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| Dallas Zoological Society Partnership : Texas Ecology Texas Geology |
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Topic Overview
Quick Facts
You can see many examples of faulting, folding
and igneous intrustions in West Texas, especially in Big Bend National Park.
The Austin
area can experience flash flooding because of the shape of the hill country to
the west, and earthquakes are possible in this area because of the Balcones
fault.
Many oil depositist can be found in Texas because there are
so many faults and folts that have trapped sedimentary rocks with organic
material.
The islands along the Texas Gulf Coast are barrier islands that can serve
as protection against high winds and flooding during storms.
The Ogallala Aquifer is part of the High Plains
aquifer system and is a major water source for irrigation of crops in Texas, Kansas, Nebraska, New Mexico, Oklahoma, Colorado, South Dakota and Wyoming.
Hueco Tanks State Park
is an area near El Paso
famous for being an excellent place to rock climb; there is a lot of
controversy about whether or not most of the park should continue to allow rock
climbing because there are some petroglyphs, or ancient paintings that are
considered sacred by some local people.�
“Tanks” refer to large open areas of rock that store rainwater.
Terlingua, Texas, near Big Bend,
has one of the world’s largest Mercury deposits.� Cinnabar, a red rock or ore containing
Mercury was mined there until the 1970’s.
Water in rivers or streams that moves fast can
carry larger rocks greater distances.
The largest known earthquake in Texas occurred near
Valentine, with a magnitute of 5.8 on August 16, 1931.
Dinosaur
Valley State
Park has several areas of preserved sauropod
tracks that are 100-120 million years old.
Begin the Lesson
Show students different kinds of rocks, or pictures of
different kinds of rocks, and pictures of uplifts, faults, canyons anticlines
or synclines. Ask the students what kinds of things could have happened to make
these rocks. Sample answers could be heat, earthquakes, volcanic eruptions,
faulting, folding, or erosion. Explain that the state of Texas is so big, that there is an example of
every one of these processes. Of course, they happened over a very long period
of time. Today’s lesson is about the Geology of Texas.
Whole Class Introduction to the Lesson
You will need at least one
computer with Internet connectivity and a projection device, a classroom with
more than one computer, or access to a computer lab. This introduction will
take approximately 10 minutes to complete.
Visit the website:
http://geology.com/state-map/texas.shtml Ask the students to scroll down to the second map, called Texas
Elevation Map. Review the concept of elevation with the students and then ask
about different features on the map.
Sample Questions:
First let’s look at the key for the map. What do
the different colors show us? The different colors show different ranges of
feet above sea level.
What is this measurement? This is the elevation.
If we scroll down to a different map, we can
find our county. What color is our county? Example: Dallas County
is green.
How far above sea level is this county? High or
not very high? Dallas
County is not very high.
Where are some of the highest elevations in the
state? In the west and northwest.
Why is the area in the lower eastern part of the
state the darkest color of green? That area is the coast, right by the Gulf of Mexico/the ocean
Why are there so many differences? Different
forces shaped different parts of the state.
Today we will learn about some of these features, high and low,
and the processes that made them what they are today.
As part of the introduction, you may want to review some of the
glossary terms in advance of students going online. At this point you can
launch the WebLesson as whole-class activity using a projection device, or you
can assign students to work individually or in teams in a computer lab.
WebLesson Sites
Introduction If you have ever taken trips across the state of Texas, you know that the view out the window of your car can look very different from place to place. Some places in Texas have steep mountain roads, while other highways are on flat ground for miles. One end of the state has mountain ranges, while the other end has a coast with islands, with canyons and cliffs in between. Learning about the forces that shaped these different places means looking into the science of geology. If you live in Texas, you can actually drive to places that show rock formations that are explained in an Earth Science book. In this lesson, you will see some of those places and learn about stories rocks can tell us, and different treasures hidden in some of the rock layers of the Lone Star State.
