Research Guides: OER: Earth Science

Earth Science OER

Open Textbook Library

Essentials of Geographic Information Systems
"Since GIS and related geospatial and navigation technology change so rapidly, a flexible and dynamic text is necessary in order to stay current and relevant."
Sustainability: A Comprehensive Foundation
"With “Sustainability: A Comprehensive Foundation”, first and second-year college students are introduced to this expanding new field, comprehensively exploring the essential concepts from every branch of knowledge – including engineering and the applied arts, natural and social sciences, and the humanities" Chapters cover the Biosphere, Climate and Global Change, Physical Resources: Water, Pollution, and Minerals, etc.
Physical Geology
"Physical Geology is a comprehensive introductory text on the physical aspects of geology, including rocks and minerals, plate tectonics, earthquakes, volcanoes, glaciation, groundwater, streams, coasts, mass wasting, climate change, planetary geology and much more."

Merlot II

Introduction to Climate Dynamics, Climate Modeling
"This online textbook could be followed section by section, presenting first the climate system and its components"
Plate Tectonics
"The coverage is S279 is self-contained, up to date and is written in a way that will be accessible to those with interest and motivation, all the more so for those who have some pre-existing scientific understanding"

OER Commons

Structural Geology and Map Interpretation
The discipline of structural geology studies the architecture of the solid Earth and other planets

Khan Academy

Earth Geological and Climate History
"What is the Earth made up of and how do we know? What causes the seasons? Are there longer-ranging cycles in Earth's climate?"
5 Human Impacts on the Environment
" CHOOSE a lifestyle that is "conscientious" towards the Environment and not just the environment but perhaps towards other human beings as well."
History of Life on Earth
"There are many ways of dating these events. However, most of these methods come from geology, chemistry, and genetics. I am going to explain these methods in chronological order of use"

Ted Talks: Geology

Dinosaurs on Drifting Continents
"Acclaimed dinosaur hunter Paul Sereno crisscross crosses the world's most remote areas in pursuit of dinosaur fossils and groundbreaking scientific discovery"
Future of the Continental Drift Theory
"What will the world look like in millions of years? "
Geologist's Investigation into Noah's Flood
"David R. Montgomery is a MacArthur award-winning geologist who writes on the relationship between science and religion"
Theory of the Earth's Mass Extinctions
"Peter Ward argues that most of Earth's mass extinctions were caused by lowly bacteria"

Years of Living Dangerously

Years of Living Dangerously
This Showtime documentary series explores the human impact of climate change. It combines storytelling styles of movie makers with the expertise of the brightest stars and respected journalists. It weaves together episodes dealing with savage wildfires in the West, rising sea levels in Bangladesh, and competition for water in the Middle East.

Geologic Maps

National Geologic Map Database from USGS
This search tool provides descriptions and availability information for geologic maps of the 50 States, the District of Columbia, and Puerto Rico

Tours

Park Geology Tour from the National Park Service
"This site offers geologic field notes, maps, and photographs of the national parks. The site is organized around 14 thematic areas, such as fossils, plate tectonics, and volcanoes."

Tutorials

Earth Explorer
Earth Explorer provides online search, browse display,
metadata export, and data download for earth science data from the archives of the U.S. Geological Service.

Open Course Library

Introduction to Physical Geology
"Geology allows us to discover how earth’s history and activity determine the state of the planet and its life forms."
Introduction to Oceanography
"Oceanography emphasizes the need to understand geologic, chemical, physical, and biologic processes or features that occur in ocean environments."

Saylor Foundation

Evolutionary Biology
"The course will begin by reviewing the evolutionary concepts of selection and speciation. The student will then learn to measure evolutionary change and look at the history of life according to the fossil record and a discussion of the broad range of life forms as they are classified"
Society, Economy, And the Environment
"Human societies have always been dependent upon local and regional environments for critical natural resources, and loss of these resources (either due to environmental changes or human overuse) has often reduced a society’s resilience to future challenges"

OER Commons Full Courses

Introduction to Earthquakes
" General discussion of basic principles and methods of seismology and geological tectonics, distribution of earthquakes in space and time, effects of earthquakes, and earthquake hazard and risk, with particular emphasis on the situation in California"
Introduction to Geology
"This course introduces students to the basics of geology. Through a combination of lectures, labs, and field observations, we will address topics ranging from formation of the elements, mineral and rock identification, and geological mapping to plate tectonics, erosion and climate engineering."

Simulations

Documenting Glacial Change
"A collection of repeat photography of glaciers from the National Snow and Ice Data Center (NSIDC). "
Geologic Time
"This site provides animations, images, interactive maps and videos that can be used to teach about the concept of geologic time. Visual resources cover some specific topics of earth history including plate tectonics, continental drift, relative age dating and paleontology."
Phet Earth Science
Earth Science simulations from the University of Colorado Boulder

Games

Disaster Dynamics
"The Disaster Dynamics project is a learning environment for the study of the unique challenges surrounding natural disasters"
Online Game on Sustainable Development
In this lab experience, students work in teams of two or more to test their knowledge of sustainable development.

MultiMedia Websites

U.S.South Pole Station
"This website from the National Science Foundation offers a multimedia look at research underway on earth's coldest, highest, driest, and windiest continent -- and the least hospitable to human life"

OER

Earth Science OER

Open Textbook Library

Merlot II

OER Commons

Other Video Sites

Khan Academy

Ted Talks: Geology

Years of Living Dangerously

Geologic Maps

Tours

Tutorials

Open Course Library

Saylor Foundation

OER Commons Full Courses

Simulations

Games

MultiMedia Websites

Library Services

Learning Support Services

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