yes) 

● Did it help you to see the point of the field 

notebook? 

(95% Yes) 

● Other comments 

(tick-boxes, in order of positive responses) 

The explanations were useful (77%) 

It made me think about what I was doing (68%) 

It was easy to follow (50%) 

It was interesting (45%) 

I liked the fact that it was on the web (45%) 

I enjoyed it (32%) 

It took too long (27%) 

I had difficulty getting access 

to a computer to log on (18%) 

It was too difficult (9%) 

The website didn’t work properly (9%) 

I couldn’t download the workbook properly (9%) 

It was a waste of time (0%) 

It was too basic (0%) 

In the “open comments” section, several students commented 

on the flexibility provided by being able to 

complete the exercise in their own time. Interestingly, 

those who commented that the exercise had taken too 

much time said it took 2-3 hours, which is the normal 

length of time for a practical assignment. Their definition 

of “too long” is clearly different to the author’s! 

However, some commented that spending several 

hours logged in from home was expensive. In future, a 

few copies will be made available on CD to people who 

want to work from home. 

Conclusions 

The website format is ideal for teaching material such 

as this, when students can work at their own pace, and 

additional information can be provided. The indications 

are that such an approach is interesting to students 

and improves their performance in the field. The development 

time for such a project is large, however, and 

can only really be considered to be cost-effective where 

institutions can share software or where student numbers 

are large. It is for this reason that the website is 

being made freely available. Feedback from teachers or 

lecturers who use the website will be welcomed. 

The website is available at www.kingston.ac.uk 

/esg/fieldwork. Copies can also be made available on 

CD for a nominal charge. Enquiries or feedback should 

be addressed to Pamela Murphy (details below). 

Acknowledgements 

The development of this website was funded by a small 

grant from the Learning and Teaching Support Network 

subject centre for Geography, Earth and Environmental 

Sciences. 

Pamela Murphy 

School of Earth Sciences and Geography 

Kingston University 

Penrhyn Road 

Kingston Upon Thames 

Surrey KT1 2EE 

p.murphy@kingston.ac.uk 

105 www.esta-uk.org


Earth Science Activities and Demonstrations: 


MIKE TUKE 

Editor’s Note: The following extracts are reproduced, with minor editing, from “Earth Science 

Activities and Demonstrations” by Mike Tuke, published by John Murray, with the kind permission 

of author and publisher. Three items are given here: Frost Shattering; Making Rock; and Making 

Layers. All worksheets may be reproduced for non-commercial class use provided due 

acknowledgement is made. 

Frost Shattering 

Purpose 

To show how the expansion of water when 

it freezes may break up rocks. 

Requirements 

Per group: 

● Small glass jar with screw-on lid (plastic 

containers often stretch rather than break) 

● Clear polythene bag 

● Access to a freezer 

Notes (refer to worksheet) 

This activity is a useful one for pupils to do 

at home, although some parents may object. 

Several methods for finding the amount 

of expansion of ice are given below. The 

change in volume is about 9%. 

1. Seal off the needle end of a syringe with 

quick-glue or sealant such as Araldite. 

Half fill the syringe with water and note 

the position of the plunger. To get the 

air out of the syringe insert a wire down 

the side of the plunger before pushing it 

in. Then place the syringe in the freezer, 

and when the water has frozen note 

how far the plunger has moved out. 

2. Fill a balloon with water, tie its top and 

measure its circumference. Freeze it, 

and when it is solid measure its circumference 

again. 

3. Place a plastic measuring cylinder threequarters 

full of water in the freezer. 

When frozen the top of the ice will be 

uneven but an average level can be 

found. 

Q2 Water gets into the cracks in rocks, 

freezes and expands. This widens the crack 

and eventually breaks the rock apart. 

Q5 The scree (or talus deposits) which 

covers many the hillsides in the Lake District 

is formed in this way. 

Q6 Rocks shattered by frost will be found 

at the top of mountains, where lowest temperatures 

occur 

Making Rock 

Purpose 

To show how sediments are turned into rock. 

Requirements 

Per pupil: 

● Bunsen burner 

● Old dessert spoon 

● Concentrated sugar solution 

● Level dessert spoon of sand 

● Teat pipette 


There are three methods for making rock. 

Only this one can be completed in a lesson 

but the following are in some ways better. 

Method 1. Take a bucket and nearly fill it 

up with builders’ sand. Saturate the sand 

with water and leave for several days. This 

works well in hard water areas such as southeast 

England. You can part-bury a penny in 

the sand to show that the rock is artificial. 

This is the most effective method because it 

uses normal water and produces large lumps 

of rock, but it is the least reliable. 

Method 2. Fill a margarine container 

with sand and a concentrated solution of 

common salt. Leave it to evaporate. The 

top surface will become quite hard. 

Q1 Common salt is soluble, so would be 

dissolved away by rainwater. 

Q2 Precipitation differs from evaporation 

in that the water is not driven off; the 

chemical compound ceases to be in solution 

but the water is still present. 

Q3 No-one has yet observed sugar solutions 

in the Earth, but solutions containing 

calcium carbonate and iron compounds 

are common. The compounds may be precipitated 

between the sand grains to 

cement’ the grains together to form rock. 

Making Layers 

Purpose 

To show why sedimentary rocks are layered. 

Requirements 

Per group often pupils: 

● Several types of sand and pebbles, some 

rounded and some angular, of various 

sizes and colours, in separate containers 

(see Notes) 

● Coffee jar one third full of water and 

with a layer of sand in it (see Notes) 

● Cups or bottle tops with a capacity of 

about 30 ml 


This is a very important concept to get 

over to pupils, but it is also fairly easy to 

understand. This activity is often best done 

as a demonstration but is also useful as an 

activity for low ability children. It is best to 

choose pebbles that can easily be separated 

again, unless you have sieves. 

About ten cupfuls of sediment are sufficient 

in one coffee jar. Take care that the 

water in the jar does not overflow and that 

pupils do not all choose the same sediment. 

Both of these problems can be 

avoided by having cups already filled with 

sediment which pupils can just tip in. In 

this case the amount in each cup can be 

varied to give different thicknesses of sediment. 

Sand should be the first layer and if 

it is used to make another layer it should be 

put onto pebbles about 2 mm across, to 

stop it sinking down and obliterating the 

lower layers. 

Q1 (a) and (b) would have taken many 

years, (c), (d) and (e) days. (f) months. 

Q2 Sediments found: peat (top and latest 

layer), shells, volcanic ash, pebbles, mud, 

sand, mud, sand, mud, sand (lowest and 

oldest layer). 


106


Frost Shattering 

This worksheet is taken with permission, from Earth Science: Activities and Demonstrations, by Mike Tuke. 

Published by John Murray, 50 Albemarle St. London W1X 4BD. Tel 020 74934361 

107 www.esta-uk.org


Making Rock 




108


Making Layers 



109 www.esta-uk.org


An Earth Science Fieldtrip 

for Key Stage 3 Pupils 

OWAIN THOMAS 

In a recent article in Teaching Earth Sciences I described some activities that could be used in 

science courses in Key Stage 4 (Earth Science in Double Award Science, TES 26(1), 2001: 13-14). 

Of course, pupils’ learning at Key Stage 4 must build on their prior learning in Key Stage 3, so this 

article describes a simple field trip for Key Stage 3 pupils. The area is south west Wales in the 

vicinity of Saundersfoot on the Pembrokeshire coast. 

Figure 1 

Why bother? 

Many teachers of GCSE and A level geology are concerned 

with the numbers of pupils who choose the subject. 

For several years in Amman Valley School, the 

number of students taking A level geology has declined 

alarmingly and we felt that one way of improving the 

uptake of the subject was to provide younger pupils 

with a positive experience of Earth science. An obvious 

way of doing this was to provide a field trip, on the basis 

that in pupils’ minds any time out of school is a positive 

experience, by definition! 

Another reason for organising a field trip was to 

provide help for my colleagues in teaching some of the 

Key Stage 3 Earth science. This is taught as a module 

in Year 9 in the chemistry lessons. I teach with three 

colleagues in the chemistry department, all of whom 

have little or no background in Earth science. As a 

geology specialist working within the science faculty, 

it is clearly my responsibility to provide curriculum 

leadership in this field and thereby help to make the 

Earth science component as interesting as possible for 

pupils and teachers alike. 

Organisation 

Time for field trips is becoming more difficult to find in 

school because of timetable and exam constraints. 

However, we normally schedule the trip as close to the 

end of the Summer Term as possible (tides permitting). 

Pupils are accepted on a first come first served basis (we 

usually take only one bus load) and they only pay a contribution 

towards the cost of hiring the bus. Science 

staff accompany the pupils in the ratio 1:15. 


110


The activities 

The aim of this field trip is to stimulate interest in Earth 

science rather than try to get them to learn lots of new 

ideas. The beach south of the harbour at Saundersfoot 

has a spectacular anticline (see front cover photograph) 

that clearly illustrates the ideas that sedimentary rocks 

form in layers and that these layers can be bent under 

pressure. The first activity (see Figure 1 Task 1) asks the 

pupils to draw the shape of the anticline and to decide 

on the type of rock it is made of (sedimentary, igneous 

or metamorphic). The quality of the field sketches is 

usually quite poor at first but at least it makes the pupils 

look at the rocks with a “scientific eye”. They examine 

the rocks (avoiding all possible hazards such as overhanging 

rocks) and estimate the dip of each limb. 

Approximately 50 metres back towards the harbour 

there is a small syncline in the cliff. This is much more 

difficult to spot, but once the layers have been pointed 

out the pupils can usually distinguish the structure. The 

pupils can appreciate from this that you can have “up” 

and “down” folds (see Figure 1 Task 2). 

