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Earth’s structure
Engineering & industrial geology Forensic geoscience |
Minerals / Elements
Soils Rocks |
| Title & Description | Activity | More Ideas and Video |
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Bouncing, bending, breaking (ELI+)
Modelling the properties of the Earth’s mantle |
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Boring chocolate!
What can boreholes tell us about the Earth? |
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Core activity (ELI+)
Piecing together evidence for the composition of the Earth’s core |
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From an orange to the whole Earth
Using an orange to model different densities of the Earth’s layers |
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From clay balls to the structure of the Earth (ELI+)
A discussion of how physics can be used to probe Earth’s structure |
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Journey to the centre of the Earth - on a toilet roll
Just how thin is the crust we live on? |
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Shadowlands
Simulating the effect of the Earth’s core on earthquake waves |
| Title & Description | Activity | More Ideas and Video |
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Fracking: Recipe for the perfect fracking fluid
Make your own fluid to fracture hydraulically (frack) methane-bearing shale |
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Make a mini lime kiln and discover limelight
Investigating the results of heating limestone |
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Make and use your own Plaster of Paris
Investigate a large-scale industrial process in a boiling tube |
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Smelter on a stick (ELI+)
Smelting iron ore to iron on a gas burner |
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Testing rocks 1 - bouncing back
Testing the strength of rocks |
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Testing rocks 2 - ‘Splat!’
A simple way of testing the plasticity of clay |
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Testing rocks 3 - that shrinking feeling
Investigating shrinkage in clay as it dries out |
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What is it made of?
Relate each mineral or rock to the everyday object containing it. |
| Title & Description | Activity | More Ideas and Video |
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Innocent until proven guilty (ELI+)
Using forensic geoscience to solve the crime |
| Title & Description | Activity | More Ideas and Video |
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‘An Element of fun”
An entertaining way to teach Mendeleev’s Periodic Table of elements |
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Calcium carbonate question - ‘I’m pure calcium carbonate’
A discussion focussed on common misconceptions about calcium carbonate |
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‘Crystallisation’ in a pudding dish
Simulating the formation and growth of crystal lattices |
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Essential Minerals for the Green Revolution - 1 Lithium
An element which is pulling more than its weight in the world |
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Essential Minerals for the Green Revolution - 2 Copper
An element for which the demand is increasing rapidly |
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Essential Minerals for the Green Revolution - 3 Rare Earth Elements
Vital components in modern technology |
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Essential Minerals for the Green Revolution - 4 Graphite
From a pencil to the electric car! |
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Essential Minerals for the Green Revolution - 5 Cobalt
Mined by children |
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Essential Minerals for the Green Revolution - 6 “The Three Ts”
Tin, Tungsten and Tantalum |
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Essential Minerals for the Green Revolution - 7 Gold
An essential mineral - or is it? |
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Essential Minerals for the Green Revolution - 8 Critical Minerals
Essential mineral - critical mineral: what is the difference? |
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Essential Minerals for the Green Revolution - 9 Critical Minerals for the USA
Why are certain minerals of such importance to the USA? |
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Eureka! - detecting ore the Archimedes way
Measuring density using a stick, string, a ruler, a bucket and a bottle of water |
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Gold prospectors
Panning for ‘gold’ in river sediment |
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Identifying minerals - use your sense(s)!
Minerals in the dark: identifying minerals when the lights fail |
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Jigging
Using density to separate different materials |
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Mineral expert 1
Beginning to identify minerals - introducing colour, habit, lustre, cleavage |
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Mineral expert 2
Identifying minerals using ‘action’ tests - streak, density, hardness, acid test |
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Mineral expert 3 (ELI+)
The mineral foundations of everyday life |
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Mineral expert 4 - Recycle your mobile phone
Why should I recycle my mobile (cell) phone? |
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Mineral or not?
Discussion about what is a mineral and what is not |
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Picturing Minerals-1
Visualise and draw minerals from a verbal description |
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Picturing Minerals-2
Visualise and draw minerals from a verbal description |
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Rocks to eat?
How we get the elements we need to stay healthy |
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Salt of the Earth
Who can make the biggest salt crystal? |
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What am I made of? (ELI+)
A comparison between the chemistry of the human body and the rest of the Earth |
| Title & Description | Activity | More Ideas and Video |
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Darwin’s ‘big soil idea’
Can you work out how Charles Darwin ‘disovered’ how soil formed? |
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Is there life in this soil sample?
Questions to consolidate pupil understanding of soil-formation |
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Make your own soil
Investigating the type and origin of the ingredients of soil |
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Soil doughnuts
Sorting out soils |
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Soil layers puzzle
Make your own soil profile and investigate others |
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Soil water shake test
Investigate the components of soil |
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Permeability of soil - ‘The great soil race’
Investigating the properties of different soils by pouring water on them |
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Where on Earth is no soil found?
A ‘deep question’ discussion about soil-formation |
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Why does soil get washed away?
Investigating why some farmers lose their soil through erosion whilst others do not |
| Title & Description | Activity | More Ideas and Video |
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Building Stones 1 - a resource for several ELI activities
Use a key to identify many different attractive-looking rocks |
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Building Stones 2 - Igneous rocks
What are the differences between igneous rocks commonly used as building stones? |
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Building Stones 3 - Sedimentary rocks
How do the sedimentary rocks used for building stones differ? |
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Building Stones 4 - Metamorphic rocks
What are the differences between metamorphic rocks commonly used as building stones? |
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Does my rock hold water and will water flow through it?
Investigating the differences between porosity and permeability |
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Forgotten rock garden - 1
Help a geologist identify a treasured outdoor collection |
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Geological postcards 1 - granite and chalk
Picture postcard puzzles |
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Geological postcards 2 - sandstone and limestone
Picture postcard puzzles |
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Make your own rock
Investigating how loose sediment may be stuck together to form a ‘rock’ |
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Modelling for rocks: what’s hidden inside - and why?
Investigating the permeability of rocks and how they let water, oil and gas flow through |
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Picturing igneous rocks - 1
Visualise and draw igneous rocks from a verbal description |
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Picturing igneous rocks - 2
Visualise and draw igneous rocks from a verbal description |
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Picturing metamorphic rocks
Visualise and draw metamorphic rocks from a verbal description |
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Roadstone - which rock?
Investigating the best rock type for the wearing course of roads |
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Rock around your school
Investigating the building materials around your school and in your area |
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Rock detective - rocky clues to the past
Investigating your local rocks to find out how they formed |
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Rocks from the big screen
Indoor preparation for outdoor field work, using a picture and specimens |
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Rock grain cut out
How can you tell which grains come from which rock? |
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Rock is a time capsule – a message from the past
Bringing to life the extraordinary stories of ordinary rocks |
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‘Rockery 1’ - rock game
Model different characteristics of rocks - with your pupils |
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‘Rockery 2’ - rock cycle game
Model the stages of the rock cycle - with your pupils |
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Rocky play-park; design your own
Telling the stories of rocks for everyone |
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Space within - the porosity of rocks
Investigating the amount of pore space between the ‘grains’ of a model ‘rock’ |
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What was it like to be there - in the rocky world?
Bringing the formation of solid rock to life - by imagining yourself there when it formed |
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Will my gravestone last?
Testing scientific ideas in a graveyard |