The GLOBE Cave Protocol Field Guide utilizes existing GLOBE protocols to explore an extreme environment. Caves provide an opportunity to utilize GLOBE protocols to investigate underground environments and compare them to surface environments. Outside the cave, students record elevation, MUC, latitude and longitude, air temperature, relative humidity and air pressure. Inside the cave, students record air temperature, relative humidity and air pressure as well as observe and describe cave features in each room. Students also note evidence of biological activity and human impact. If water is present inside the cave, students record water temperature and pH. Follow up questions are included in the Field Guide.

Geological processes at the mid-ocean ridges are responsible for the bulk of the Earth's heat loss and volcanic activity. The compositions of materials erupted at these locations, dominantly mid-ocean ridge basalts (MORB's), have profound implications for the inner workings of the Earth's mantle, the construction of oceanic crust, and global plate tectonics. In this exercise, students replicate a portion of a classic paper on MORB geochemistry [Klein and Langmuir, 1987] , but using a much larger global geochemical dataset downloaded from the PETDB database. Through a series of activities and questions, students are encouraged to think about the petrologic and geodynamic processes controlling the composition of Earth's most abundant volcanic rocks.

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Compiled by Kyle Gray, University of Akron, 'krg10@uakron.edu' and David N. Steer, University of Akron, 'steer@uakron.edu'

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Minerals are inorganic chemical compounds with a wide range of physical and chemical properties. Geologists frequently measure and observe properties such as hardness, specific gravity, color, etc. Unfortunately, students usually view these properties simply as tools for identifying unknown mineral specimens. One of the objectives of this exercise is to make students aware of the fact that minerals have many additional properties that can be measured, and that all of the physical and chemical properties of minerals have important applications beyond that of simple mineral identification.
Please do not let the title of this exercise scare you away. Introducing students to thermodynamics is not the primary objective. Getting students to "do" science - to observe, record, and interpret experimental data - is the primary goal. Heat capacity just happens to be a good vehicle for this purpose.

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Students use basic aqueous geochemistry knowledge to investigate controls of the atmospheric carbon dioxide level on pH values of the wet precipitation at standard conditions (25 oC, 1 atmospheric pressure).

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In this exercise, students are split into groups to gather whole-rock geochemical data (major-, trace-, and rare-earth elements) from the GEOROC database for igneous rocks sampled from four different plate tectonic settings: mid-ocean ridges, subduction zones, oceanic islands, and oceanic plateaus. Each group is assigned a different plate tectonic setting and collects three datasets from different locations for their tectonic setting. Geochemical data is graphed as major-element variation and REE diagrams to quantify igneous diversity both within the same tectonic setting and between different tectonic settings. The main goal of this exercise is to demonstrate that igneous rock compositions are a strong function of plate tectonic setting.

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In this project, students work in small groups to formally characterize an aspect of a local igneous rock, based on petrography, hand sample descriptions, and SEM and/or CL analyses. Students have two lab sessions and a field trip dedicated to working on this suite of rocks: one for detailed petrographic analyses and another SEM or CL imaging and analysis. The field trip is the field component of the project. The individual labs are ungraded, but all are required for completion of the project.

Papers must include the following sections:
Introduction, Geologic History, Petrography, Chemical Analysis, Discussion, References, Appendix (contains copies of ALL notes, calculations, drafts and revisions)

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The ability to make real analytical use of research instrumentation in the classroom via remote operation technologies has the potential to both facilitate instruction and support the intellectual transition of undergraduate geoscience students from passive learner to investigator. However, training students in the use of complex analytical instrumentation is a significant time-sink and potential distraction from learning geoscience content.