In the same region there are some faults. This time a 

sketch is provided (see Figure 2 Task 3) and the pupils are 

expected to estimate the distance that the rocks have 

moved and to interpret this movement in terms of compression 

or extension. Initially they find this quite difficult 

but once the teacher has pointed out the sandstone marker 

bed they can easily identify the sense of movement. 

The final two activities involve simple observations on 

the sand and the pebbles found on the beach (see Figure 

2 Tasks 4 & 5). These exercises simply show the range of 

different materials that can be found in a small area and 

are designed to get pupils to think about their origins. 

I am planning to introduce a new activity for next 

year’s trip in which the pupils will measure and describe 

the ripples found in the sand. This will lead towards some 

new statements in the AQA double award syllabus. 

Conclusion 

Fieldwork is one of the great strengths of Earth science. 

Pupils can learn that science is all around us and we can 

“do science” in all of these environments - not just the 

laboratory. The pupils get a lot out of the experience 

and I feel that it is very worthwhile. 

If you are involved in teaching the Earth science component 

of the Key Stage 3 course, can you find a suitable 

site for a field trip like this? If, on the other hand, you are 

an Earth science specialist not involved in Key Stage 3 

science, why not offer your services to your colleagues? 

Owain Thomas 

Teacher i/c Geology 

Amman Valley School 

Margaret Street, 

Ammanford, 

Carmarthenshire. SA18 2NW 

Tel. (01269) 592441 

Figure 2 

111 www.esta-uk.org


Further Thoughts – Where Next for ESTA? 

IAN THOMAS 

This brief article continues with the theme I started 

in my item “From the ESTA Chair” (page 87). 

Can we learn lessons from others? What potential 

partnerships might be developed? As I write the 

anticyclonic gloom is all pervasive. However, if we are 

to address one of the issues in Roger Trend’s last Editorial 

(TES 26/2) regretting the lack of interest (indeed 

outright avoidance) of meteorology in schools, few of 

those now leaving school will have the slightest idea 

what the label “meteorology” means, let alone its scientific 

basis. This is quite astounding when we live on a 

series of islands where changing weather is a national 

obsession. This is even more staggering when we are 

bombarded hourly by programmes, acres of newsprint 

and newsflashes on meteorological disasters, global 

warming, el Nino, the warmest October on record and 

so forth. Yet again, conditioned by the constraints of 

Exam Board specifications and the National Curriculum, 

many schools appear to be lagging behind developments 

(some of them longstanding) in the ‘real’ 

World. This is perhaps even more remarkable still when 

one considers the emphasis for at least a decade on the 

environment – the main gap appears to be the unwillingness, 

inability or possibly fear of many involved to 

make the fundamental links between events and scientific 

explanations. 

Clearly ESTA cannot bite off more than it can chew 

– members are already stretched as they continue to 

make good progress in a wide range of fields. Just are we 

are improving Earth science teaching through an evergrowing 

network of partnerships, there may even be 

members willing to take this aspect further, for example 

by linking up with the Met. Office as it moves into its 

new home in Exeter. 

Broadening the theme a little further still, we might 

consider media coverage of the most popular, current, 

non-news issues of the day. In no particular order, these 

are likely to include: environmental matters; food and 

drink; art and design; and history/archaeology. ‘The 

environment’ can in turn embrace wildlife, major Earth 

events, astronomy and at a stretch – dinosaurs. ESTA 

can rightly claim an interest in most of these. However, 

when set against the memberships of, for example, the 

National Trust, RSPB or county Wildlife Trusts, the 

number signing up for Earth science pales into insignificance. 

I may have missed a critical slot but David 

Attenborough’s recent highly-acclaimed Blue Planet 

series appeared to have little, if any, coverage of the 

most fundamental question of why the oceans are located 

where they are! Apart from the odd five minutes on 

black smokers, there was more on polar bears alone, 

although the piece on corals was instructive. 

Turning to another field, and bearing in mind that 

Sc4 ‘Earth and Beyond’ is virtually 100% ‘beyond’, it 

might be instructive to consider astronomy in a little 

more depth, or, as we should now term it, cosmology. 

On a recent cold Saturday night I joined about 200 others 

(some of whom had made an 80-mile round trip 

and including at least two school groups) outside, staring 

at a large video screen. For an hour nothing 

appeared to happen, but very few people left. It was too 

cloudy. Apparently it was equally cloudy at the two linkup 

stations in Portugal and Poland. Then, minutes 

before 9 pm, the clouds here began to break up as if to 

order, and we began to see on screen an eight-foot 

image of part of the Moon with a small but growing 

detached blob to the left – this was Saturn emerging 

from behind the Moon. With time, the image became a 

little clearer so that you just about pick out the planet’s 

rings. We were watching the ‘Occultation of Saturn by 

the Moon’. I would guess that 99.9% of the population 

have never heard of the term ‘occultation’ – yet this was 

how it was advertised and the press release (with the 

same title!) generated numerous calls for interviews 

with my colleague Rod Tippett (he has just been 

appointed honorary education officer for the Federation 

of Astronomical Societies). 

I want to mention two more examples. First, think of 

the room set in almost any American movie – a telescope 

is a prerequisite prop. Even more remarkable was 

news we received recently of people signing up for a 

luxury flight across southern Africa next year to watch 

the next major eclipse – at £10,000 each! There is not 

the slightest doubt that in the media, ‘astronomy’ is a 

magic world, yet you cannot even touch it. 

So what is it about Earth science in Britain which 

induces a Cinderella syndrome? Perhaps if we had 

more effective ways of predicting earthquakes or volcanic 

eruptions it might gain a little more popular 

appeal – not that we would witness too many of these 

events here. The British Geological Survey has made a 

step in the right direction in respect of the recent 

Melton Mowbray earthquake, by using a questionnaire 

in the press to solicit accounts of experiences of local 

people. Perhaps a selection of the results could be used 

in some new teaching materials? 

But this is hardly the real answer. I am sure that 

skilled and up-to-date presentation are critical factors – 

possibly one or two embryo Patrick Moores, David 

Attenboroughs and Tony Robinsons are now beginning 

to emerge but it is a very slow process – there is no 

magic bullet. 

However, considering its size, for many years ESTA 

has achieved much and continues to do so. With so 

much ground still to cover we can only do this, as I have 

always emphasised, through partnerships - with other 

institutions in the scientific community including universities, 

the other scientific institutions, the BGS, both 


112



GAs, UKRIGS and, at some stage, those engaged in 

meteorology and cosmology. Should we extend our 

brief to cover what is conventionally called the public 

understanding of (Earth) science - which should perhaps 

more correctly begin with scientists better understanding 

the public. To do this effectively we do need a 

co-ordinated prioritised rolling plan covering, say, the 

next five years. 

POSTSCRIPT 1 

As I drew to a close, after days, the gloom outside has 

broken up to reveal an Earth scientist’s ‘to die for’ 

panorama of sunset over the Matlock gorge – complete 

with dramatic folding, fault controlled features, a variety 

of rock types, classic mineralisation and, glacial geomorphology, 

but which most people see in perfectly 

valid terms effectively in one dimension as, ‘a nice view’ 

(and I write as someone who has painted the scene a 

dozen times). 

POSTCRIPT 2 

Incidentally, has anyone tried recording the shipping 

forecasts – reports from coastal stations – over a number 

of days, then asking students to plot the returns to 

establish moving weather systems from real data – here 

is plenty of good science, mapwork, ICT and the added 

possibility of numeracy. 

Ian Thomas 

Chair, ESTA 

Mr Steven Apsey 

West Sussex 

Ms Sarah Archibald 

Staffordshire 

Mrs S Buckland 

Buckinghamshire 

Mrs C Carruthers 

Skelmersdale 

Dr Brian Chaffrey 

Somerset 

Miss Hannah Chalk 

Preston 

Mrs J Charlton 

Co Durham 

Mr Ben Church 

Monmouth 

Dr Peter Copley 

Staffordshire 

Miss Deborah Gatehouse 

West Midlands 

Mr Darren George 

Sandow 

Miss Madeline Glasby 

St. Neots 

Mr John Ibbotson 

Sheffield 

Mrs Jane Ladson 

Sheffield 

Miss Rachel Lindskell 

North Devon 

Mr Glyn Mark 

Cleobury Mortimer 

Mr Michael McCausland 

Whitchurch 

Mr Daniel J.Newton 

Pontypool 

Mr Rick Ramsdale 

Silstone 

Dr Julia Ranger 

Wiltshire 

Mrs C Roach 

Brighton, Hove & Sussex 6th 

Form College 

Mrs Christine Wilde 

Rawtenstall 

Top Ten Signs that you might be a Geologist 

10 You have responded “yes” to the question “What have you got in their – rocks ?” 

9 You have taken a 22 passenger van over “roads” that were really only intended for cattle. 

8 You have found yourself trying to explain to airport security that a geological hammer isn’t really a weapon. 

7 Your rock garden is located inside your house. 

6 You have hung a picture using a Silva compass clino as a level. 

5 Your collection of beer cans and/or bottles rivals the size of your rock collection. 

4 You consider a “recent event” to be anything that has happened within the last 100,000 years. 

3 Your photos include people only for scale and you have more pictures of your rock hammer than you have 

of your family. 