Lesson Pages
Scientists Who Study Rocks
http://www.windows.ucar.edu/tour/link=/earth/geology/geopeople_intro.html&edu=elem
Franklin Mountain
http://www.beg.utexas.edu/UTopia/franklin/franklin_what.html
Caprock Canyons State Park
http://www.americansouthwest.net/texas/caprock-canyons/state-park.html
Palo Duro Canyon State Park
http://www.palodurocanyon.com/
Enchanted Rock: The Haunted Mountain of Texas
http://www.finetravel.com/unitedstates/southwest/enchante.htm
What is Karst?
http://www.esi.utexas.edu/outreach/caves/karst.php
Looking for Oil and Gas
http://www.sjgs.com/exploration.html
Center for Energy and Economic Diversification
http://www.pbioilshow.org/pbi/history.htm
Padre Island National Seashore-Geologic Formations
http://www.nps.gov/archive/pais/pphtml/subnaturalfeatures14.html Rich Media
Conclusion & Project
Conclusion As you can see, Texas is full of treasures thanks to geologic processes. There are places in the state where the rocks tell a stories about volcanic eruptions millions of years ago. As you view Enchanted Rock, it is hard to remember that the igneous activity that produced that huge slab of granite happened underground. Erosion by the wind and the water create beautiful sights as they change the sedimentary rock layers in places like Palo Duro Canyon. The word “earthquake” might bring the state of California to mind, but it is important for the city of Austin to remember that they are very close to a fault, and that those shifting rock layers can cause the ground to shake.
Not only do some rocks tell a story, they also hold treasures that we enjoy looking for and use every day. Several different types of dinosaurs have been found in Texas, and you do not have to have a paleontology degree to go out and look for them. Major underground water formations like the Ogallala and Edwards Aquifers give Texans drinking water and water for crops. Texas is a also a major producer of oil for the United States, thanks to all of that faulting and folding that traps rocks with a large amount of organic material. If you love going to the beach, it is good to remember that geological forces are at work there, too, as the ocean currents constantly reshape the barrier islands. Now that we know of some of the great treasures hidden in Texas rocks in the form of stories, fossils and resources, perhaps it is most important to remember to be careful with them, so that it is the forces of geology changing them, and not the carelessness of humans. Project Write a list of items for your Virtual Texas Treasure Chest. Divide the state into sections of your choice: for example, West, North, East, and South. Your treasure chest should be filled with items that can be seen, found, enjoyed, or used around the state that are a result of geological processes. Be sure to say what types of forces shaped each area, for example, faulting, erosion, or volcanic activity. Your treasure chest must include at least ten and no more than twenty items.
Glossary
tectonic - describes how large sections of rock move
morphology - study of the shape of something
repository - place where a large amount of material is stored
organically rich - sediments that contained the remains of living things
unabated - unstopped
pluvial - changes in the rock that were because of rain
tenuous - not very strong, barely holding on
interval - period of time
variable - changes
homogeneuos - the same throughout, such as a glass of milk
displacement - rock layers have been moved from their original position
horizon - line where the earth and the sky appear to touch
arid - dry
undulating - repeating, wavy pattern
evocative - object or event causes strong feelings
nomadic - people who wander
Civilian Conservation Corp - government work program for men from unemployed families during the Great Depression
composed - made of
groundwater - water that falls to the ground and enters the water table below the rock layers of the surface
monolith - very large single body of rock that has been pushed upward, and then exposed by erosion
sedentary - someone who does not get much exercise
geochronology - science of determining the age of rocks, fossils, and sediments
exfoliation dome - large, rounded landform developed in a massive rock, such as granite, by the process of exfoliation
dissolution - water dissolves parts of the rock, leaving cracks and openings
water table - a layer of rocks underground that can hold water
bedrock - solid layer of rock underneath loose rock and soil on the surface
hydrocarbon - chemical that is made up of only hydrogen and carbon atoms
viscous - substance that does not flow easily; syrup is more viscous than orange juice
prolific - something that occurs often or in large amounts
deciphering - figuring out
onslaught - attack
convergence - meeting of separate elements
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