We make use of electron microprobe analysis as part of a term project in my Mineralogy/Petrology course on the petrogenesis of metamorphic rocks from the southern Appalachians. To try and get past the instrument-training obstacle, I conduct an extended whole-class activity, running the microprobe live in front of the students to introduce the instrument, its tools and functions, and its quirks and limitations. Beyond a simple demonstration I also have the students direct me in the operation of the microprobe to analyze and identify minerals in an unknown sample, to show them how the instrument is used to investigate a sample, and where the hang-ups and easy mistakes are in trying to conduct EDS or WDS analyses. This attempt at a "group training" activity aims to make students more comfortable when they get the opportunity to run the instrument themselves to collect mineral chemistry data on samples they have collected.

The attached documents: a "script" for using the remotely operable FIU-FCAEM electron microprobe in a whole class demonstration and interactive session, along with a simple exercise for translating microprobe data to mineral formulas,

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The activity asks students to make observations about what occurs when two effervescent antacid tablets are placed into a beaker of water. The Students work together in groups. There are three parts to the activity. In the first part, the tablets are dropped into tap water and student groups (2-4 students) must complete a series of question sheets (one per group) that guide them through thinking about the event. In the second part, a presentation on chemical equilibrium for the carbonate system is given. The starting point is the answers received in the first part. Basic chemical reactions for the carbonate system are presented including equilibrium expressions for each reaction and discussion about open and closed systems. At the end of class, a handout is given to the students. In the third part, three beakers (acidic, neutral and basic solutions, but not indicated) are placed together and two tablets are placed into each beaker. Students are split into two groups (8-12 students) and are asked to describe why the reactions are different. Discussion follows collection of student responses in each part. Once the chemical reactions and equilibrium expressions are presented, they are involved and referenced in all discussions.

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The main goal of this multi-part field and lab exercise is to introduce students to practical aspects of soil and water geochemistry. Some of the analyses for this lab are conducted in the field using field analytical instruments and rest of the analyses is conducted in a wet chemistry/geochemistry lab. There are several objectives:
1. Learn how to sample water and soil samples in a safe and effective manner
2. Collect basic aqueous chemical parameters in the field
3. Compare field collected data with that obtained using advanced instruments in the laboratory
4. Determine bulk physical and chemical properties of the soils in the lab
5. Determine trace and major element concentrations of the soils in the laboratory
At the end of this exercise students will gain a better appreciation for how soil and water quality is assessed in multiple ways. They are also introduced to basic "tools-of-the-trade" in the environmental geochemistry and also using Excel to make simple and advanced calculations as well as for plotting data. During preparation of lab reports, they are introduced to basic elements of an effective data-based technical paper.

Key words: urban watershed, soil chemistry, water chemistry, aqueous geochemistry, field analysis, analytical chemistry

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The MIT Biology Department core courses, 7.012, 7.013, and 7.014, all cover the same core material, which includes the fundamental principles of biochemistry, genetics, molecular biology, and cell biology. Biological function at the molecular level is particularly emphasized and covers the structure and regulation of genes, as well as, the structure and synthesis of proteins, how these molecules are integrated into cells, and how these cells are integrated into multicellular systems and organisms. In addition, each version of the subject has its own distinctive material.
7.014 focuses on the application of these fundamental principles, toward an understanding of microorganisms as geochemical agents responsible for the evolution and renewal of the biosphere and of their role in human health and disease.
Acknowledgements
The study materials, problem sets, and quiz materials used during Spring 2005 for 7.014 include contributions from past instructors, teaching assistants, and other members of the MIT Biology Department affiliated with course 7.014. Since the following works have evolved over a period of many years, no single source can be attributed.

This assignment offers students several problems that help them understand the basic of mixing models and their use in understanding the controls on water quality in the environment. The purpose of the assignment is to help students integrate across the various topics in environmental chemistry in the context of flow and transport. Students will hopefully learn how reactive and non-reactive tracers can be used in conjunction to fully understand a chemical system.

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The students will use activities to understand atomic mass and isotopes and stable isotopic fractionation in the hydrologic system.