2 You have been on a fieldtrip that included scheduled stops at a gravel pit and/or a public house. 

And the number one sign you might be a geologist : 

1 You have uttered the phrase “Have you tried licking it ?” 

Dawn Windley 

113 www.esta-uk.org


Websearch 

www.aloha.net/~smgon/ordersoftrilobites.htm 

“A Guide to the Orders of Trilobite: A site devoted to 

understanding trilobites”. This is a comprehensive site 

dealing with all aspects of trilobites. Well illustrated and 

written, it can be downloaded as hard copy to form a 

complete textbook. 

www.dinosaurmag.com/ 

This is the web-site for a new magazine: Dinosaur, published 

in the USA. The “Premier” issue is available by 

online ordering on the web-site. Price: United States $5.95, 

plus $1.50 for S/H; Foreign $5.95, plus $3.50 for S/H. 

www-geology.ucdavis.edu/~GEL1/geologynews.html 

Geology in the News. This site provides coverage of 

geology news stories, mainly from American publications 

and organisations but, nonetheless, covers global 

issues. There are also links to Oceanography in the News 

and Palaeontology in the News (see below). Stories from 

the last three months are featured and an archive of older 

stories is also maintained. 

www-geology.ucdavis.edu/~GEL3/paleonews.html 

Palaeontology in the News 

www-geology.ucdavis.edu/~GEL116/oceannews.html 

Oceanography in the News 

communities.msn.co.uk/AmateurGeologists 

This is a web-site where individual geologists or groups can 

announce new finds or exposures, ask for help, list events 

or post pictures of their favourite specimens. Membership 

is open to any UK amateur, who may add their email 

address and a link to their own website if they like. 

nav.webring.yahoo.com/hub?ring=amateurgeologist 

This is a listing of web pages created by and for amateur 

geologists. Membership is open to individuals or 

groups who have web-sites which aim to pass on information 

to others. The sites can be owned by amateur 

geologists or professionals and academics - but the 

main purpose of the site must be to inform and share 

information rather than sell specimens or services. 

This and the above sites have been created by Mike 

Horne, Secretary of the Hull Geological Society. 

www.earthwaves.org/ 

EarthWaves: Our Changing Planet. “EarthWaves is a 

web site dedicated to the subject of our planet, and the 

many changes encompassing it. You’ll find topics here 

ranging from earthquakes to the ozone layer.” 

www.solarviews.com/ 

“Views of the Solar System presents a vivid multimedia 

adventure unfolding the splendor of the Sun, planets, 

moons, comets, asteroids, and more. Discover the latest 

scientific information, or study the history of space 

exploration, rocketry, early astronauts, space missions, 

spacecraft through a vast archive of photographs, scientific 

facts, text, graphics and videos. Views of the Solar 

System offers enhanced exploration and educational 

enjoyment of the solar system and beyond.” 

LANDSCAPE EVOLUTION 

leme.anu.edu.au/ 

CRC LEME: Cooperative Research Center for Landscape 

Evolution and Mineral Exploration. “Aiding the 

discovery of concealed world-class ore deposits 

through knowledge of Australian landscape evolution.” 

erode.evsc.virginia.edu/ 

Geomorphology. This is a series of lectures from the 

University of Virginia available on the www, including 

text slides, photos, diagrams, and speaker’s notes. It 

may be updated and expanded from time to time. The 

speaker’s notes included with the web-based version of 

these lectures include a selective bibliography of relevant 

literature and sources for illustrations. 

OCEANS 

www.fema.gov/fema/hurricaf.html 

Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) Fact 

Sheet: Hurricanes 

seawifs.gsfc.nasa.gov/ocean-planet.html 

Ocean planet: A Smithsonian Institution Traveling 

Exhibition. “This electronic online companion exhibition 

contains all of the text and most of the panel 

designs and images found in the traveling exhibition. 

Includes information about the variety of educational 

materials associated with Ocean Planet, including a set 

of lessons and marine science activities which adapt 

several themes of the exhibition for use in the middle 

and high school classroom.” 

coastal.er.usgs.gov/ 

The US Geological Survey (USGS) Center for Coastal 

Geology (includes educational resources). 

marine.usgs.gov/ 

USGS Marine and Coastal Geology Program 

woodshole.er.usgs.gov/ 

USGS Woods Hole Field Center: Geology of Coasts 

and Oceans 


114


www.pmel.noaa.gov/vents/home.html 

NOAA Vents programme: Researching the effects of 

underwater hydrothermal venting systems: covers all 

aspects of deep sea vents, including live camera coverage. 

EARTH’S INTERIOR 

www.seismo.unr.edu/ftp/pub/louie/class/100/interio 

r.html 

The Earth’s Interior: lecture notes and graphics from 

Prof John Louie at the University of Nevada. 

PLATE TECTONICS 

www.ngdc.noaa.gov/mgg/mggd.html 

National Geophysical Data Center: Marine Geology 

and Geophysics Division 

www-odp.tamu.edu/ 

Ocean Drilling Program 

volcano.und.nodak.edu/ 

Volcano World: “The world’s premier source of volcano 

info”. Excellent site for all ages, includes ‘teaching and 

learning’, ‘today in volcano history’, virtual field trips and 

loads more. 

craton.geol.brocku.ca/guest/jurgen/SITES.HTM 

Structure and Tectonics Groups on the WWW: an 

alphabetical Listing of University Research Groups in 

Structural Geology by country. 

www.fiu.edu/orgs/caribgeol/ 

Caribbean Geology & Tectonics Website: “The 

Caribbean Geology website is designed to help the 

spread of information about the geosciences in the 

Caribbean and adjacent areas, and to encourage cooperation 

between the widely spread members of the 

Caribbean Geological community.” 

www-wsm.physik.uni-karlsruhe.de 

World Stress Map (WSM) project. “The WSM is a fundamental 

database for Earth System Management. It is a 

standard global stress compilation of recent tectonic 

stress data of more than 10, 000 quality ranked data sets.” 

It is a non-profit project. The database is freely available 

from the web-site. 

www.ucmp.berkeley.edu/geology/techist.html 

Plate Tectonics: History of an Idea. From the University 

of California, Berkeley Museum of Palaeontology. 

pubs.usgs.gov/publications/text/dynamic.html 

This Dynamic Earth: The Story of Plate Tectonics. Webbased 

version of the book by W. Jacquelyne Kious & 

Robert I. Tilling. 

www.platetectonics.com/ 

Plate Tectonics: A whole new way of looking at your 

planet. Includes an article archive, ocean floor map with 

close ups and commentaries, and an online account of 

plate tectonics. 

www.ig.utexas.edu/research/projects/plates/plates.htm 

“PLATES is a program of research into plate tectonic and 

geologic reconstructions. It is supported by a consortium 

of oil companies. PLATES maintains an up-to-date 

oceanic magnetic and tectonic database, continuously 

adding new paleomagnetic, hot spot, geological and geophysical 

data to extend the span and accuracy of global 

plate reconstructions.” 

www.muohio.edu/tectonics/ActiveTectonics.html 

The Active Tectonics Web Server. This was established 

in order to effectively disseminate ideas resulting from 

the Active Tectonics initiative. The initiative intended 

to enhance multidisciplinary research on active tectonic 

environments. Contains some interesting earthquake 

images. 

EARTHQUAKES 

wwwneic.cr.usgs.gov/ 

The US National Earthquake Information Center: 

World Data Center for Seismology, Denver. 

www.gps.caltech.edu/seismo/seismo.page.html 

California Institute of Technology Seismological Laboratory 

www.geophys.washington.edu/tsunami/ 

Tsunami. “Tsunami! is a World-Wide Web site that has 

been developed to provide general information about 

tsunamis. Tsunamis are large water waves, typically 

generated by seismic activity, that have historically 

caused significant damage to coastal communities 

throughout the world. This site has been developed 

with a broad audience in mind; consequently, it contains 

extensive background information that is intended 

primarily for the general public, including 

information about the mechanisms of tsunami generation 

and propagation, the impact of tsunamis on 

humankind, and the Tsunami Warning System.” 

www.geophys.washington.edu/SEIS/ 

Seismology and Earthquake Information from the 

University of Washington 

http://quake.usgs.gov/ 

USGS: Latest Earthquake Information including 

real-time earthquake maps, shaking maps and seismogram 

displays. 

115 www.esta-uk.org


Reviews 

An introduction to Atmospheric Physics by David G. Andrews 

Cambridge University Press, 2000, £17.95 (paperback), £50 (hardback). 

ISBN 0-521-62051-1. 

This book, as stated in the preface, is 

intended as an introductory text for 

third or fourth year undergraduates 

studying atmospheric physics, for 

graduate students studying atmospheric 

physics for the first time and for 

students of applied mathematics, 

physical chemistry and engineering who 

have an interest in the atmosphere. As 

such it assumes a basic knowledge of 

thermodynamics, electromagnetic 

radiation and quantum physics, together 

with some vector calculus. Its emphasis 

throughout is on the basic physical 

principles and their expression in an 

atmospheric context, rather than on a 

range of applications. Thus, it covers the 

three fundamental pillars of atmospheric 

physics – thermodynamics, radiation and 

fluid mechanics – with additional 

chapters on stratospheric chemistry, 

remote sensing and atmospheric 

modelling. 

The style of the book follows that of 

an earlier successful atmospheric physics 

text from an Oxford University author – 

Physics of Atmospheres by J. T. 

Houghton – in that an extensive list of 

problems follows each chapter which 

both illustrate the fundamental 

principles and introduce important 

applications. The problems will be 

indispensable to a serious student 

seeking to learn from this book and 

represent a valuable resource for 

teaching atmospheric science within 

physics courses. Solutions to each 

problem (and hints on how to obtain 

some of them) are provided at the end of 

the book. 

As expected from the target 

readership, the text concentrates on 

developing the basic equations of 

atmospheric physics from the first 

principles, explaining the many 

approximations and shortcuts that can 

make this branch of classical physics so 

confusing for undergraduates. Its remit 

is the Earth’s neutral atmosphere, from 

the ground to around 100 km altitude, 

which contains the weather and climate 

and the ozone layer as well as less 

familiar phenomena such as noctilucent 

clouds; it does not cover the ionosphere 

and magnetosphere. 

