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Adirondack Mountains
Finger Lakes
Niagara Falls
Howe Caverns
Thousand Islands
Moraines and Drumlins
Glaciers
Teacher Page
Rubrics and Student Forms
Google Maps Landform Locations

This project exceeds the
requirements set forth in the
assignment and receives this seal
of excellence in recognition of
work well done.

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Finger Lakes
Niagara Falls Towering above New York's
landscape, the Adirondack
Howe Caverns
Mountains stand as a monument to
Thousand Islands the ice age. Five million years ago,
Moraines and Drumlins small alpine glaciers carved their
Glaciers way through the Northeastern
United States. As they moved
Teacher Page
through what is now the Adirondack
Rubrics and Student Forms Region, stones deposited by the
Google Maps Landform Locations glacier were scattered across the
landscape. Massive chunks of ice
broke away from the glacier, and
were buried beneath sand and
gravel washed from the ice. As
these ice chunks melted,
depressions, called kettle holes,
were formed. When the kettle hole
extended below the water table, a
pond was created. Many of the
small, circular ponds you see while hiking in the high peak began as kettle holes.

Over thousands of years, as glaciers carved away the landscape, the mountains began to take shape. Unlike the
Rockies and the Appalachians, the Adirondack Mountains do not form a connected range, but rather a 160-mile
wide dome of more than 100 peaks. Although the mountains are formed from ancient rocks more than 1,000
million years old, geologically, the dome is a newborn. The Adirondack Peaks can be anywhere from 1,200 feet
This project exceeds the tall to well over 5,000 feet tall, and the 46 tallest summits above 4,000 feet are called the High Peaks. Although
requirements set forth in the four peaks were later discovered to measure less than 4,000 feet, they are still considered Adirondack High
assignment and receives this seal Peaks.
work well done. The highest of all the peaks is Mount Marcy, towering 5,344 feet above sea level. It is one of the most distinctive
features of the Adirondack landscape. Mount Marcy is home to Lake Tear of the Clouds, the highest lake in New
York State at 4,292 feet, and the source of the Hudson River. The Adirondack Mountains are about 6 million
acres of forests, streams, rivers, lakes, and mounatins. They are located in Northern New York, about 225 miles
north of New York City and 75 miles south of Montreal, Canada. In 1892 the Adirondacks were named a State
Park. (Ref: http://visitadirondacks.com/adirondack-mountains.html)

Interesting Facts About the Adirondack Mountains

• Mt. Marcy is the tallest of the Adirondack Mountains at 5,344 ft.
• There are 2,000 miles of foot trails.
• There are 2,300 lakes & ponds.
• There are 1,500 miles of rivers.


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Finger Lakes - NYS Landforms Page 1 of 1


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Finger Lakes
Finger Lakes
Niagara Falls The Finger Lakes are made up
of eleven lakes. Their
Howe Caverns
names, from east to west, are:
Thousand Islands Otisco, Skaneateles, Owasco,
Moraines and Drumlins Cayuga, Seneca, Keuka,
Glaciers Canandaigua, Honeoye,
Canadice, Hemlock, and
Teacher Page
Conesus. They are called finger
Rubrics and Student Forms lakes because they are shaped
Google Maps Landform Locations like the fingers of a hand.

During the last Ice Age, the ice
was over a mile thick. As time
went on, the ice sheet grew and
with its force created valleys,
lakes, rivers, and even rounded
mountain ranges. As this
glacier withdrew, it carved out
valleys. Then, as the glacier
melted, the waters began to fill
these new valleys forming the
Finger Lakes. The deep weight of the glacier made some parts of this area deeper than others. The Finger
Lakes are stretched in the direction of the ice movement. This is how the different shapes and sizes of the Finger
Lakes came to be. (Ref: http://www.fingerlakes.org/)

Interesting Facts About the Finger Lakes
• Cayuga Lake is 40 miles long and 1 to 3 miles wide, 435 feet deep and 380 feet above sea level.
of excellence in recognition of • Cayuga and Seneca Lake are connected at their northern ends by a canal.
work well done. • The Finger Lakes are home to more than 100 wineries.


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Niagara Falls - NYS Landforms Page 1 of 1


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Niagara Falls
Finger Lakes
Niagara Falls During the last ice age, a
large sheet of ice covered
Howe Caverns
Canada and parts of New
Thousand Islands York. As this sheet of ice
Moraines and Drumlins started to melt, water began
Glaciers to flow back to the ocean
through a channel that went
Teacher Page
across New York to the
Rubrics and Student Forms Hudson River Valley. As the
Google Maps Landform Locations flow continued, the water
levels began to drop.
Eventually, a new channel
was exposed which would
become the Niagara River.
Water from Lake Erie now
flowed into Lake Iroquois (the
name for a lake that stood
where Lake Ontario is but
was larger). As the last
remaining parts of the sheet
of ice melted from the Thousand Islands, a great rush of water drained Lake Iroquois through the St. Lawrence
River and emptied into the Atlantic Ocean. Now the waters flowed from Lake Erie through the Niagara River into
Lake Ontario and out the St. Lawrence River to the Atlantic Ocean. (Ref:
http://www.niagarafallsstatepark.com/Formation-and-Discovery.aspx)

This project exceeds the Interesting Facts About Niagara Falls
assignment and receives this seal • A 7 year old boy wearing only life jacket and bathing suit accidentally went over the Canadian Falls and
of excellence in recognition of survived during the summer of 1960.
work well done. • More than 6 million cubic feet of water goes over the falls every minute during peak daytime hours.
• Niagara Falls is comprised of three waterfalls: American Falls, Bridal Veil Falls and Horseshoe Falls.
• The Canadian Falls, shaped like a horseshoe, are 177 feet high and the American Falls are184 feet high.


