Check out this cool coloring book as well as bonus pages. Learn about ancient plants and creatures as you color your way through this booklet. What is your favorite creature?
Geologic Resources Division Edrioasteroid “Foerstediscus splendens” is an extinct echinoderm (a member of the group including sea stars, sea urchins, and sea lilies) known as an edrioasteroid (seated star) that lived during the Ordovician. Fossils of “Foerstediscus” have been found at Mississippi National River and Recreation Area, Minnesota.
Have you ever been fossil hunting? If you are interested in collecting fossils, you should plan an adventure to the Fossil and Prairie Park Preserve in Rockford, Iowa. It gives you a chance to find your own fossils.
Gilmore City crinoids
Slab of Gilmore City crinoids
Images from https://cedarvalleyrockclub.org/crinoidsGilmoreCity.html
Did you know that Iowa is only one of a handful of state’s that doesn’t have a state fossil? There is currently a proposal for the Crinoid to become Iowa’s State Fossil. Crinoids are a class of animals called echinoderms that first appears on the earth about 500 million years ago. They have two form, sea lilies (stalked form attached to the sea floor) and feather stars (free-living.) Learn more about the Crinoid at the Cedar Valley Rocks and Mineral Society website.
Monday, October 12 Minerals Day. Join us in raising awareness of and appreciation for minerals and mineralogy!
Tuesday, October 13 Earth Observation Day. Engage students and teachers in remote sensing as an exciting and powerful educational tool.
No Child Left Inside Day. NCLI Day encourages students to go outside and research Earth science in the field like a professional geoscientist.
Wednesday, October 14 National Fossil Day. The annually held National Fossil Day celebration is dedicated to promoting the understanding and appreciation of fossils.
Thursday, October 15 Geoscience for Everyone Day. Do your part to help young people from underrepresented communities explore exciting careers in the geosciences.
Friday, October 16 Geologic Map Day. Hosted by the U.S. Geological Survey, Association of American State Geologists, National Park Service, Geological Society of America, and the National Aeronautics and Space Administration in partnership with AGI, this special event promotes awareness of the study, uses, importance of geologic mapping for education, science, business, and a variety of public policy concerns.
Saturday, October 17 International Archaeology Day. Hosted by the Archaeological Institute of America, this special event is a celebration of archaeology and the thrill of discovery.
Webinars
“Advances in the Mineralogy of Mars,” Dr. Elizabeth Rampe, Johnson Space Center. (Recorded to premiere at 10 a.m. EDT, Monday, October 12, 2020)
“The Future of Data-Driven Discovery in Mineralogy and Crystallography,” Dr. Shaunna Morrison, Carnegie Institution of Science. (Live at 2 p.m. EDT, Monday, October 12, 2020)
“Resources Beyond Earth: Enabling Future Exploration and the New Space Economy,” Dr. Angel Abbud Madrid, Center for Space Resources, Colorado School of Mines. (On Demand with a live Q&A at 12 p.m. EDT, Tuesday, October 13, 2020)
“Gemology: Time Capsules Connecting Us Through History,” Dr. Aaron Palke, Gemological Institute of America. (Recorded to premiere at 3 p.m. EDT, Tuesday, October 13, 2020)
“The Need and Solutions for Robots in Responsible Raw Material Exploration and Mining,” Dr. Norbert Zajzon, University of Miskolc. (On Demand with a live Q&A at 12 p.m. EDT, Wednesday, October 14, 2020)
“New Insights Into Wire Silver and Gold Formation,” Dr. John Rakovan, Miami University. (Recorded to premiere at 3 p.m. EDT, Wednesday, October 14, 2020)
“Consumers: The Most Potent Army Against Conflict Minerals,” Vitor Correia, International Raw Materials Observatory. (On Demand with a live Q&A at 12pm EDT, Friday, October 16, 2020)
“May the Quartz Be With You,” Shannon Mahan, U.S. Geological Survey. With an introduction by Sarah J. Ryker, USGS Associate Director for Energy & Minerals. (On Demand)
“The Global Supply of Critical Minerals: Assessing and Tracking Critical Mineral Commodities,” Nedal Nassar, U.S. Geological Survey. (On Demand)
Next week is Earth Science Week. This year the theme is Earth Materials in Our Lives. Throughout the week we will be exploring different aspects of earth sciences, finding ways to connect to the earth, and looking at careers and organizations that are devoted to the study of our earth.
Check back all week for daily updates and ways to celebrate!
Have you seen this online tool for downloading conservation practices by watershed in Iowa? Check out the online tool: https://bensonvip.gis.iastate.edu/ISU/BMP/BMP.html
Dr. Mitra, two of her graduates students,along with the art museum curator, Christy Barlow discuss the exhibit in an online gallery talk which was presented live on Earth Day, April, 22, 2020. Here is a link to view the gallery talk: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UPtBDZF0DRM&feature=youtu.be
Below is a preview of the some of the images.
Experience the beauty of our planet on #EarthDay. We're hosting Earth Day Live: "Mother Earth as Art" at 1 p.m. CT with the Auburn University College of Sciences and Mathematics and the Auburn University Geosciences Department. Explore how this #STEAM exhibition came together and have an online conversation.
AmericaView has a series of over 70 Earth image puzzles to encourage people of all ages to engage with satellite imagery and learn more about remote sensing by offering a fun challenge. The puzzles can be made to match ability or time available by choosing the number of pieces from 12 to 110 pieces. There are also options that allow the pieces to be shuffled or the border to be completed.
Google Earth Engine is a platform for exploring and analyzing satellite imagery. It is available for academic, non-profit, business and government users.
Several members of the AmericaView community have created tutorials to provide a foundation to quickly begin learning and using Google Earth Engine (GEE). If you are new to GEE, you will want to start with this Google Earth Outreach tutorial. You may need to sign-up for a GEE account with an existing Gmail email address.
The USGS has produced an amazing collection of images (also available as trading cards!) that show Earth’s change over time. The Earthshot collection has a wide variety of examples of change over time including: – natural phenomena changes (glaciers, deserts,) – social change (city growth,) – human interaction with the natural world (mining, deforestation, agriculture,) – natural disasters (hurricanes, tornado damage, flooding.)
Below are two examples of the trading cards, Mount St. Helens pre/post volcanic explosion and Las Vegas, Nevada population growth over time.
The cards provide side by side comparison images and also context about the images on the opposite side including information about the date of the images, satellites, bands used to create the images and location data.
If you view a location on through the browser you will get about 5 images you can review as well as context about the images.