A short initial chapter introduces 

some essential terminology, presents the 

mean temperature and wind fields of the 

atmosphere and introduces some of the 

key phenomena (such as Rossby waves 

and the greenhouse effect) treated in 

detail in later chapters. This leads on to 

the second chapter, on atmospheric 

thermodynamics. The treatment here 

follows Houghton in introducing the 

tephigram – an invaluable graphical tool 

for representing the thermodynamic 

state of the troposphere, much used by 

meteorologists but often omitted from 

the basic text books. The introduction to 

cloud physics at the end of this chapter 

is rather short, and a reader interested in 

this subject will need to consult more 

specialised texts (one of which is given 

here as a reference). 

The strength of this book is 

the way it develops the 

fundamental ideas of 

atmospheric physics without 

introducing too much 

extraneous detail. 

The third chapter, on radiation, first 

derives basic equations of radiative 

transfer and spectroscopy before going 

on to describe the interaction of 

ultraviolet, visible and infrared radiation 

with the atmosphere. This leads on to a 

more detailed discussion of the 

greenhouse effect and atmospheric 

scattering. The mathematical 

development in this chapter is measured 

and carefully builds on basic principles; a 

careful balance must be struck between 

detail and clarity in this subject and 

Andrews is more successful than most 

authors in presenting this material in 

introductory texts. 

The two chapters on fluid mechanics 

are the best of the eight chapters in the 

book. They begin by deriving from first 

principles the basic equations of fluid 

dynamics, since this topic is often 

omitted from undergraduate physics 

courses. By building up carefully to 

quasi-geostrophic theory, gravity waves 

and Rossby waves the text emphasises 

the common principles underlying these 

concepts as well as opening up a broad 

field of atmospheric flows to quantitative 

study. This allows baroclimic and 

barotropic instability – topics often 

guarded by a palisade of differential 

equations in other texts – to be explained 

in a straightforward and logical way at 

the end of the chapter. An introduction 

to Ekman flow in the boundary layer is 

also included. 

The book concludes with three 

shorter chapters, on stratospheric 

chemistry, remote sounding and 

modelling. That on chemistry covers the 

basic concepts of atmospheric chemistry 

and provides an introduction to the 

Antarctic ozone hole. The remote 

sounding chapter has an impressive 

breadth for a book of this type, covering 

both passive and active (radar, lidar) 

ground-based methods as well as the 

more conventional space observations. 

The short final chapter gives a brief 

introduction to atmospheric modelling. 

The strength of this book is the way it 

develops the fundamental ideas of 

atmospheric physics without introducing 

too much extraneous detail. Its level is 

very well suited to its target readership 

and it is considerably more affordable 

than some of its competitors. Thus, I 

expect this book to become a standard 

text for many atmospheric physics 

courses in future years. 

Geraint Vaughan 

Department of Physics 

University of Wales Aberystwyth 


116


Reviews 

Science for GCSE: Double Award, 2nd edition by Graham Hill 

Hodder and Stoughton. August 2001, £15.99, 328pp. 

ISBN 0-340-80044-5. 

Ifirst encountered this title, in the 

Spring, in its first edition, when asked 

to review it for the current ESTA exercise 

of evaluating the Earth science content in 

all the available school Science textbooks. 

This review relates to the Earth science 

content, with only passing reference to 

the other aspects of science. 

My first reaction, on hearing of the 

appearance of a second edition, was one 

of annoyance – in order to be fair to the 

publisher, I would have to look at it all 

over again! On second thoughts, perhaps 

the many errors in the first edition 

would have been corrected, so I turned 

to the task with expectancy. I soon 

realised that the wording and diagrams 

had been “tweaked” in many places, but 

that very few misunderstandings had 

been altered; new errors had been 

introduced, and various topics, such as 

transport and erosion had been deleted 

altogether. So, what is it like now? 

At first sight, the book is beautifully 

produced, and well laid out. It allows more 

space than the dreaded double page spread 

approach, and is full of good photographs, 

which must surely attract the average Y10 

and 11 student: indeed, it is aimed at those 

who are likely to be in the A* to C grade 

category at GCSE. It is divided into the 

traditional categories of Life processes and 

living things; Materials and their 

properties and Physical processes. The 

Earth Science content is distributed 

throughout the three sections, with most 

of it, of course, being in the Materials bit. 

Of the book’s 322 pages (excluding 

index), Earth Science in the widest sense 

occupies about 10%, which is par for the 

course, in comparison with other books 

surveyed. However, it also ranks too 

highly in the list for the number of errors 

per page, which is around 2, depending 

on how many times you count things like 

“liquid mantle” on the same page! 

So, why am I so disappointed with 

this book? I have to say that it gives the 

appearance that the Earth science has 

been grudgingly squeezed in, to satisfy 

the National Curriculum, and not 

because the author derives any pleasure 

from the subject. I assume that he is 

thoroughly familiar with his own 

specialism, but it is very obvious that he 

has not studied Earth science. To their 

shame, the publishers do not seem to 

have supported their author by asking a 

competent Earth scientist to check the 

manuscript before publication. In 

general, the approach does not fulfil the 

spirit of the National Curriculum, 

which is to get students to evaluate the 

evidence – as found in the rocks; for or 

against evolution; plate tectonics etc. 

Instead, there are brief statements of 

facts (or near-facts!) which students are 

expected to digest, with minimal effort 

at working things out for themselves. A 

classic example of the author’s own lack 

of application of the evidence is found in 

the perennial problem of the nature of 

the mantle. Throughout most of the 

book (e.g. pp 199 and 200), the mantle is 

stated as being liquid, yet on page 301 it 

is implied, in the briefest treatment of 

seismic waves that I have seen, that S 

waves do not penetrate the core, because 

it is liquid, yet they are able to pass 

through the mantle. 

It is all too easy to pick out the errors 

in any book and to share a giggle over 

coffee, but there are so many serious 

ones here, that I think another approach 

is needed. Examples include the 

statement that limestone is a good 

example of a mineral (p192); there is 

confusion between weathering and 

erosion (p 194), and no coverage of 

transport and erosion, per se at all; 

reference to plates as being “crustal”, and 

no mention of the lithosphere (although 

this is named in the National 

Curriculum). An appropriate 

photograph of a beautiful fossil fern 

(albeit referred to as being preserved in 

slate) appeared in the first edition. In the 

second edition however, it has been 

replaced with a superb fossil fish, with 

the caption, “This fossil of a prehistoric 

fish was left when the rest of it became 

crude oil”. The most inaccurate item in 

the whole book is the diagram on page 

196, purporting to show “the formation 

of igneous, sedimentary and 

metamorphic rocks”. Among several 

interesting phenomena, it depicts 

“igneous rock next to mantle, e.g. 

quartz, granite”, and it really must be 

redrawn before too many students see it. 

Overall, it is not even the gross errors, 

such as those identified above, so much 

as an almost indefinable air about the 

book, that one cannot always put a finger 

on, yet which confirms the impression 

that the author is uncomfortable when 

writing outside his own field. 

So what can ESTA members and other 

readers do to be helpful? I suggest that 

readers might like to consult whichever 

colleague is responsible for buying books 

for the school, and offer to look at any 

inspection copy which might be ordered, 

to see if you could help correct the main 

problems before any purchase is 

confirmed. Alternatively, if the school is 

already equipped with the first edition, at 

least students will hear of erosion and 

transportation! Perhaps you could then 

prepare an erratum page, to be inserted 

into each copy. With a group which has 

already learned its stuff, the book could be 

issued for the students to spot the errors 

themselves – an instructive exercise, when 

used with the right group! 

In common with other firms, the 

publishers have expressed their 

willingness to take part in the overall 

ESTA review exercise, and we believe 

that they have done so, partly so that they 

can attend to any errors and omissions 

before further editions appear. This 

independently solicited review will appear 

before the major project is completed, 

and may appear more embarrassing to the 

publisher, but I do hope that it will 

prompt them into taking the appropriate 

action in time for the next edition. 

Peter Kennett 

Sheffield 

117 www.esta-uk.org


Reviews 

This Dynamic Earth: the story of plate tectonics, by W J Kious and R I Tilling, 

USGS, Landscape format 27 x 21.5cm, 80pp, Obtainable from ESTA 

Promotions, price £7, post free. ISBN 0 16 048220 8. 

and 

This Dynamic Planet - world map of volcanoes, earthquakes, impact craters 

and plate tectonics, USGS. Landscape format wall map, 140 x 104cm, also 

from ESTA price £6 post free. 

This is an unsolicited review, 

written because I think the 

materials are so good that 

everyone ought to have them! 

ESTA also needs to declare an 

interest in that the items are 

stocked by ESTA Promotions. 

The map has been available 

through ESTA for several years, 

and a much-used one still features 

on a display board in my old lab (I 

pop in now and then, just to 

check!). It shows all that the title 

says, and is excellent for patternseeking 

exercises, as well as for 

stimulating students’ interests in 

general. The topography of the 

ocean floors is shown faintly, but 

used in conjunction with the 

colourful map of the oceans floors 

by Marie Tharp (which also 

happens to be available from 

ESTA), one has all one needs for 

doing justice to plate tectonics and 

a lot more besides. 

I first became aware of the 

booklet, This Dynamic Earth, 

whilst enduring the heat of 

Australia at the International 

GeoScience Education Conference 

last year, it having been brought as a 

free gift by the US delegation. It is 

quite excellent, giving the story of 

plate tectonics in clear English, with 

well chosen photographs, and with 

simple, bold diagrams. It also 

includes some of the human stories, 

such as how Wegener died in 

Greenland in 1930 and how Harry 

Hess managed to combine hunting 

enemy submarines during the War, 

with thinking about the geology of 

the ocean floors. It is not over 

(overly?!) American, and Vine and 

Matthews’ work is explained very 

clearly, among others. 

So far, I have only been made 

aware of one error, and that is a 

simple transposition of a caption 

on page 18, spotted by a historian! 