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Howe Caverns - NYS Landforms Page 1 of 1


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Howe Caverns
Finger Lakes Howe Caverns is a limestone cave
Niagara Falls located the eastern central part in
Howe Caverns
Schoharie County 156 feet
underground. Since it is so far
Thousand Islands underground, the temperature stays
Moraines and Drumlins at 52 °F year round. Caverns are
Glaciers very humid, which means they are
Teacher Page not only cool but also damp. To
explore the caverns you need to
Rubrics and Student Forms take a 32 second elevator ride
Google Maps Landform Locations underneath the earth. These
caverns stretch a little less than a
mile and end at an underground
lake. During tours of the caverns,
after walkting to the end, you are
allowed to take a short boat ride on
the underground lake.
Like other landforms, Howe
Caverns took a long time to form.
At one time, this area would have
been a solid piece of limestone.
Over time, rain found its way into the limestone. As the rain fell from the sky it absorbed carbon dioxide and
turned into a very weak carbonic acid. This acidic water slowly dissolved the limestone over thousands of
years. As a result, chambers, rooms, and passageways were carved out ultimately creating the cavern as we
know it today. (Ref: http://howecaverns.com/history)

This project exceeds the Intersting Facts About Howe Caverns
assignment and receives this seal • Lester Howe accidentally found Howe Caverns on May 22, 1842. Howe noticed that his cows seemed to be
of excellence in recognition of grazing in the same spot every day. When he went to find out why, the temperature seemed to be quite
work well done. cooler where the cows were grazing. As he approached that same spot, he found an opening to the cave all
because of one cow named Milicent that stood closest to the opening.
• Howe Caverns has little animal or plant life. It is a closed ecological system, which means that the food web
stays only in the cave.
• Unique stone formations grow deep inside the caverns. Large formations known as stalactites grow down
from the cavern ceilings. Large formations known as stalagmites grow up from the ground. (A neat way to
learn the meanings of these terms and not be confused is to remember the “c” (grows down from ceiling) in
stalactites and the “g” (grows up from ground) in .stalagmites.


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Thousand Islands - NYS Landforms Page 1 of 1


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Thousand Islands
Finger Lakes
Niagara Falls How many islands make up
the Thousand Islands?
Howe Caverns
There are at least 1,700
Thousand Islands islands between Canada and
Moraines and Drumlins the United States in the
Glaciers region called Thousand
Islands in the St. Lawrence
Teacher Page
River. Most of the islands
Rubrics and Student Forms are relatively small, but there
Google Maps Landform Locations are a few that stretch 5 to 6
miles long. These islands
are found in about a 40-mile
stretch on the river where it
turns very wide as it leaves
Lake Ontario. The
Thousand Islands reach the
Canadian side from Wolfe
Island near Kingston, Ontario
to Brockville, Ontario and
goes over to the American
side from Tibbets Point on
Lake Ontario to Morristown,
New York. Long before the
French explorers found this area, this land was occupied by the five member nations of the Iroquois. This
included the Mohawk, Oneida, Onondaga, Seneca, and the Cayuga Indians.
requirements set forth in the During the last Ice Age, which happened about 18,000 years ago, the ice was over a mile thick. As time went on,
assignment and receives this seal the ice sheet grew and with its force, created valleys, lakes, rivers, and even rounded mountain ranges when it
of excellence in recognition of began to withdraw. It also crushed things that did not move like a huge bulldozer. As it withdrew, the glacier left
work well done. a large channel to the valley. As the glacier melted, the waters began to fill this new channel. The deep weight of
the glacier made some parts of this area deeper than others. This is how the different shapes and sizes of the
Thousand Islands came to be. (Ref: http://oliver_kilian.tripod.com/1000islands/IsIn2-Rocks/rocks.htm)

Interesting Facts About the Thousand Islands

• There are at least 1,700 islands that make up the Thousand Islands.
• Seventeen of these islands are included in the St. Lawrence Islands National Park.
• First European settlement in this area was located in Kingston in 1675, with the opening of Fort Frontanac.


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Finger Lakes
Niagara Falls The "Ice age" was really a
Howe Caverns series of many advances
and retreats of glaciers.
Thousand Islands
The Finger Lakes were
Moraines and Drumlins probably carved by several
Glaciers of these episodes. Ice
Teacher Page sheets more than two miles
thick flowed southward,
parallel but opposite to the
Google Maps Landform Locations flow of the rivers, gouging
deep trenches into these
river valleys. Traces of
most of the earlier glacial
events have vanished, but
much evidence remains of
the last one or two glaciers
that covered New York.

The latest glacial episode was most extensive around 21,000 years ago, when glaciers covered
almost the entire state. Around 19,000 years ago, the climate warmed, and the glacier began to
retreat, disappearing entirely from New York for the last time around 11,000 years ago.

