|
Jan. 31, 2007
Principled Geology
We've begun studying geology in our little homeschool, which has been an interesting subject to use the Principled Approach with. Here is our rough foundation.
Geology comes from two Greek words: geo, meaning earth and logos meaning discourse. In its basic sense, geology is the discourse, or study, of the earth. Further, from Webster's 1828:
The doctrine or science of the structure of the earth or terraqueous globe, and of the substances which compose it, or the science of compound minerals or aggregate substances which compose the earth, the relations which the several constituent masses bear to each other, their formation, structure, position and direction: it extends also to the various alterations and decompositions to which minerals are subject.
Scripture:
In the beginning, God created the heavens and the earth.
Genesis 1:1
We actually looked at all of Genesis chapter one to learn more about earth's early history, but this verse was the focus. All the features we seen in the earth were created by God and forces under His control.
Application: God created earth as a unique place capable of sustaining life. Here, we have all we need to live. There are several unique biomes, each displaying incredible biological diversity and interdependence of species. There is even interdependence between biomes. We have mountains, deserts, oceans, wetlands, plains and tundra to name a few important features.
Learning about geology tells more about where we live and the home God prepared for us.
Lesson: Mountains
Definition:
A large mass of earth and rock, rising above the common level of the earth or adjacent land, but of no definite altitude. We apply mountain to the largest eminences on the globe; but sometimes the word is used for a large hill.
Scripture: Gen 8:4, Gen 19:17, Ex 3:12, Ex 19:3, etc.
Mountains are perhaps the most impressive geologic features on earth, towering above their surroundings and affecting the weather patterns of entire continents. In scripture, they are frequently a place of refuge. There are different kinds of mountains, each with its own unique history. We know from scripture that the earth has experienced numerous catastrophic events, including its formation when God gathered the land together, the great flood and earth quakes.
Each of these would have resulted in the shifting of great land masses. This project looks at a particular kind of mountain which is formed when continental plates are forced against each other. The rock, under pressure, begins to fold and rise up. In geologic terms, this is known as an anticline.
To model this, we took three rectangular pieces of playdough and laid them on top of one another. Mouse laid this on the floor and put pressure on both sides of the playdough. The sides push toward the center, forcing the center to rise up. She recorded what this looked like from the top and the side in her notebook. Then, we modeled heavy erosion which can occur due to the slow processes of weather and time, more quickly through glacial movements or very quickly through other catastrophic events. She sliced the top of the anticline off with a butter knife and recorded what that looked like from the top and the side. This gives a good idea of what an anticline might look like "in nature."
Synclines are essentially the opposite of an anticline. When the earth is pushed together, the rocks fold downward, forming a valley between two higher points. We also eroded this with our butter knife acting as an imaginary river carving through the depression. She drew what the syncline and eroded synclines looked like in her notebook.
Finally, an overfold shows uneven pressure. The rock can be pushed up and over itself, creating a sort of "s" shape. She also modeled and recorded this, together with its eroded forms.
I also checked out a field guide to geology and she went through the pictures, looking for examples of each feature and correctly identified each one. Unfortunately, these kinds of forces were not at work in Nebraska, and I believe there is only one place where this kind of feature is visible and that is in a privately owned rock quarry. Otherwise, we'd make a field trip to go see one. |
| •
Post A Comment! •
Send to a Friend!
|
Comments
|
Posted by 
Posted by 
Posted by 
Posted by 
Posted by 
Posted by 
Posted by 
Posted by Titus2woman 
Posted by
Feb. 1, 2007 - Jeopardy questions