Since my discovery of the 

booklet, ESTA has ordered copies 

from the USGS and the Earth 

Science Education team has 

added the items to the kit of 

“samples” taken round to INSET 

courses. Both the booklet and the 

map have proved extremely 

popular among Science teachers, 

who see them as a way of 

enlivening their own knowledge 

of the subject and of capturing 

their students’ interest. I find that 

I am selling either one or the 

other, and quite often both, at 

most of the meetings in recent 

months, and we have had to 

reorder twice already. 

If I made any personal money 

out of promoting something like 

this, I could rightly be castigated 

(I did look it up!). However, the 

only people to benefit will be 

YOU; your students and 

colleagues; ESTA (not by much!); 

and, of course the USGS and their 

carriers! Excellent value for money 

- buy one of each for Christmas! 

Peter Kennett 

Sheffield 

ESTA Diary 

JANUARY 2002 

Thurs 3 - Sat 5 January 

Liverpool University. 

Association for Science 

Education Annual Meeting. 

Thurs 3rd Jan. is Earth Sciences 

Day: Public lectures and INSET 

courses/workshops for Primary 

and Secondary teachers. 

UKOOA & ESTA. 

ESTA will have a staffed 

display/sales stand throughout 

the Meeting. 

MARCH 2002 

March 1 - 3 

Scotland Annual ASE 

Conference, 

Jordanhill School, Glasgow 

March 8 - 17 

National Science Week 

APRIL 2002 

Wed 3 - Fri 5 April 

UMIST (Manchester). 

Geographical Association 

Conference. 

ESTA will have a staffed 

display/sales stand throughout 

the Conference. 

SEPTEMBER 2002 

Fri 13 - Sun 15 September 

British Geological Survey, 

Keyworth, Notts 

ESTA Annual Course and 

Conference. 

Friday 13th INSET courses 

Primary, KS3, KS4, A/AS level 

Geology, Higher Ed. 


118


Cash for Research: The P. T. Carr Award 

In 1996 the late Peter Towsley Carr left a bequest of £3,000 to create an award to be 

administered by the Earth Science Teachers Association (ESTA). The purpose was to fund 

geological research by practising schoolteachers. 

Peter Carr was born in 1925, and 

began his working career at High 

Duty Alloys in Slough. While 

working he studied part-time at Chelsea 

Polytechnic for a geology degree (with 

subsidiary maths) which he obtained 

around 1950. 

He joined the staff of what eventually 

became Herschel School, Slough, a technical 

high school, and remained there for 

the rest of his career. Initially he taught 

both subjects to A-level, but with only a 

small number of A-level geology students 

and an increasing shortage of qualified 

maths teachers, the school 

eventually decided that he was better (?) 

employed as a full-time mathematician. 

His brother Alan thinks he understood 

their logic in this, even if he was reluctant 

to agree with it. 

Peter himself struggled to do a research 

project on the Lizard in Cornwall, and was 

anxious that others might be funded in 

such a project to enable a successful outcome 

without undue financial difficulties. 

He died in February 1996. 

Aim of the award 

The aim of the award is to help to fund a 

practising schoolteacher wishing to undertake 

geological research, or to enable such a 

person to complete research already begun. 

‘Geological research’ is here interpreted 

in a wide sense, to include 

research into: 

● an aspect of the geology of an area, 

particularly one local to the teacher’s 

school 

● geological and Earth science education 

at all levels 

● the role of conservation in geology and 

Earth science 

● improving the use of geological collections 

in education 

● improving the public understanding of 

geology and Earth science 

● the use of Information Technology in 

any of the above 

Finance 

The legacy of £3000 has been invested to 

produce an income. This income will be 

used to fund an award every THREE 

years. It is anticipated that the award will 

usually be of the order of £500, but this 

cannot be guaranteed. 

Procedure for making the award 

ESTA Council will delegate responsibility 

for administering the award to a sub-committee 

which must include at least one 

from the Chairman, Secretary or Treasurer 

of the Association. 

Notice of the award will be publicised 

by the sub-committee in Teaching Earth 

Sciences (or its successor journals) and 

by other appropriate methods as decided 

by the sub-committee to try to maximise 

the number of potential applicants. A 

deadline for the receipt of applications 

will be set. 

The sub-committee, with the approval 

of ESTA Council, may suggest a specific 

area of geological research for which the 

award might be made on a particular occasion. 

This discretion is intended to allow 

the sub-committee to encourage research 

that may be of particular value to geological 

education at a given time. 

Applicants will be required to supply 

sufficient personal details of their qualifications 

and experience, including previous 

research if any, at least two referees who 

can attest to their suitability to undertake 

research and receive the award, and an 

outline of the research proposal in such 

format as the sub-committee may from 

time to time determine. Applicants will 

also be required to outline how the award 

will be used to enable the research to proceed. 

The sub-committee will scrutinise 

and evaluate the applications, and may ask 

to interview applicants if it is felt to be necessary. 

The sub-committee’s decision will 

be ratified by Council, and that decision 

will then be final. 

Wherever possible, the selection procedure 

will be timed to enable an announcement 

and presentation of the award at the 

Annual Conference of the Association, 

usually held in September. 

No serving member of ESTA Council 

will be eligible for the award, although 

an award-holder may later be elected or 

co-opted to Council without prejudice. 

Expectations of the award-holder 

The award-holder will be expected to 

1. undertake and complete the planned 

research project within an agreed 

timescale, in general before the next 

award is due to be made (normally 

three years). 

2. keep the sub-committee informed of 

the progress of the research by means 

of a brief annual report in a form specified 

by the sub-committee. 

3. inform the sub-committee without delay 

if a change in circumstances may lead to 

a delay in completing the research project 

within the agreed timescale, or to 

abandonment of the project. 

4. return such part of the monies awarded 

as the sub-committee may determine to 

be reasonable should he or she fail to 

complete the research project within the 

agreed timescale, or within such extended 

timescale as the sub-committee may 

grant at their complete discretion. 

5. publish his or her work as a paper in 

Teaching Earth Sciences, and present his 

or her work to members as a talk at an 

Annual Conference of the Association. 

The closing date for the 2002 Award is July 31st 2002. 

Further details and application forms can be obtained from 

Dawn Windley, ESTA Secretary, 

Thomas Rotherham College, 

Moorgate, Rotherham, South Yorkshire 

119 www.esta-uk.org


News and Resources 

Glaciers 

Colin Baxter Photography Ltd. 

have recently published a new 

book in their World Life Library 

series called Glaciers. This 72-page 

book comprises over 40 highquality 

colour photographs, most 

full-page, with accompanying text. 

The earlier 39 books in this series 

focus on the living world (Whales, 

Porpoises, Eagles, etc) but three of 

the more recent ones deal with 

“The Physical World”: Volcanoes, 

Tornadoes and, the very latest, 

Glaciers (ISBN 1-84107-074-2 

price £9.00). Full details can be 

obtained from Colin Baxter 

Photography Ltd, Grantown-on- 

Spey, Moray, PH26 3NA. 

Website: www.colinbaxter.co.uk. 

RDT 

Best Practice Research 

Scholarships 

Nearly two years ago the UK 

government announced a budget 

of £6 million over 2 years for 

serving teachers to carry out smallscale 

classroom-focused research 

which would be immediately 

relevant to their own situations. 

Bids in certain fields were invited, 

although these are sufficiently 

wide to encompass almost any 

school-based research. Teachers 

were invited to link up with 

Higher Education Mentors and 

submit bids for sums of about 

£2,500. Teachers across the 

country are now carrying out their 

research, some working alone 

(well, you know what I mean!) but 

most are in small teams or larger 

Press Release: 

“Material World” – 

Hanson’s education project for schools is launched on 1 October 2001 

“Material World is designed to introduce Key Stage 2 children (primary school children) 

to the processes of quarrying and brickmaking. The Material World project is made up 

of two essential resources for schools. Firstly, a visit to a Hanson quarry or brickworks, 

and secondly, the accompanying teachers’ resource pack. The site visit and the teachers’ 

pack are designed to provide an enjoyable educational experience that relates closely to 

the National Curriculum. 

During a school visit to a Hanson site, teachers and pupils will learn about the history 

of quarrying and brickmaking in their area. They will see how stone or clay is collected 

and then processed. The site visits and resource pack show how these processes relate to 

the National Curriculum, with particular emphasis on materials and their properties, 

environmental issues and environmental change. 

Over 130 Hanson quarries and brickworks all over the UK are taking part in the 

project from September 2001, with school visits planned throughout the autumn 

months. 

The teachers’ resource pack has been written by Mike Hirst PGCE, an experienced 

teacher, author and editor. It has been checked by Hanson’s educational advisors. The 

Material World project took two years to develop, and - as well as a range of pupil 

activity sheets - includes 4 posters, a rock and a brick box, and fun elements including 

stickers, tree tags and quiz cards. 

Hanson are making no charge for site visits or the accompanying Material World 

resources. Hanson takes issues of safety at its sites extremely seriously. All site tours are 

thoroughly assessed for potential risks in accordance with company and Government 

regulations. 

Teachers can find out more information about Material World and how to contact 

their nearest Hanson brickworks or quarry by visiting: 

www.hansonplc.com/education 

consortia. The scheme is managed 

by Nord Anglia on behalf of 

DFES. It is anticipated that 

teachers will be invited to make 

bids for the next round of 

allocations (ie starting in 

September 2002) in January and 

February 2002. If any TES reader 

has an interest in drawing up a 

bid, or in being part of a larger 

research group, they should get 

further details from the Best 

Practice website at 

www.dfee.gov.uk/bprs. They could 

also contact an Earth science 

educationalist in the education 

department of a higher education 

institution. The TES Editor 

(Roger Trend) coordinates all Best 

Practice scholarships at the 

University of Exeter (ie not just 

the Earth science ones) and he 

would welcome enquiries. 