The most obvious evidence left by the glaciers are the gravel deposits at the south ends of the
Finger Lakes called moraines and streamlined elongated hills of glacial sediment called drumlins.
Moraines are visible south of Ithaca at North Spencer, along Route 13 west of Newfield, and near
This project exceeds the Willseyville. Drumlins are visible northeast of Ithaca at the northern end of Cayuga and Seneca
requirements set forth in the lakes in a broad band from Rochester to Syracuse. (Ref:
assignment and receives this seal http://www.britannica.com/EBchecked/topic/172086/drumlin)
work well done. Interesting Facts About Morains and Drumlins

• The long axis of a drumlin lies parallel to the direction of the advance.
• Drumlins can vary widely in size, with lengths from 0.6 to 1.2 miles, heights from 50 to 100
feet, and widths from 1300 to 2000 feet.
• Most drumlins are composed of till, but they may vary greatly in their composition. Some
contain significant amounts of gravels, whereas others are made up of rock underlying the
surface till.


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Glaciers - NYS Landforms Page 1 of 1


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Glaciers
Finger Lakes
Niagara Falls Even though you've probably
never seen a glacier, they are a
Howe Caverns
big item of importance when we
Thousand Islands talk about New York State's
Moraines and Drumlins geology.
Glaciers
In a way, glaciers are just frozen
Teacher Page rivers of ice flowing downhill.
Rubrics and Student Forms Glaciers begin life as
Google Maps Landform Locations snowflakes. When the snowfall
in an area far exceeds the
melting that occurs during
summer, glaciers start to form.
The weight of the accumulated
snow compresses the fallen
snow into ice. These "rivers" of
ice are tremendously heavy, and
if they are on land that has a
downhill slope the whole ice
patch starts to slowly grind its
way downhill. Even when they
are melting and receeding they maintain their downhill movement. These glaciers can vary greatly in size, from a
football-field sized patch to a river a hundred miles long.

Glaciers have had a profound effect on the topography in NYS, other states in the northern U.S and in Canada.
Imagine how a billion-ton ice cube can rearrange the landscape as it slowly grinds its way overland. In this picture
requirements set forth in the you can see the bowl-shaped valley in a glacial valley glacier forces its way through the landscape. Many lakes,
assignment and receives this seal such as the Great Lakes, and valleys have been carved out by ancient glaciers. (Ref:
of excellence in recognition of http://ga.water.usgs.gov/edu/earthglacier.html)
work well done.
Interesting Facts About the Glaciers

• During the last ice age (when glaciers covered more land area than today) the sea level was about 400 feet
lower than it is today. At that time, glaciers covered almost one-third of the land.
• During the last warm spell, 125,000 years ago, the seas were about 18 feet higher than they are today.
About three million years ago the seas could have been up to 165 feet higher.
• Glaciers store about 69% of the world's freshwater, and if all land ice melted the seas would rise about 70
meters (about 230 feet).
•


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Teacher Page - NYS Landforms Page 1 of 2


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Teacher Page
Finger Lakes Overview
Niagara Falls
Howe Caverns
Note: This is one piece of what could be a full year project with each unit. It will be important for the teacher to be
aware of each student’s situation so that alterations can be made for the independent portion if necessary.
Thousand Islands Students will be working in groups, independently and with technology as well as making real world observations
Moraines and Drumlins and practicing real world reporting. Ideally this project could be taken on by schools across the state or country
Glaciers and students could share their local landforms with each other.
Teacher Page
As students progress through a unit on landforms, they will use their observation skills in a real world
Rubrics and Student Forms application and then report their findings. Students will make observations, recall or research the processes that
Google Maps Landform Locations created the landforms, utilize digital photography, GPS technology and create a personal review website.
Students will participate in a field trip to at least 3 local landforms that are discussed in class. At the end of
the unit (following the field trip) each student will be responsible for creating their own website that will include their
authentic photograph of the landform, their observations, formation information, GPS location, and three facts
about the landform that the student found interesting.
Students will work in groups of 3 to photograph, take GPS coordinate readings of their location, map it on a
map (perhaps Google Earth) and make authentic observations.
In addition to the 3 landforms observed on the field trip, each student will be required to independently seek out 1
additional landform and complete all the previously mentioned components. Each student will then share their
information on the landform with the others in their group. It will be the responsibility of each student to verify that
the information that they include on their website is accurate and complete.
If a student is unable to seek out a local landform on their own due to a lack of transportation or family
responsibility, they will be allowed to research and use an available image of a well known landform.
After the websites are completed, the teacher will grade them with the use of a rubric. Badges will be
awarded as follows: 1-the teacher will award a “Teachers Seal of Excellence” to websites that meet and or
surpasses all required elements. 2- Each student will view all classmates’ websites and choose a favorite. The one
This project exceeds the with the most votes will be awarded a “Class Favorite” badge.
requirements set forth in the Additionally, each student will be required to peer review 3 other students work (these may NOT be group
assignment and receives this seal members). Students will use the Peer Review Form.
of excellence in recognition of The goals of this project are to get students out of the classroom to actually see, touch and experience the
work well done. landforms they have learned about and to work on their observation and reporting skills. Students will also benefit
from group work and the sharing of their finding of their individual component.

