Students will review the NASA Space Place video, "Tectonic Forces", and answer questions about tectonic plates.

Compare images from two volcanic eruptions in the Kuril Islands which occurred ten years apart and complete a graphic organizer for impacts on different Earth spheres. 

Watch NASA videos about aerosols and volcanic ash.

Students examine satellite images of a recently formed island to identify areas of erosion and deposition.

Learn about volcanic ash and watch a visualization of the Calbuco volcano to see how ash travels around the world. 

Review these resources to learn how Dorothy "Dotty" Metcalf-Lindenburger explored different career paths to eventually make her way to work with NASA.  Starting off as a geology student in college, then working as a teacher, Dotty gained employment with NASA as an astronaut!

Students will describe the changes in a newly-formed volcanic island over the first three years of its life.  

The Geosphere is associated with solid portions of the Earth. It includes the continental and oceanic crust and all other layers of the Earth's interior.  This includes all rocks, sediments and soils, surface landforms and the processes that shape the Earth's surface.

Review this page to learn about the background of volcanoes and their eruptions.

A geotechnical engineer is a type of civil engineer who focuses on the mechanics of the land, rocks, and soils in the building process. This type of engineering includes, but is not limited to, analyzing, designing, and constructing foundations, retaining structures, slopes, embankments, roadways, tunnels, levees, wharves, landfills, and other systems that are comprised of rock or soil.