(R.D.Trend@exeter.ac.uk) 

RDT 

Review of Hanson’s 

“Material World” 

On October 1st Hanson launched 

a new pack on quarrying and 

brick-making, intended mainly for 

use at Key Stage 2 but with some 

potential for use at Key Stage 3. At 

the core of the project is a large 

ring-bound Teacher Resource Pack 

which is to be used in conjunction 

with a site visit (quarry or 

brickworks). This file contains 

detailed teacher notes, pupil 

resource sheets and pupil task 

sheets. Four folded A2 coloured 

posters are also included and at 

each of Hanson’s UK sites there is 

a Rock Box or a Brick Box which 

can be loaned to schools who are 

arranging a site visit. The materials 

are very attractive, very 

comprehensive and well-presented 

as robust sheets. All photocopiable 

sheets are laminated. 

The teacher file is divided into 

8 sections, each with teacher 

information and pupil learning 

activities. The Introduction sets 


120


RAISING STANDARDS IN EARTH SCIENCE TEACHING (The Joint Earth Science Education Initiative) 

In the run up to taking the ESTA chair in 2000, perhaps somewhat naively, 

I suggested that ESTA’s vision and priorities should be re-orientated, 

to address more fully the needs of the c10 million children in UK schools 

being taught science. The enormity of the task was awe-inspiring. The 

odds were clearly against success: not only were the resources meagre 

in the extreme, by all accounts there was an ‘entrenched folklore’ of 

antagonism towards Earth sciences on the part of ‘mainstream’ science 

teachers, having to shoe horn this alien science into an overcrowded 

science curriculum. 

At the same time, the initial findings of research (ongoing) by Chris 

King and Alastair Fleming of the Earth Science Education Unit (ESEU) 

at Keele University were disturbing. They pointed not only to 

widespread poor standards in Earth science teaching in schools by 

non-specialists, but also to howlers in textbooks and, even more 

worrying, in examination board questions, which would not be out of 

place in the pages of Just William (King 2001). 

To our pleasant surprise and great relief, preliminary soundings of 

the other science subject teaching associations were encouraging. Far 

from objections and turf wars, talks began in earnest in late 2000, 

embracing the Royal Society of Chemistry, the Institute of Physics, the 

Institute of Biology and ESTA under the good offices of the Royal 

Society. The Geological Society is also represented on the steering 

group. The parties involved were not merely amicable but enthusiastic 

in their willingness to confront the issues. Working together, the Joint 

Earth Science Education Initiative (JESEI) was established. With 

generous core funding (and most welcome direct involvement) from the 

United Kingdom Offshore Operators Association (UKOOA) and 

contributions of finance or expertise, from the subject teaching 

organisations concerned, material is now being prepared to support and 

improve standards of Earth science delivery by chemistry, physics and 

biology teachers respectively. The aim is not necessarily to reinvent 

wheels, but to point practitioners to existing high quality material. 

Initial topics under way or being considered include: volcanoes 

(origins and impacts); copper mineralisation; limestone (the World’s 

most useful rock); characteristics of sandstones; seismic waves/ Earth 

structure; and fossils. Again, thanks to UKOOA sponsorship, some of 

these will receive a first airing at the Association for Science Education 

annual conference in January 2002 in Liverpool. These and other 

dedicated Earth science workshops are being widely promoted at this 

annual event which usually attracts 4-5,000 participants. 

The current JESEI programme focuses upon secondary (Key Stages 

3 and 4) science; the ultimate intention is to extend the work to 

primary (Key Stages 1 and 2) and to geography. 

King, C. 2001. Earth Science teaching in England and Wales today: 

progress and challenges. Teaching Earth Science 26 pt2. Pp59-67 

Ian Thomas 

the scene, not only by giving 

mildly promotional information 

about Hanson’s global operations 

in quarrying and brickmaking but 

also by pointing teachers to the 

relevant National Curriculum 

statements in science, geography, 

maths and English. 

Section 1 of the teachers file 

(“Magnificent Materials”) focuses 

on rocks and minerals, especially 

in relation to a site visit. It is 

significant that “minerals” in the 

teachers’ notes are described as 

“ingredients from which rocks are 

made”, with no reference to the 

concept of bulk construction 

minerals. Surely this is an 

opportunity to clarify the 

difference in the two uses of the 

“mineral” label, at least for the 

teachers. Section 2 (“Researching 

Rocks”) contains a good selection 

of teaching ideas, although I 

always get suspicious when I read 

something like “geologists also 

group rocks according to their 

hardness” (page 2:2) because I 

know what often follows! I am 

afraid it is true this time as well. 

Later in Section 2 we find a pupil 

resource sheet (“Rock Fact Chart”) 

which comprises 15 rock types 

(basalt and granite, through shelly 

limestone and coal to slate and 

schist) which are summarised 

under 5 variables: Is it found in 

the UK? (all are ticked, of course); 

type of rock (igneous, sedimentary, 

metamorphic); can you scratch it 

with your fingernail? (the concept 

of hardenss applied to a rock: no 

comment!); can you scratch it 

with a steel nail? (ditto: no 

comment again, although 

conglomerate is ticked and granite 

is not ticked.... interesting); what 

colour is it? It is a pity that such 

woolly material is allowed to find 

its way into such a good resource. 

I wonder how it happened? 

Section 3 (“Bricks for Building”) 

offers some excellent teaching ideas 

about brick-making, heating 

materials and developing numeracy 

skills (although goggles are not 

mentioned where they should be). 

Sections 4 and 5 look at “Quarries 

in Action” and “Quarry Control” 

respectively and are strongly 

orientated towards a site visit. 

Section 6 continues with the strong 

environmental emphasis started in 

Section 5 and deals with the issues 

associated with quarry extension. A 

lively and imaginative role play is 

given: Miss Busy, Mr Strong, Mr 

Green etc, each with a brief role 

and each putting their views on the 

proposal to extend Rocky Quarry. 

Unlike other similar role-play 

situations, however, the “correct” 

answer is provided with the 

resources: “The local council 

decide to allow the extension to 

Rocky Quarry”! This predetermined 

outcome is given on 

the pupil resource sheet (p. 6:8), so 

perhaps the bright spark in Year 6 

who spots it right at the start of the 

debate might suggest that they call 

the whole thing off and either go 

home to watch tele or organise a 

militant demonstration! Clearly 

rational debate is merely a charade! 

The final two sections in the 

Teacher Resource Pack deal at 

greater length with environmental 

management. 

This is a good resource which, 

in the hands of a teacher who can 

not only exploit its strengths but 

also avoid its potential weaknesses, 

will enhance children’s 

understanding of the science and 

geography of quarrying and brickmaking 

in the UK. 

RDT 

121 www.esta-uk.org


Jurassic Coast Makes a Splash on the World Wide Web 

A new and exciting website about 

the internationally important 

geology and fossils of the Dorset 

and East Devon coast is now 

accessible on the World Wide Web. 

The web site aims to promote 

new forms of special interest and 

out of season tourism through 

sections exploring interests such as 

fossil collecting, Portland Stone, 

dinosaur footprints, geology in the 

landscape and how the use of local 

stone has created the different 

character of the coastal towns and 

villages. Much of the content is 

based on the current nomination 

of this coastline for World 

Heritage Site status centred on the 

case that has been made to 

UNESCO. A further section 

provides educational resources for 

schools and colleges, based on the 

difficult issues of coast protection. 

‘We hope that the site will help 

people who already come to the coast to 

enjoy it further. However, many of these 

interests, by their very nature, are best 

explored outside of the main season and 

therefore we hope to promote visits in 

the spring, autumn and even winter.’ 

Dorset and Devon County 

Councils and the Dorset Coast 

Forum have developed the web 

site. The funding partners reflect 

the multiple aims of the site: the 

Countryside Agency wish to 

promote awareness of the coast, 

the South West Grid for Learning 

are developing local educational 

resources and SCOPAC, (the 

Standing Conference On 

Problems Associated with the 

Coast) wish to explain the difficult 

issues that coastal engineers face 

when seeking to manage the coast. 

The Okehampton based company 

‘Image Makers’ has provided the 

technical expertise. 

Richard Edmonds said: 

‘In order to appreciate the problems facing 

the coastal engineers it is important to 

understand the geology and coastal 

processes acting along this coast. That is 

why we are developing a series of animations 

to illustrate the last 125 thousand 

years of history along this coast, including 

the latest theories on the formation of 

Chesil Beach.’ 

‘And this is just the start as the site 

offers the potential to link with other 

internationally important fossil and 

geology sites around the world in order 

to promote a network of the top 

geological sites, again promoting special 

interest tourism.’ 

The web site can be accessed at: 

www.jurassiccoast.com 

The World Heritage Site 

nomination has been put 

together by Dorset and Devon 

County Councils and the Dorset 

Coast Forum. 

For further information, 

contact: 

Richard Edmonds, 

Geological Co-Ordinator, 

Environmental Services Directorate, 

Dorset County Council, 

County Hall, 

Dorchester DT1 1XJ 

Tel 01305 224477 

or 

Sally King, 

Visitor Management Officer 

at the same address, 

Tel 01305 225091 

Editor’s Note: 

As we go to press we have the 

wonderful news that the 

“Jurassic Coast” has been 

granted World Heritage Site 

Status. More Later. 

An Important New British Geological Survey 

Project to boost school Earth science education 

Are you frustrated by a lack of good, imaginative 

teaching resources? Then you might like what the 

British Geological Survey is planning! 

We have just launched a new project - a 

programme of market research aimed at UK 

teachers of Earth Science, Geography and 

Geology to find out what they require in the way 

of teaching resources and materials; to identify 

any gaps in the spectrum of available teaching 

resources for those subjects, and to attempt to 

discover what those teachers would ideally like in 

terms of teaching resources. 

