Earth Science Week 2001

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Earth Science Week 2001

By Carol Reiss and Helen Gibbons
November 2001

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Greetings: USGS volunteer Tookie Campione greets a group of students at the entrance to the USGS building that houses the Earth Science Information Center and the conference rooms where Earth Science Week 2001 presentations were given.

More than 300 students from local middle and high schools visited the Menlo Park campus on October 10th and 11th to celebrate Earth Science Week 2001 in an event organized by Carol Reiss (CMG).

In addition to tours of the USGS library and Earth Science Information Center (where USGS maps and other products are sold), the children and their teachers were treated to special displays and presentations in three conference rooms on campus. More than 30 employees representing several disciplines helped Carol set up the displays, guide the visitors around campus, and conduct presentations.

A large conference room held displays based on the USGS publication, "This Dynamic Earth: The Story of Plate Tectonics" by W. Jacquelyne Kious and Robert I. Tilling (see the online edition). Posters, models, rock and fossil samples, puzzles, maps, seismic equipment, samples of sulfide chimneys and tube worms, and spreading-ridge video footage shot from submersibles allowed students to touch and see science in action. Author Bob Tilling, Volcano Hazards (VHZ), was on hand both days to summarize the display and answer questions. Chris Dietel, Earthquake Hazards (EHZ), set up the seismology portion of this display, and Susan Garcia (EHZ) helped schedule additional scientists to speak with students during the school tours.

Fossils: Students examine a selection of fossils from California.

In a small conference room featuring California Geology, Andrei Sarna-Wojcicki, National Cooperative Geologic Mapping (NGM) set up a wall-sized puzzle made from a geologic map of California mounted on foam-core board and sliced along faults to reconstruct what California looked like in the geologic past. Andrei also put up posters depicting the geologic evolution of San Francisco Bay. Russ Graymer (NGM) displayed a geologic map of the San Francisco Bay area, with stickers marking areas of interest, such as mineral deposits, faults, and landslides.
A table set up by Carol Reiss displayed a cast of the California state fossil, the sabertoothed cat (Smilodon californicus), along with the California state rock, serpentine; the California state mineral, benitoite; and, to represent "Silicon Valley," a chunk of raw silicon and its end product, computer chips. Mike Clynne (VHZ) displayed rocks of the San Francisco Bay area. Bruce Rogers displayed an annotated aerial tour up the central California coast entitled, "A Seagull's View of the Central California Coast." A selection of California fossils in the center of the room was very popular with the students.

Volcanoes: Carol Reiss explains to students how volcanic activity shaped the landscape of parts of California.

The third conference room featured California Parks. Here, Bruce Rogers displayed a poster on Pinnacles National Monument. King Huber (NMG Emeritus) presented his book and posters on the geology of Yosemite National Park. Julie Donnelly-Nolan and Bruce Rogers displayed their poster and photos of Lava Beds National Monument. Jim Calzia exhibited rocks and posters of Death Valley National Park; and Mike Clynne displayed rocks and posters of Lassen Volcanic National Park. Carol Reiss used a volcano model to demonstrate the volcanic activity that helped shaped the landscapes of these California parks.

Lori Hibbeler (CMG), Beth Feingold (CMG), and Tookie Campione (USGS Volunteer for Science) helped guide the visitors to and from the many venues where they were given tours and presentations. The high energy and enthusiasm of the students and their teachers attested to the success of the two-day event.

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November 2001

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in this issue: Geophysical Survey of Hawaiian Coral Reefs

Sediment Study on the Columbia River

cover story:
St. Petersburg Open Houses

Earth Science Week 2001

Woods Hole's First Annual Open House

Shark Festival and Sanctuary Celebration 2001

Metadata Workshop with Peter Schweitzer

Geochemistry Study Award

Richie Williams Speaks on Science and Religion

Farewell to Ardis Greatorex

Welcome to Chris Sherwood

USGS Mendenhall Post-doc Fellowship

WHFC Visitors

Passing the Torch for Production of Sound Waves

New South Florida Ecosystem Sourcebook Released

November Publications List