Prior Knowledge and Standards

As students begin this project, they will need some prior knowledge to successfully complete it. Students
will need to understand that Landforms are the result of Earth processes and time. Students will need to have a
basic knowledge of GPS and what it is used for as well as an understanding of how to make and report
observations.

Students will be exposed to many NYS standards during this project.

Standard 2: Information Systems
Key Idea 1: Information technology is used to retrieve, process, and communicate information as a tool to
enhance learning.

Key Idea 2: Knowledge of the impacts and limitations of information systems is essential to its effective
and ethical use.

Standard 6: Interconnectedness, Common Themes:
Key Idea 1: Systems Thinking: Through systems thinking, people can recognize the commonalities that
exist among all systems and how parts of a system interrelate and combine to perform specific
functions

Key Idea 3: Magnitude and Scale: The grouping of magnitudes of size, time, frequency, and pressures or
other units of measurement into a series of relative order provides a useful way to deal with the immense range
and the changes in scale that affect the behavior and design of systems.

Standard 4, Key Idea 2, Performance Indicators
2.1m Many processes of the rock cycle are consequences of plate dynamics. These include the production
of magma (and subsequent igneous rock formation and contact metamorphism) at both subduction and rifting
regions, regional metamorphism within subduction

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zones, and the creation of major depositional basins through down-warping of the crust.

2.1n Many of Earth’s surface features such as mid-ocean ridges/rifts, trenches/subduction zones/island
arcs, mountain ranges (folded, faulted, and volcanic), hot spots, and the magnetic and age patterns in surface
bedrock are a consequence of forces associated with plate motion and interaction.

2.1p Landforms are the result of the interaction of tectonic forces and the processes of
weathering, erosion, and deposition.
2.1r Climate variations, structure, and characteristics of bedrock influence the development of landscape
features including mountains, plateaus, plains, valleys, ridges,
escarpments, and stream drainage patterns.

2.1t Natural agents of erosion, generally driven by gravity, remove, transport, and
deposit weathered rock particles. Each agent of erosion produces distinctive changes
in the material that it transports and creates characteristic surface features and landscapes. In certain erosional
situations, loss of property, personal injury, and loss of life can be reduced by effective emergency preparedness.

2.1u The natural agents of erosion include:
• Streams (running water): Gradient, discharge, and channel shape influence a stream’s velocity and the erosion
and deposition of sediments. Sediments transported by streams tend to become rounded as a result of abrasion.
Stream features include V-shaped valleys, deltas, flood plains, and meanders. A watershed is the area drained by
a stream and its tributaries.
• Glaciers (moving ice): Glacial erosional processes include the formation of U-shaped valleys, parallel scratches,
and grooves in bedrock. Glacial features include moraines, drumlins, kettle lakes, finger lakes, and outwash
plains.
• Wave Action: Erosion and deposition cause changes in shoreline features, including beaches, sandbars, and
barrier islands. Wave action rounds sediments as a result of abrasion. Waves approaching a shoreline move sand
parallel to the shore within the zone of breaking waves.
• Wind: Erosion of sediments by wind is most common in arid climates and along shorelines. Wind-generated
features include dunes and sand-blasted bedrock.
• Mass Movement: Earth materials move downslope under the influence of gravity.

2.1v Patterns of deposition result from a loss of energy within the transporting system
and are influenced by the size, shape, and density of the transported particles. Sediment
deposits may be sorted or unsorted.

Teacher overview.pdf Benjamin Rosenthal, v.1


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Finger Lakes Landforms Project
Niagara Falls
Howe Caverns
You will be putting your observation and reporting skills to work and creating your own review
website that will help you get to know the wondrous world right outside your door!
Thousand Islands
Moraines and Drumlins As we move through our unit on landforms, we will be continually working towards each of you creating
Glaciers your own website. Your website will include several components that will be useful to you especially when you
Teacher Page begin to review for the final exam.
Rubrics and Student Forms You will be put into groups of 3. when we take our field trip to some local landforms, your group will be required to:
Google Maps Landform Locations a. take a photograph of the landform,
b. take a GPS coordinate reading,
c. pin point the GPS reading on a map that will be put onto each of your websites,
d. make authentic observations and write them into your journals.
*You each will also be adding 3 interesting facts about each landform to your individual sites

After the field trip you each will make your own website using the information that you gathered along with
your independent landform observation and photo. Each of you will be required to individually seek out,
identify, photograph, observe and describe one landform other than the ones found on the field trip.