The purpose of this market research will be 

to determine if the BGS can produce teaching 

materials and resources to meet teachers’ 

requirements. We are not only considering 

books as teaching resources - we shall be 

looking at resources across all media; printed 

text, web pages and downloadable information, 

CD-ROMs, slide sets and other photographic 

resources, sets of rock and mineral samples...let 

us know your needs! If new BGS products and 

publications prove to be feasible, they will be 

developed in tandem with those teachers 

willing to help the BGS with this aspect of the 

market research. 

The market research programme will initially 

take the form of a questionnaire, and will be 

backed up by face-to-face meetings with teachers, 

to discuss specific resource needs in detail. We are 

keen to get in touch with as many teachers as 

possible, and we would like as wide a range of 

input as we can gather. 

The questionnaire may be found on the BGS 

website: www.bgs.ac.uk/education/home.html 

This will take you to the BGS Education 

home page; there is a link on that page called 

‘Teachers’ Questionnaire’, where the 

questionnaire can either be downloaded or 

completed online. If you do download the 

questionnaire, please return it to: 

Elaine Johnston 

British Geological Survey 

Keyworth 

Nottingham NG12 5GG 

Tel 0115 936 3325 (direct) 

Fax 0115 936 3488 

email elj@bgs.ac.uk 

Your response is vital - we need your feedback! 

EJ 


122


UKRIGS has moved 

to: 

The National Stone Centre 

As the Royal Society for Nature 

Conservation (RSNC) has pulled 

out of geoconservation work 

they no longer pay the bills for 

UKRIGS, including the office 

support costs. This came from 

Landfill Tax through the Hanson 

Environmental Fund. They have 

also pulled out of Rockwatch, 

leaving The Geologists’ 

Association with a similar 

funding problem. With John 

Reynolds declaring an interest, 

and Ian Thomas happy to oblige, 

UKRIGS has moved office to: 

UKRIGS 

The National Stone Centre 

Porter Lane 

Wirksworth 

Derbyshire, 

DE4 4LS. 

Tel 01629-824833 

E-mail: 

ukrigs@nationalstonecentre.org.uk 

Website: 

www.ukrigs.org.uk 

ASE Conference, Liverpool, 2002 

Earth Science Day, Thursday, 3rd January 

Give the Earth science you teach a boost 

Find out how Earth science can enhance your curriculum 

Take away materials and ideas that could revolutionise your teaching of Earth science 

Experience ‘cutting edge’ science and its media impact 

Time 

Item 

9.30 - 10.30 ESTA/UKOOA Distinguished Speaker - Dr. Peter Kokelaar, 

Liverpool University, ‘Pure science - sheer hype?: journalistic 

sensationalism of natural catastrophes and its dangers 

11.00 - 12.30 

2.00 - 3.30 

4.00 - 5.00 

Booked INSET Course - ESTA 

Primary. Sorting minerals: 

identifying rocks (KS2) - John 

Reynolds and Rod Tippett (National 

Stone Centre) 

ESTA Primary Workshop 

Investigating soils and eroding 

rivers (KS2) - John Reynolds and 

Niki Whitburn 

Booked INSET Course - ESTA 

Secondary. Investigating the 

changing Earth and atmosphere 

(KS4) - Peter Kennett (Earth Science 

Education Unit) 

ESTA Secondary Workshop 

The dynamic rock cycle (KS3) - 

Chris King (Earth Science 

Education Unit) 

ESTA/UKOOA Distinguished Speaker - Professor Nick Kusznir, Liverpool 

University, ‘Liverpool “Frontier Science” ● the sequel to plate tectonics’ 

● Try out the hands-on activities of the workshops 

● Boost your Earth science background 

● Sample the workshops that you could book for your secondary school 

Joint Earth Science Education Initiative Morning, Friday 4th January 

Chemists helping chemists to teach Earth science 

Physicists helping physicists to teach Earth science 

Biologists helping biologists to teach Earth science 

- with advice from Earth scientists 

Time 

Item 

ESTA members are urged to 

make contact with their local 

RIGS Group. The Data 

Protection Act prevents ESTA 

from giving out Members’ 

details for RIGS Groups to 

contact YOU. Details of your 

local RIGS Group can be 

obtained from the office. 

9.30 - 10.30 

10.40 - 11.40 

12.00 - 1.00 

Joint Earth Science Education Initiative (Royal Society of Chemistry) 

Chemistry resources for teaching Earth Science - presented by members of 

the RSC JESEI working group 

IoB Earth Science Initiative (Institute of Biology) 

Workshop for teachers - presented by members of the IoB JESEI 

working group 

Earth science enhancing physics teaching 11 - 16 (and visa versa) 

(Institute of Physics) 

- presented by members of the Institute of Physics JESEI working group 

We all have an interest in 

conserving and using our local 

geological/geomorphological 

sites. ESTA members have the 

educational expertise which is 

needed by RIGS Groups to help 

to select sites of educational 

value for conservation and use 

by anybody and everybody. 

JR 

● Come and try out the ideas and activities 

● Tell us what you think and what you would find helpful 

● Take away some of the ‘blueprints’ to use in your school 

ESTA Annual Conference 2002 at BGS Keyworth 

The next ESTA Annual Conference will be held on Sept 13-15 at the Headquarters of the British 

Geological Survey at Keyworth, near Nottingham. Full details will be sent to ESTA members as they 

become available. We anticipate a stimulating conference for teachers of Earth sciences across the 

age ranges, from cradle to grave. For those who do not know Keyworth, this is an opportunity not 

to be missed! Watch this space .... and be prepared to book early. RDT 

123 www.esta-uk.org


Teachers’ Association 

www.esta-uk.org Registered Charity No. 1005331 

THEMATIC TRAILS 

GEOLOGY AND THE BUILDINGS OF OXFORD Paul Jenkins 

A walk through the city of Oxford is likened to visiting an 

open-air museum. Attention is drawn to the variety of 

building materials both ancient and modern, used in the 

fabric of the city. Discussion of their suitability, 

durability, susceptibility to pollution and weathering, 

maintenance and periodic replacement is raised. 

44 pages, 22 illustrations, ISBN 0 948444 09 6 Thematic 

Trails (1988) £2.40 

GEOLOGY AT HARTLAND QUAY Chris Cornford & Alan Childs 

In a short cliff-foot walk along the beach at Hartland 

Quay, visitors are provided with a straightforward 

explanation of the local rocks and their history. 

Alternative pages provide a deeper commentary on 

aspects of the geology and in particular provides 

reference notes for examining the variety of structures 

exhibited in this dramatic location. 

40 pages, 47 illustrations, ISBN 0 948444 12 6 Thematic 

Trails (1989) £2.40 

THE CLIFFS OF HARTLAND QUAY Peter Keene 

Interpreting the shapes of coastal landforms is introduced 

as a method of understanding something of the 

environmental history of this dramatic coastal landscape. 

A short walk following the coastal path to the south of 

Hartland Quay puts this strategy into practice. 

40 pages, 24 illustrations, ISBN 0 948444 05 3 

Thematic Trails (1990) £2.40 

STRAWBERRY WATER TO MARSLAND MOUTH Peter Keene 

A short cliff-top walk between the small but spectacular 

coastal coombes of Welcome Mouth and Marsland 

explains what beaches, streams and valley sides can 

tell us of the history of this coastal landscape. 40 

pages, 24 illustrations, ISBN 0 948444 06 1 


VALLEY OF ROCKS; LYNTON Peter Keene & Brian Pearce 

The drama of the valley is explored both by offering 

explanation for the spectacular scenery and by recalling 

its theatrical setting as seen through the eyes of those 

who have visited the valley in the past. 

44 pages, 35 illustrations, ISBN 0 948444 25 8 


THE CLIFFS OF SAUNTON Peter Keene & Chris Cornford 

I n a short cliff-foot walk along the beach at Saunton, 

visitors are provided with an explanation for the local rocks 

that make up the cliff and the shore. Alternative pages 

provide a deeper commentary on aspects of the geology 

and a chance on the return walk to reconstruct the more 

recent history of this coast by a practical examination of the 

cliff face. 44 pages, 30 illustrations, ISBN 0 948444 24 X 

Thematic Trails (May 1993) £2.40 

INTERPRETING PLEISTOCENE DEPOSITS Peter Keene 

A field interpretation guide for beginners. A simple 

teaching model using an adapted graphic log sheet. Of 

wide general educational application, but designed for 

use with the following trails: ‘Westward Ho! Coastal 

Landscape Trail’, ‘Valley of Rocks, Lynton’, ‘The Cliffs of 

Saunton’, ‘Strawberry Water to Marsland Mouth’, ‘Prawle 

Peninsula Landscape Trail’ and ‘Burrator Dartmoor 

Landform Trail’ 10 pages, 10 illustrations 

Thematic Trails (1993 edition) £2.40 

MENDIPS New Sites for Old; 

a student’s guide to the geology of the east Mendips. 

This guide gives a detailed description of 39 safe, 

accessible sites chosen for their educational potential. 

192 pages, 46 illustrations, 

ISBN 086139 319 8 (NCC 1985) £2.50 

MALVERN HILLS; a student’s guide to the geology of the 

Malverns. D. W. Bullard (1989) 

The booklet includes detailed description of 21 geological 

sites of interest in the area. 


ISBN 086139 548 4 (NCC) £2.25 

WENLOCK EDGE; geology teaching trail M. J. Harley (1988) 

Six sites suitable for educational fieldwork are described 

and suitable exercises outlined. 


ISBN 086139 403 8 (NCC) £1.50 

BURRATOR, DARTMOOR LANDFORM TRAIL Peter Keene & Mike 

Harley (1987) 

An interactive circular 6 mile walk exploring the evolution 

of tor and valley scenery on Dartmoor. 


