Twenty-four construction paper cores of varying lengths are hung from the ceiling, evenly spaced throughout the room in a large rectangle, along with four building site locations (A, B, C, D). Each core is made of selected colors of construction paper taped together to represent different rock strata. The cores can be positioned to show a variety of geological processes. By designating the floor as sea level, the various heights of the cores display elevation differences. A scale of 1cm = 100m is used for the horizontal scale and 1cm = 10m for the vertical scale. This permits students to measure both the distance above sea level and the distance between cores. The building sites can be placed in locations where they are vulnerable to volcanoes, landslides, earthquakes, subsidence or mining operations, along with a safer site. Rock and fossil samples are placed on identification tables. The rocks are placed on the same color construction paper as the core strata and the fossils are labeled with a number corresponding to its location in a core.

Students are presented with this problem. Your company has been hired to select the safest geological site for the building of a resort. The developers have purchased options on four building sites. Your team must examine the cores and make a detailed report for the developers regarding the suitability of each building site and your final recommendation for the safest site. In addition, your report to the developers will include: a data table identifying the rocks and fossils, a list of possible hazards at each building site, a geological column of the entire area, a list of specific geological processes that have occurred near each site, a topographic map of the entire area to scale with site locations, and a Styrofoam model on the area built to scale.

JGE 45(4). pp381-385

http://geologyonline.museum.state.il.us/tools/lessons/12.5/lesson.html