***Attached is the rubric that explains the project and my expectations. Please see me if you have any questions
or do not fully understand the project or directions.***

of excellence in recognition of Earth Science Reference Tables - 2011.pdf Benjamin Rosenthal, v.1
work well done.
Peer Review Doc.pdf Benjamin Rosenthal, v.1

Project Rubric.pdf Benjamin Rosenthal, v.1

Student Field Trip Sheet.pdf Benjamin Rosenthal, v.1

Student overview.pdf Benjamin Rosenthal, v.1


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The University of the State of New York • THE STATE EDUCATION DEPARTMENT • Albany, New York 12234 • www.nysed.gov

Reference Tables for
Physical Setting/EARTH SCIENCE
Radioactive Decay Data Specific Heats of Common Materials
RADIOACTIVE DISINTEGRATION HALF-LIFE MATERIAL SPECIFIC HEAT
ISOTOPE (years) (Joules/gram • °C)
14 14 3 Liquid water 4.18
Carbon-14 C N 5.7 × 10
Solid water (ice) 2.11
40
40 Ar 9 Water vapor 2.00
Potassium-40 K 40 1.3 × 10
Ca
Dry air 1.01
238 206 9
Uranium-238 U Pb 4.5 × 10 Basalt 0.84
10
Granite 0.79
87 87
Rubidium-87 Rb Sr 4.9 × 10
Iron 0.45
Copper 0.38
Equations Lead 0.13

distance between foci
Eccentricity = Properties of Water
length of major axis
change in field value Heat energy gained during melting . . . . . . . . . . 334 J/g
Gradient =
distance
Heat energy released during freezing . . . . . . . . 334 J/g
change in value Heat energy gained during vaporization . . . . . 2260 J/g
Rate of change =
time
Heat energy released during condensation . . . 2260 J/g
mass
Density = Density at 3.98°C . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1.0 g/mL
volume

Average Chemical Composition
of Earth’s Crust, Hydrosphere, and Troposphere
ELEMENT CRUST HYDROSPHERE TROPOSPHERE
(symbol) Percent by mass Percent by volume Percent by volume Percent by volume
Oxygen (O) 46.10 94.04 33.0 21.0
Silicon (Si) 28.20 0.88
Aluminum (Al) 8.23 0.48
Iron (Fe) 5.63 0.49
Calcium (Ca) 4.15 1.18
Sodium (Na) 2.36 1.11
Magnesium (Mg) 2.33 0.33
Potassium (K) 2.09 1.42
Nitrogen (N) 78.0
Hydrogen (H) 66.0
Other 0.91 0.07 1.0 1.0

2011 EDITION Eurypterus remipes
This edition of the Earth Science Reference Tables should be used in the
classroom beginning in the 2011–12 school year. The first examination for
which these tables will be used is the January 2012 Regents Examination in
New York State Fossil
Physical Setting/Earth Science.

Generalized Landscape Regions of New York State
ds
Interior an
wl
Grenville Province Lowlands e Lo
(Highlands) e nc
awr
S t. L

Interior Lowlands
Adirondack
Mountains Champlain Lowlands

Lake Ontario
Tug Hill
Plateau
ce

Physical Setting/Earth Science Reference Tables — 2011 Edition
in

Erie-Ontario Lowlands
(Plains)
d ov s)

s
an Pr

Lake Erie
hl
ig and

untain
En
(H gl

Allegheny Plateau
Lowlands
ew
N

nic Mo

The Catskills
Mohawk
Taco
o n-

s) nds
nd ighla
a on H
Huds

pl H uds ng
( U n Pro
u hatta
Man
ea
at Key
Pl
Major geographic province boundary

an
lain
al P

hi
st
ds

Landscape region boundary

c
Coa
lan rk

State boundary tic

ala
w
N

lan

p
At
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International boundary

Ap
Miles N
0 10 20 30 40 50
W E
0 20 40 60 80
Kilometers S

2

73°
75° 74° 45°
45°
Generalized Bedrock Geology of New York State

er
MASSENA

iv
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modified from

nc
re
PLATTSBURGH

w
GEOLOGICAL SURVEY

La
t.
NEW YORK STATE MUSEUM

S
76°
1989

AIN
MPL
A
MT. MARCY
VERMONT

CH
44°
44°
WATERTOWN

R iv e r
LAKE
elevation 75 m
OLD FORGE

on
ds
LAKE ONTARIO

Hu
79° 78° 77°
OSWEGO

ROCHESTER UTICA
NIAGARA FALLS

SYRACUSE
43°

ar a River
43°

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wk

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elevation 175 m ALBANY

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JAMESTOWN ELMIRA BINGHAMTON
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SLIDE MT.
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42° KINGSTON
79° 78° 77° 76°
De
Hu ds on

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GEOLOGIC PERIODS AND ERAS IN NEW YORK
CONNECTICUT

75°
CRETACEOUS and PLEISTOCENE (Epoch) weakly consolidated to unconsolidated gravels, sands, and clays NE
LATE TRIASSIC and EARLY JURASSIC conglomerates, red sandstones, red shales, basalt, and diabase (Palisades sill) W UND
JE ND SO
PENNSYLVANIAN and MISSISSIPPIAN conglomerates, sandstones, and shales Dominantly RS SLA
EY N G I 73° 41°
DEVONIAN sedimentary LO 41°
limestones, shales, sandstones, and conglomerates 41° RIVERHEAD 72°
SILURIAN } SILURIAN also contains salt, gypsum, and hematite. origin
NEW YORK D
ORDOVICIAN CITY ISLAN
limestones, shales, sandstones, and dolostones LONG
CAMBRIAN }
CAMBRIAN and EARLY ORDOVICIAN sandstones and dolostones
moderately to intensely metamorphosed east of the Hudson River
} Dominantly
40°30'
73°
ATLANTIC OCEAN