ISBN 086139 385 6 (NCC) £1.50 

THE ICE AGE IN CWM IDWAL 

The Ice Age invested Cwm Idwal with a landscape whose 

combination of glaciological, geological and floristic 

elements is unsurpassed in mountain Britain. Cwm Idwal 

is readily accessible on good paths within a few minutes 

walk of the modern A5 route through Snowdonia. 


ISBN 0 9511175 4 8 

Addison Landscape Publications (1988) £3.00 

THE ICE AGE IN Y GLYDERAU AND NANT FFRANCON 

Ice in the last main glaciation in Wales carved the glacial 

highway of Nant Ffrancon through the heart of Snowdonia 

so boldly as to ensure its place amongst the best known 

natural landmarks in Britain. The phenomena is explained 

in a way that is attractive to both specialist and visitor 

alike. 30 pages, 20 illustrations, 

ISBN 0 9511175 3 X 

Addison Landscape Publications (1988) £3.00 

LONDON. ILLUSTRATED GEOLOGICAL WALKS. 

BOOK 1 (The City) 

Adds to the well-known Pevsner accounts of the buildings 

of the City of London by offering comment upon the rock 

types used in familiar City streets. Maps set out the route 

clearly. No previous knowledge of geology is assumed. 

98 pages, 98 photographs, 14 maps, 

ISBN 0 7073 0350 8 

Geologists’ Association (1984) £4.95 

LONDON. ILLUSTRATED GEOLOGICAL WALKS. 

BOOK 2 (The West End) 

A wide range of exotic rock types are found in the shop 

fronts of Piccadilly, Tottenham Court Road and the office 

blocks of Central London. Again no previous knowledge of 

geology is assumed. 

142 pages, 128 photos, 16 maps, 

ISBN 0 7073 0416 4 

Geologists’ Association (1985) £4.95 

ORDERS TO: Geoff Nicholson, 28 Harthill Ave., Leconfield, Beverley, East Yorkshire HU17 7LN 

Official orders will be invoiced. Cheques and postal orders should be made payable to ESTA 


124

Key Stage 3 

Science of the Earth 11-14 Units have been devised to introduce Earth Science to pupils at Key 

Stage 3 level as part of their National Curriculum studies in Science and Geography. 

Each Unit occupies about one double period of teaching time and the Units are sold as 3-Unit 

packs. Units that are available now are:- 

GW: Groundwork - Introducing Earth Science 

GW1 - Found in the Ground 

GW2 - Be a Mineral Expert 

GW3 - Be a Rock Detective 

LP: Life from the Past - Introducing Fossils 

LP1 - Remains to be seen 

LP2 - A well-preserved specimen 

LP3 - A fate worse than death - fossilization! 

ME: Moulding Earth’s Surface - Weathering, Erosion 

and Transportation 

ME1 - Breaking up rocks 

ME2 - Rain, rain and rain again 

ME3 - Landshaping 

PP: Power from the past: coal (a full colour poster is 

available with this Unit for a p & p charge of 

£1.15 (inc. VAT) please indicate if you do not 

require this. 

PP1 - Coal swamp 

PP2 - Layers and seams 

PP3 - ‘Unspoiling’ the countryside 

HC: Hidden changes in the Earth: introduction to 

metamorphism 

HC1 - Overheated 

HC2 - Under Pressure 

HC3 - Under Heat and Pressure 

M: Magma - introducing igneous processes 

M1 - Lava in the lab. 

M2 - Lava landscapes 

M3 - Crystallising magma 

SR: Secondhand rocks: Introducing sedimentary 

processes 

SR1 - In the stream 

SR2 - Blowing hot and cold 

SR3 - Sediment to rock, rock to sediment 

Key Stage 4 

BM: Bulk constructional minerals 

BM1 - What is our town made of? 

BM2 - From source to site 

BM3 - Dig it - or not? 

FW: Steps towards the rock face - introducing 

fieldwork 

FW1 - Thinking it through 

FW2 - Rocks from the big screen 

FW3 - Rock trail 

ES: Earth’s surface features 

ES1 - Patterns on the Earth 

ES2 - Is the Earth cracking up? 

ES3 - Earth’s moving surface 

E: Power source: oil and energy 

E1 - Crisis in Kiama - which energy source now? 

E2 - Black gold - oil from the depths 

E3 - Trap - oil and gas caught underground 

WG: Water overground and underground 

WG1 - Oasis on a desert island-the permeability 

problem 

WG2 - Out of sight, out of mind? - waste disposal 

and ground water pollution 

WG3 - The dam that failed 

SPECIAL REDUCED PRICE 

£2.00 each (post free) 

for Key Stage 3 

A Teachers’ Guide to the 

‘Science of the Earth’ Approach - £1.00 

SoE1: Changes to the atmosphere 

SoE2: Geological Changes - Earth’s Structure and Plate Tectonics 

SoE3: Geological Changes - Rock Formation and Deformation 

Investigating the Science of the Earth. Practical and investigative activities for Key Stage 4 and beyond. 

Price £2.95(Per Unit) 

ROUTEWAY – solving planning and technical problems of building a major road. A three-unit pack dealing with 

aspects of planning and engineering geology and associated environmental problems. Science and 

Geography courses at Key Stage 4. Also applicable to problem-solving modules in ‘A’ level or Vocational Science or 

Geology courses. 

Price: £4.95 

Please note - to claim ESTA member prices on the above items, you must enclose a copy of this 

advertisement or an ESTA order form, or simply mention your ESTA membership. 

ORDERS TO: Geo Supplies Ltd., 49 Station Road, Chapeltown, Sheffield S35 2XE. Tel: (0114) 245 5746 

Official orders will be invoiced. Cheques and postal orders should be made payable to Geo Supplies Ltd.


Teachers’ Association 

www.esta-uk.org Registered Charity No. 1005331 

GRAIN SIZE SCALE 

Laminated cards specially printed for ESTA 

(6 x 9 cm credit card size). They show 

grains from coarse sand down to silt. 

30p each 

20p each for 20 to 99 copies 

100 copies or more £15 

1000 copies £100 

WORKING WITH ROCKS PACK: 

Folder of Teacher notes and worksheets; Christina’s Story 

- tale of a marble headstone; 16 postcards of building 

stones - for town and graveyard trails. 

KS1/2/3. £7.00 

ROCK, MINERAL & FOSSIL KITS 

1. ESTA MINERAL SAMPLES 

Boxed set of ten minerals (haematite, magnetite, 

galena, pyrite, mica, gypsum, calcite, halite, quartz & 

feldspar), plus steel nail, copper coin, streak plate, 

dropper botter & magnifier. Essential for use with 

activities in PEST 9 - MINERALS (copy included). 

Suitable for KS2/KS3. £15.00 

2. DIVERSITY OF LIFE - FOSSIL REPLICAS SET 

Boxed fossil replicas, selected to illustrate the 

diversity of life over geological time (dinosaur tooth, 

trilobite, ammonite, shark tooth, icthyosaur tooth, 

fish, sea urchin, coral, reptile footprint, seed fern, sea 

lily & shrimp). 

Produced by GEOU (Open University Dept of Earth 

Sciences) & includes detailed notes and a copy of 

PEST 1 - FOSSILS. 

Suitable for KS2/KS3/KS4. £16.00 

3. ESTA ROCK KITS - ask for details 

POSTCARDS 

1. THE FLOOR OF THE OCEANS 

(14 x 9cm) miniature version of wall map. 

25p each, 10 or more 20p each. 

2. BUILDING STONES 

A set of 16 postcards depicting building or 

ornamental stones to be found in towns and cities 

throughout the country. 

All at natural size. £3.50. 

MAPS AND WALLCHARTS 

1. GEOTHERMAL MAP OF THE UNITED KINGDOM 

Published by BGS 

This coloured chart consists of a map (scale 

1:1,500,000) showing the geothermal potential of the 

UK along with annotations describing the major sites 

and projects. Size approx. 80 x 80 cm. 

£4.00 per folded map 

2. THE FLOOR OF THE OCEAN 

published by Marie Tharp 

Useful for 11-14 Unit - Earth’s surface features. 

Specially imported by ESTA from the USA. Printed on 

laminated paper, a superb map showing the relief 

featues of the ocean floor in graphic detail. 

£14.00 per rolled map 

3. LE PUYS VOLCANOES (AUVERGNE) 

Published by the French Bureau of Geology and Mines 

and the Auvergne Volcanoes Regional Park. Useful for 

11- 14 unit - Magma. 

A folded geological map of the region at 1: 25,000 

scale colourfully illustrates the volcanic sites - £9.00 

An accompanying sheet of 16 postcards has been cut 

into 4-A4 sized sheets for easier mailing - £5.00 

Set of maps and photos - £13.00 

4. GELOGICAL MAP OF THE WORLD 

Published by OU/ESSO with help from ESTA. 

Including oceanic crust colour coded by age, 

beautiful! 100cm x 150 cm. Price £8.00. 

5. TARR’S WORLD SEISMICITY MAP 

(return of an old favourite). This large map (120cm x 

90cm) shows a distribution of the world’s major 

earthquakes - shallow, medium and deep focus. 

Magnitudes and dates are given for many. £5.00 

6. U.K. GEOLOGY WALL MAP 

One of Ordnance Survey series for KS2/3, published 

with help from ESTA. 

£4.00 paper, £12.00 laminated. 

Some earlier items are still available - please enquire 

ORDERS TO: Geoff Nicholson, 28 Harthill Ave., Leconfield, Beverley, East Yorkshire HU17 7LN 

Official orders will be invoiced. Cheques and postal orders should be made payable to ESTA 

N.B. All items are posted free of charge.

teaching - Earth Science Teachers' Association

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