EARTH SCIENCE WEEK
October 12-18, 2008
No Child Left Inside!
The official, national webpage for Earth Science Week is http://www.earthsciweek.org/
Since October 1998, the American Geological Institute has organized this national and international event to help the public gain a better understanding and appreciation for the Earth Sciences and to encourage stewardship of the Earth.
EarthCaching
A great earth science activity to do outside is EarthCaching. Get more information at http://www.earthcache.org/. As a part of geocaching — a geographical adventure game for Global Positioning System (GPS) users to cache and find locations with actual hidden items — an EarthCache adventure is treasure hunting for the geological “caches” that the Earth has deposited. EarthCache sites do not use stored containers; their treasure is the geoscience lessons people learn about our planet when they visit the sites.
Geology and Earth Resources Division Events
- Oct. 9: Rock Auction (silent auction of rocks, minerals, crystals, and fossils)
Approximately 150 specimens will be auctioned, from agates, petoskey stones, galena, turquoise, and rose quartz to hematite and pyrrhitite. A co-worker is loaning his African meteorite as an exhibit during the auction. The funds raised will go to the American Geological Institute (AGI) and the Mineral Information Institute (MII) for their exceptional geoscience education work. - Oct. 13-17: The Geology Library Annual Yard Sale
Money also going to AGI and MII. The event is open to the public, from 8 AM to 4:30 PM daily. - During Earth Science Week: Donation of Geoscience Book
The Geology and Earth Resources Division will donate a geoscience book to the Science Director at the Office of the Superintendent of Public Instruction, the Director of the Timberland Regional Library, and the State Librarian. This year’s selection will be the field trip guidebook: Pringle, Patrick T., 2008, Roadside geology of Mount Rainier National Park and vicinity: Washington Division of Geology and Earth Resources Information Circular 107, 190 p.
Online Geoscience Education Resources
- Geology Resources for Teachers: http://www.dnr.wa.gov/Publications/ger_teacher_packet.pdf
An online teacher's packet created by the Geology and Earth Resources Division - American Geological Institute’s Curriculum and Activities webpage: http://www.agiweb.org/education/curriculum/index.html
- Jessy Chekal’s website for kids: http://www.rockhoundkids.com/
- A geologist’s lifetime field trip list: http://www.uc.edu/GEOLOGY/GEOLOGYLIST/
A list of essential or desirable locations for geologists or travelers to visit. It contains many of the interesting geological wonders of the world, with links for most of them. - Water Drops: http://www.watershedhydrology.com/html/WaterDrops.html
A series of timely two-minute self-contained essays on the science, hydrology, culture, history, policy, law, government and organizations involved with water. Broadcasts started on WRVO.FM in Oswego, NY in January 2006. There are 133 Water Drops available, enough for two-and-a-half years of weekly broadcasts. The essays leave time in a two-minute break for credits over included opening and closing musical buttons. Monthly essays will be available just before and during each month. Users may download a free 3-page file that contains the entire list of titles, subject category for each essay, suggested airing dates during the year, specifications, and columns for local users’ notes (e.g., airdate, etc.)
Geologic Field Trips
Washington State
U.S. and Worldwide
Other science dates commemorated in the U.S.
| Tsunami Awareness Month | April |
| Earthquake Awareness Month | April |
| National Park Week | April 18-26, 2009 |
| Earth Day | April 22, 2009 |
| Volcano Awareness Month | May |
| National Emergency Preparedness Month | September 2008 |
| NOAA Weather Radio Awareness Month | September 2008 (in WA) |
| National Metric Week | Each year, the week containing 10 October—the tenth day of the tenth month |
| International EarthCache Day | October 12, 2008 |
| GIS Day | November 19, 2008 |