CAMBRIAN and ORDOVICIAN (undifferentiated) quartzites, dolostones, marbles, and schists 74° 73°30'
metamorphosed
intensely metamorphosed; includes portions of the Taconic Sequence and Cortlandt Complex
rocks Miles
TACONIC SEQUENCE sandstones, shales, and slates Miles N
slightly to intensely metamorphosed rocks of CAMBRIAN through MIDDLE ORDOVICIAN ages 10 20 30 40
MIDDLE PROTEROZOIC gneisses, quartzites, and marbles
Lines are generalized structure trends.
} Intensely metamorphosed rocks
0 100 20 30 40 50 50
0 20 40 60
W
80
E

MIDDLE PROTEROZOIC anorthositic rocks } (regional metamorphism about 1,000 m.y.a.) 0 20 40 60 80
Kilometers
Kilometers S

3

Surface Ocean Currents

Physical Setting/Earth Science Reference Tables — 2011 Edition 4

Tectonic Plates

Iceland
Hot Spot

North American Eurasian
Eurasian Plate Plate
Plate h
ge
Aleutian Trenc Yellowstone
Juan de Hot Spot
Rid

Fuca Plate
n tic
la
At

Canary
d-

Islands

P
ab
Mi

San Andreas Hot Spot
Fault

Ar late
ian
Philippine an
African
Plate Hawaii ibbe

e n ch
Plate

a
Mi
t d Hot Spot Cocos Car late
P

Tr ria n a
M Plate

-In
Fiji Plate
Pacific Galapagos South

frican Rif
Plate Hot Spot
Pe American

st A
r

dian Ridge
Plate

Ea
Tr e n c h
To n g a
u-C

Easter Island St. Helena
Indian-Australian Hot Spot Nazca Hot Spot

Plate Plate
hile Tren

idge

an
di
ch

S
In ou Tasman
Mid-Atlantic Ridge

cR

t the Hot Spot
cifi

wes ge as
t Scotia
Pa

uth Rid Ind
So ia n st Plate
Ridg
e Ea
Bouvet
Hot Spot
Antarctic Antarctic
Plate Plate Sandwich
Plate

overriding
Key plate

Transform plate boundary subducting Complex or uncertain Mantle
Relative motion at plate
plate boundary (transform fault) plate boundary hot spot
Divergent plate boundary
(usually broken by transform Convergent plate boundary
faults along mid-ocean ridges) (subduction zone)

NOTE: Not all mantle hot spots, plates, and

5
boundaries are shown.

Rock Cycle in Earth’s Crust Relationship of Transported
Depo
Particle Size to Water Velocity
/or s
and and B ition 100.0
on
cti tation uria Boulders
pa en l
om em 25.6
C C Cobbles
SEDIMENTS 10.0
6.4

PARTICLE DIAMETER (cm)
SEDIMENTARY

n
E r o s i on
1.0 Pebbles

Weathering & Erosio
ROCK
We (U
athe plift)
H

ring
eat and/or Press

& Ero 0.2
M e lt i n g

sio n 0.1
M e ta m or p h

( U p l if t )
r Pressure
t and/o Sand
Hea tamorphism
M e
0.01
n 0.006
lift) rosio
is m

(U p
ure

E IGNEOUS
g& ROCK 0.001 Silt
th e ri n
Wea lting 0.0004
METAMORPHIC Me
Clay

n
ROCK
io
0.0001
atic
di f

1

100

1000
li

10
0.01

0.05
0.1

0.5

500
5

50
Me
l ti n MAGMA So
g
STREAM VELOCITY (cm/s)
This generalized graph shows the water velocity
needed to maintain, but not start, movement. Variations
occur due to differences in particle density and shape.

Scheme for Igneous Rock Identification CRYSTAL
SIZE
TEXTURE

crystalline
Obsidian Non-
Basaltic glass

non-
ENVIRONMENT OF FORMATION

(usually appears black) Glassy vesicular
EXTRUSIVE
(Volcanic)

Pumice Scoria Vesicular
IGNEOUS ROCKS

(gas
Vesicular rhyolite Vesicular Vesicular basalt pockets)
andesite less than
1 mm Fine
Andesite Basalt
Rhyolite
Diabase
larger 10 mm
Dunite
10 mm 1 mm

Peri- Non-
INTRUSIVE

Diorite Coarse
to

Granite
(Plutonic)

Gabbro dotite vesicular

Very
Pegmatite
or

coarse
CHARACTERISTICS

LIGHTER COLOR DARKER

LOWER DENSITY HIGHER
FELSIC COMPOSITION MAFIC
(rich in Si, Al) (rich in Fe, Mg)
100% 100%
Potassium
feldspar
(pink to white)
MINERAL COMPOSITION

75% 75%
Quartz
(relative by volume)

(clear to
white) Plagioclase feldspar
(white to gray)
50% 50%
Pyroxene
(green)
Biotite
(black)
25% Olivine 25%
(green)
Amphibole
(black)

0% 0%


Scheme for Sedimentary Rock Identification
INORGANIC LAND-DERIVED SEDIMENTARY ROCKS
TEXTURE GRAIN SIZE COMPOSITION COMMENTS ROCK NAME MAP SYMBOL