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Instructor provides an introduction to the weathering cycle and connection to ocean chemistry. We consider the following question as a group before splitting up for the Jigsaw portion of the exercise:

If we take the chemistry of wollastonite (CaSiO3) to represent continental rocks, what is the chemical equation of weathering with carbonic acid (H2CO3)?

Students conduct research and develop expertise in one aspect of the weathering-CO2 cycle. Each student produces a 1-2 page description of their area of expertise. Students studying the same aspect then meet to deepen understanding and identify and clear up any misconceptions. Groups check in with instructor or teaching assistant.

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In this video segment adapted from NOVA, scientist Mike Garcia draws lava samples at the foot of the active Kilauea volcano to see if it is related to its neighboring volcano, Mauna Loa.

Freshmen enrolled in the Spaceship Earth Living Learning Community conduct research on a real project that is formulated and conducted during a 2-semester academic year.

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This exercise is centered around a suite of rocks from the Sierra Nevada batholith. The activities are designed to give petrology students a capstone experience for the igneous portion of the upper-level Petrology course. Students are given thin sections with hand samples, a map and a table of geochemical analyses (in Excel format) and asked to record hand-sample and thin section observations with the idea that these will be used to understand processes that were active during batholith generation. By the time they encounter this lab, the students have spent at least 7 lab periods looking at a variety of igneous rocks and their textures. Because students are given geochemical analyses, they are also expected to experiment with the use of graphs (e.g., Harker and spider diagrams) to better understand tables of geochemical analyses. The students use observations about rocks and geochemistry to build a coherent story around these rocks; the final product is a short paper in which they use petrographic observations and geochemical diagrams to back up their interpretations.

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The presentation is an introduction to the control of magma chemical compositions by the fractionation of crystallizing phases. It is followed by a lab exercise where students interpret volcanic rock petrology and a geochemical data set (from Iceland) in terms of sequences of fractionating phases.

It is a useful as an introduction because it shows clearly, with data points, interpreted lines, and oral explanation how fractionating crystals can, in principal, control the chemical composition of derivative magmas.

In context, this presentation is shown after phase diagram lectures and exercises, and it is linked to them by examining phase diagrams that illustrate the crystallization sequence (Olivine-plagioclase-augite). Further, a following lab exercise has the students deduce somewhat similar crystal fractionation controls for a set of Iceland lavas (for phenocryst petrology) and geochemical data sets (with which control lines are plotted).

The presentation itself is not enough to make the connection between liquid composition changes, phase diagrams, and chemistry, but in the context of earlier phase diagrams, presentation, return to phase diagrams, and the petrology-geochemistry Iceland exercise, it helps get across the idea of how crystal fractionation can control magma evolution.

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This problem set introduces some of the more advanced uses of Excel to not only calculate how the chemistry of a magma changes with crystallization but also to see how the liquidus assemblage can drastically change the evolution of the remaining magma. Once they have their calculations complete, students plot the results and answer questions on the geochemical trends observed through the crystallization sequence. This problem set reinforces quantitative problem solving skills using a spreadsheet and has the students think about mineralogical controls on magma evolution.

This exercise is modified from one that Clark Johnson assigned at University of Wisconsin. I find this exercise to be more instructive for some of the tricks and tools in Excel, but there are some interesting questions that can derive from it. This assignment is often the first time the light goes on that you can end up with different composition magmas depending on what minerals are crystallizing, and that depends on the pressure of crystallization. There are many more questions that could be asked, such as where does this model fall short? What could be added or considered to make this a more realistic simulation of fractionation (more trace elements or REE).

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The objective of this course is to develop an understanding of principles of marine isotope geochemistry, its systematics, and its application to the study of the behavior and history of the oceans within the earth system. The emphasis is on developing the underlying concepts and theory as well as proficiency in working with practical isotope systems. The course is divided into four sections: nuclear systematics, Earth formation and evolution, stable isotopes, and applications to the ocean system.