HR: 11:20h
AN: ED52A-05    [Abstracts]
TI: Classroom Demonstration and Interactive Model of Sea-Level Control on Lateral and Vertical Facies Changes
AU: Smith, C
EM: cr_smith78@hotmail.com
AF: Jackson Middle School, 600 109th Ave NW, Champlin, MN 55316 United States
AU: * Pound, K S
EM: kspound@stcloudstate.edu
AF: Earth & Atmospheric Sciences Dept, St. Cloud State University, St. Cloud, MN 56301 United States
AU: Jones, M H
EM: mjones@nhcc.edu
AF: Geology Department, North Hennepin Community College, 7411 85th Avenue North, Brooklyn Park, MN 55445 United States
AU: Schmitt, L
EM: lschmitt@hamline.edu
AF: Center for Global Environmental Education, Hamline University, 1536 Hewitt Avenue, MS-A1760, St. Paul, MN 55104 United States
AU: Campbell, K
EM: kmc@umn.edu
AF: National Center for Earth-surface Dynamics, St. Anthony Falls Laboratory, 2 Third Ave SE, Minneapolis, MN 55414 United States
AB: Students often have difficulty understanding and visualizing the role that relative sea-level change plays in controlling vertical and lateral facies changes; they also struggle with explanations of regional facies patterns and changes as sea-level dependant. This interactive, dynamic, in-class model has been developed to build their understanding both of this topic, and of the nature of predictive scientific models. The model can be used as a follow-up to field observations, or to pre-teach concepts. The model assumes a land-ocean transect that is divided into 5 sedimentary settings. Each setting in the land-ocean transect is associated with sediment grain size that decreases basinward; the most basinward component is carbonate. In the model, seven 10-cm diameter see-through tubes are set up to represent `cores' spread along the land-ocean transect. Brightly-colored plastic beads are used to represent sediment deposited in each of the sedimentary settings. At the start, the position of the shoreline (sea level) is fixed between the fluvial (tube 2) and beach (tube 3) sediments. Students then deposit beads that represent their sediment type in the each tube. Other students control the sea-level marker, which can be raised or lowered, and students with the sediment (beads) move shoreward or basinward accordingly, and deposit their sediments (beads) in the appropriate tube. This produces a simple visual record (tubes with layers of distinctly colored beads) that show the idealized sedimentary consequences of relative sea-level change. After large-scale patterns in facies changes have been demonstrated and discussed, students can manipulate variables such as supply and rate. Students can fill a basin using a sequence of events they determine, and other student groups can interpret their cores. The learning and approach of this model can be extended to include real sediment (gravel, sand, silt, mud) deposited in cardboard tubes that are then opened and treated as cores; the cores are logged, their distribution mapped, and the record interpreted. Alternatively students can be asked to produce a replica of the stratigraphy in a given area. A higher-level extension includes the use of peel images from the experimental mini-basin developed by the National Center for Earth-surface Dynamics (http://www.nced.umn.edu/Rapid_and_slow_level_changes_XES-96_prototype_basin.html. The variables (supply, sea-level change, basin subsidence) for the experimental mini-basin are known precisely, so a transverse section can be described and interpreted in their context. Sections parallel to shoreline can then be assigned to student groups for them to place in context and interpret. This suite of activities spans the continuum from observation through interpretation, modeling, and prediction.
UR: http://web.stcloudstate.edu/kspound/
DE: 0800 EDUCATION
DE: 0805 Elementary and secondary education
DE: 0810 Post-secondary education
DE: 0820 Curriculum and laboratory design
DE: 1641 Sea level change (1222, 1225, 4556)
SC: Education and Human Resources [ED]
MN: Fall Meeting 2005