Pebbles, cobbles, Rounded fragments Conglomerate
and/or boulders
embedded in sand, Mostly
silt, and/or clay quartz, Angular fragments Breccia
feldspar, and
Clastic Sand clay minerals;
(0.006 to 0.2 cm) Fine to coarse Sandstone
(fragmental) may contain
fragments of . . . . .
Silt Very fine grain Siltstone . . . .
(0.0004 to 0.006 cm) other rocks . . . . .
. . . .
and minerals
Clay Compact; may split
Shale
(less than 0.0004 cm) easily

CHEMICALLY AND/OR ORGANICALLY FORMED SEDIMENTARY ROCKS
TEXTURE GRAIN SIZE COMPOSITION COMMENTS ROCK NAME MAP SYMBOL

Halite Rock salt
Fine Crystals from
to chemical
Crystalline Gypsum Rock gypsum
coarse precipitates
crystals and evaporites
Dolomite Dolostone

Crystalline or Precipitates of biologic
Calcite origin or cemented shell Limestone
bioclastic Microscopic to fragments
very coarse
Bioclastic Compacted
Carbon plant remains Bituminous coal

Scheme for Metamorphic Rock Identification
GRAIN TYPE OF
TEXTURE SIZE COMPOSITION METAMORPHISM COMMENTS ROCK NAME MAP SYMBOL

Fine Low-grade Slate
metamorphism of shale
FOLIATED

ALIGNMENT

Regional
MINERAL

(Heat and Foliation surfaces shiny
pressure from microscopic mica Phyllite
Fine crystals
to increases)
AMPHIBOLE
MICA

medium
FELDSPAR

Platy mica crystals visible
QUARTZ

GARNET

from metamorphism of clay Schist
or feldspars
PYROXENE
BAND-

Medium High-grade metamorphism;
ING

to mineral types segregated Gneiss
coarse into bands

Carbon Metamorphism of
Fine Regional bituminous coal Anthracite coal

Various Various rocks changed by
Fine Contact heat from nearby Hornfels
minerals (heat)
NONFOLIATED

magma/lava

Metamorphism of
Quartz quartz sandstone Quartzite
Fine
to Regional
coarse Calcite and/or Metamorphism of
or Marble
dolomite limestone or dolostone
contact

Coarse Various Pebbles may be distorted Metaconglomerate
minerals or stretched


GEOLOGIC HISTORY
NY Rock
Record
Eon Era Period Epoch Life on Earth Sediment
Million years ago Bedrock
Million years ago
0 HOLOCENE 0
0.01
PHANERO-

QUATERNARY PLEISTOCENE 1.8 Humans, mastodonts, mammoths
PLIOCENE
ZOIC

NEOGENE 5.3 Large carnivorous mammals
CENOZOIC MIOCENE Abundant grazing mammals
23.0
OLIGOCENE Earliest grasses
33.9
500 PALEOGENE EOCENE Many modern groups of mammals
55.8
PALEOCENE Mass extinction of dinosaurs, ammonoids, and
L 65.5
many land plants
A
T LATE
MESOZOIC
E CRETACEOUS
1000
Earliest flowering plants
M First
PROTEROZOIC

sexually EARLY Diverse bony fishes
I reproducing
D organisms 146
D LATE Earliest birds
L JURASSIC MIDDLE Abundant dinosaurs and ammonoids
E
EARLY
200
P R E C A M B R I A N

E LATE Earliest mammals
A TRIASSIC
Earliest dinosaurs
2000 R MIDDLE
Oceanic oxygen
L begins to enter EARLY Mass extinction of many land and marine
the atmosphere 251
Y PALEOZOIC LATE organisms (including trilobites)
MIDDLE Mammal-like reptiles
PERMIAN
EARLY Abundant reptiles
L Oceanic oxygen 299
A produced by LATE
CARBONIF-

PENNSYLVANIAN Extensive coal-forming forests
T cyanobacteria EARLY
318
EROUS

E combines with LATE Abundant amphibians
iron, forming
M MISSISSIPPIAN Large and numerous scale trees and seed ferns
3000 I iron oxide layers MIDDLE
on ocean floor (vascular plants); earliest reptiles
D EARLY
D 359
ARCHEAN

L Earliest amphibians and plant seeds
E Earliest stromatolites LATE
Extinction of many marine organisms
Oldest microfossils
DEVONIAN MIDDLE Earth’s first forests
Earliest ammonoids and sharks
E EARLY Abundant fish
416
A Evidence of biological LATE Earliest insects
carbon SILURIAN Earliest land plants and animals
R
EARLY Abundant eurypterids
4000 L 444
Y LATE
Oldest known rocks Invertebrates dominant
ORDOVICIAN MIDDLE
Earth’s first coral reefs
EARLY
488
Estimated time of origin LATE
4600
of Earth and solar system Burgess shale fauna (diverse soft-bodied organisms)
MIDDLE
CAMBRIAN Earliest fishes
Extinction of many primitive marine organisms
EARLY Earliest trilobites
542 Great diversity of life-forms with shelly parts

580 Ediacaran fauna (first multicellular, soft-bodied
marine organisms)

Abundant stromatolites
(Index fossils not drawn to scale) 1300

A B C D E F G H I J K L M N

Cryptolithus Valcouroceras Centroceras Eucalyptocrinus Tetragraptus Coelophysis Stylonurus
Elliptocephala Phacops Hexameroceras Manticoceras Ctenocrinus Dicellograptus Eurypterus


OF NEW YORK STATE
Time Distribution of Fossils
(including important fossils of New York) Important Geologic Inferred Positions of
The center of each lettered circle indicates the approximate time of Events in New York Earth’s Landmasses
existence of a specific index fossil (e.g. Fossil A lived at the end
of the Early Cambrian).

