Geology: Other Resources

"The Crustal Dynamics Data Information System (CDDIS) supports data archiving and distribution activities for the space geodesy and geodynamics community. The main objectives of the system are to store space geodesy and geodynamics related data products in a central data bank, to maintain information about the archival of these data, and to disseminate these data and information in a timely manner to NASA investigators and cooperating institutions. The CDDIS staff and computer facility are located at NASA GSFC in Greenbelt, MD and is part of the Solar System Exploration Division within the Sciences and Exploration Directorate."

"The Earth Exploration Toolbook (EET) is a free educational Web site that was developed by the Science Education Research Center at Carleton College with funding by the National Science Foundation. EET is currently maintained by individuals from various scientific organizations and academic institutions. The site's purpose is to "support the use of scientific datasets, data access and analysis tools, and other products by the broader educational community" and provide instructions on conducting the activities on the site. EET is a clean Web site with easy navigation. There are a variety of ways to find information in the chapters; users can search by keyword in the simple search box, navigate the frame on the left side of the page, and/or narrow a topic using the provided links on the right. Individual chapters cover a wide array of topics related to global climate change, geology, wetlands, oceans, atmosphere, and more.

Chapters provide a brief description of the topic and contain sections including Teaching Notes, Case Study, Step-by-Step Instructions, Tools and Data, and Going Further. Many chapters have not been updated in five or more years, but this does not mean that the information is out-of-date since scientific facts and data would not necessarily change every year. Chapter content, which is contributed by experts in their respective areas, is carefully tested by chapter authors and classroom teachers. Site organization is helpful and efficient. Overall, EET is a useful resource for earth science students and teachers at all levels."

"This series shows the physical processes and human activities that shape our planet. From earthquakes and volcanoes to the creation of sea-floor crusts and shifting river courses, Earth Revealed offers stunning visuals that explain plate tectonics and other geologic concepts and principles. Follow geologists in the field as they explore the primal forces of the Earth."

"Geologic Time, created by the Department of Paleobiology of the Smithsonian's National Museum of Natural History, is an interactive Web site focusing on paleobiology and paleontology. The site is one of several current department research projects featuring Web sites on such topics as carboniferous forests, dinosaurs, art, and vertebrate fossils. Geologic Time uses a graphical slider to allow discovery by eon, era, period, and epic. Site visitors can jump to specific periods including Paleocene, Oligocene, and Holocene using dropdown menus.

Under each specific period, topical overviews provide defining and secondary characteristics. The contents menu on the left side of the page includes sections focusing on specific topics such as terrestrial life, ocean life, and climate during that time period. The explanatory text is accessible to a wide audience, and highlighted terms within the text are linked to an annotated glossary. The Foundational Concepts section explains geological dating methods, Earth processes for geologic changes, and life process for biological systems. The Evidence section includes brief text and links to pop-up windows with fossil evidence, color photographs, and explanatory information. The site offers options to print images and supporting text, and it includes explanations of copyright permissions for scholarly and teaching reuse. Overall, this is a useful site for gaining a general understanding of geologic time periods." from Choice, December 2010.

"The National Geophysical Data Center maintains archives of geomagnetic data to further the understanding of Earth magnetism and the Sun-Earth environment. Data at NGDC include surface, ocean, airborne and satellite measurements, as well as models of the main field and its secular change, and models of the Space - Earth environment. Data on Earth's ancient magnetic field are available from archeomagnetic and paleomagnetic measurements. For those interested in learning more about geomagnetism, we have a general information page, a Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ) page, and a site focusing on the joint research with the Colorado Institute for Research in the Environmental Sciences (CIRES)."

"The Geoscience Information Society facilitates the exchange of information in the geosciences through cooperation among scientists, librarians, editors, cartographers, educators, and information professionals."

"The U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) Earth Resources Observation Systems (EROS) Data Center is the national archive of remotely sensed images of the Earth's land surface. These data are acquired by civilian satellites and aircraft and used to study a wide range of natural hazards, global environmental change, and economic development and conservation issues. EROS staff members manage and distribute these data to scientists, policy makers, and educators worldwide."

"Your Geoscience resource for maps and related data about: geology, hazards, earth resources, geophysics, geochemistry, geochronology, paleontology, and marine geology."

"The U.S. Geological Survey Photographic Library offers access to more than 30,000 color and black-and-white photographs taken during geologic studies of the US. All photos are in the public domain, but the USGS requests that users credit the photographer and the USGS when using a photo. Most images have not been published previously, and the site promises to continually add new photographs from the physical collection of 400,000 (though clicking on Latest Additions retrieves updates from 2007). The majority of the online photographs are circa 1868-1993 from surveys in the western US. It is interesting to compare the historical photographs and regions surveyed with images from more recent times to document changes.

Pages load quickly, and images can be downloaded in JPG or GIF format in four size choices. Clicking on an image provides higher resolution and a larger size. Keyword searching is best done by a person's name, geologic feature, date, major geologic event, or name of the survey expedition. The subject navigation bar allows direct access to alphabetic indexes of the portrait collection (geographers, engineers, USGS directors, and geologists), pioneer photographers (19th century), photographers of the 20th century, national parks, world earthquakes, and mines, mills, and quarries. The Mount St. Helens section lists images by year (1964-84). At the time of this review, the section titled This Month in History featured an update from October 2009, which provided an image and brief discussion of an October 1989 California earthquake. There are also links to the USGS and the US Department of the Interior home pages. The site worked equally well in Internet Explorer and Mozilla Firefox. This resource will be of interest to people in geology, local and national history, and photography." from Choice June, 2010.

"This site is a collection of 3-D images of minerals and organic molecules, produced and maintained by a group of soil scientists and geosciences educators. Their specific affiliations are not listed, but the site is hosted at the Universities of Wisconsin and Minnesota (in theory; the Minnesota site currently redirects to the Wisconsin site). Although there are currently only 26 exhibits in the collection, the project intends to depict most, if not all, of the significant compounds in soil science to improve student understanding of some of the spatial aspects of soil chemistry.

Each exhibit includes a 3-D image, which can be rotated in all directions by clicking and dragging. The default view is the familiar "ball and stick" model, but the user can select other views as desired. Each model provides a legend identifying the specific atoms involved, and it is possible to isolate substructures (e.g., ketone groups within the Soil Organic Matter display or a layer of graphite), a definite plus with the more complex structures. A sidebar contains information about the compound, including a brief description, its role in soils, location of significant or otherwise interesting deposits, major components for more complex compounds, crystallographic data (for the minerals), and references. This information is presented in a clear, accessible manner, making the exhibits potentially useful to engaged high school students and the general public as well as the primary academic and professional audiences. The viewer works with most browsers and operating systems, and the help pages identify problematic combinations. The viewer uses Java and may require installing the Chime viewer for full functionality (easily done through the help pages). Additional useful help pages include links to other scholarly Web projects and a feedback form." from Choice, May 2009