O S Advance and retreat of last continental ice

Sands and clays underlying Long Island and 59 million years ago
NAUTILOIDS

Staten Island deposited on margin of Atlantic
DINOSAURS

MAMMALS

BIRDS

Ocean

Dome-like uplift of Adirondack region begins

Initial opening of Atlantic Ocean 119 million years ago
North America and Africa separate
VASCULAR PLANTS

Intrusion of Palisades sill
L
CRINOIDS

Pangaea begins to break up
CORALS

BRACHIOPODS
GASTROPODS
AMMONOIDS

232 million years ago
Alleghenian orogeny caused by
TRILOBITES

collision of North America and
Africa along transform margin,
forming Pangaea
EURYPTERIDS
GRAPTOLITES

R
Q Catskill delta forms
PLACODERM FISH

C F G N X Z
Erosion of Acadian Mountains
Acadian orogeny caused by collision of
I V North America and Avalon and closing
of remaining part of Iapetus Ocean

H M P
E U Y Salt and gypsum deposited in evaporite basins

K Erosion of Taconic Mountains; Queenston delta
forms
B D Taconian orogeny caused by closing
T W of western part of Iapetus Ocean and
collision between North America and
J volcanic island arc

Widespread deposition over most of New York
A along edge of Iapetus Ocean

Rifting and initial opening of Iapetus Ocean

Erosion of Grenville Mountains

Grenville orogeny: metamorphism of
bedrock now exposed in the Adirondacks
and Hudson Highlands

O P Q R S T U V W X Y Z

Mastodont Cooksonia Naples Tree Condor Cystiphyllum Maclurites Eospirifer
Beluga Whale Bothriolepis Lichenaria Pleurodictyum Platyceras Mucrospirifer
Aneurophyton
ADU (2011)


Inferred Properties of Earth’s Interior


Earthquake P-Wave and S-Wave Travel Time
24
23
22
21
20
19
18
S
17
16
TRAVEL TIME (min)

15
14
13
12
11
10
P
9
8
7
6
5
4
3
2
1
0
0 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10
EPICENTER DISTANCE (× 103 km)


Dewpoint (°C)
Dry-Bulb Difference Between Wet-Bulb and Dry-Bulb Temperatures (C°)
Tempera-
ture (°C) 0 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15
– 20 – 20 – 33
–18 –18 – 28
–16 –16 – 24
–14 –14 – 21 – 36
–12 –12 –18 – 28
–10 –10 –14 – 22
–8 –8 –12 –18 – 29
–6 –6 –10 –14 – 22
–4 –4 –7 –12 –17 – 29
–2 –2 –5 –8 –13 – 20
0 0 –3 –6 – 9 –15 – 24
2 2 –1 –3 – 6 –11 –17
4 4 1 –1 – 4 – 7 –11 –19
6 6 4 1 –1 – 4 – 7 –13 – 21
8 8 6 3 1 – 2 – 5 – 9 –14
10 10 8 6 4 1 – 2 – 5 – 9 –14 – 28
12 12 10 8 6 4 1 – 2 – 5 – 9 –16
14 14 12 11 9 6 4 1 – 2 – 5 –10 –17
16 16 14 13 11 9 7 4 1 –1 – 6 –10 –17
18 18 16 15 13 11 9 7 4 2 – 2 – 5 –10 –19
20 20 19 17 15 14 12 10 7 4 2 –2 – 5 –10 –19
22 22 21 19 17 16 14 12 10 8 5 3 –1 – 5 –10 –19
24 24 23 21 20 18 16 14 12 10 8 6 2 –1 – 5 –10 –18
26 26 25 23 22 20 18 17 15 13 11 9 6 3 0 –4 –9
28 28 27 25 24 22 21 19 17 16 14 11 9 7 4 1 –3
30 30 29 27 26 24 23 21 19 18 16 14 12 10 8 5 1

Relative Humidity (%)
Dry-Bulb Difference Between Wet-Bulb and Dry-Bulb Temperatures (C°)
Tempera-
ture (°C) 0 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15
– 20 100 28
–18 100 40
–16 100 48
–14 100 55 11
–12 100 61 23
–10 100 66 33
–8 100 71 41 13
–6 100 73 48 20
–4 100 77 54 32 11
–2 100 79 58 37 20 1
0 100 81 63 45 28 11
2 100 83 67 51 36 20 6
4 100 85 70 56 42 27 14
6 100 86 72 59 46 35 22 10
8 100 87 74 62 51 39 28 17 6
10 100 88 76 65 54 43 33 24 13 4
12 100 88 78 67 57 48 38 28 19 10 2
14 100 89 79 69 60 50 41 33 25 16 8 1
16 100 90 80 71 62 54 45 37 29 21 14 7 1
18 100 91 81 72 64 56 48 40 33 26 19 12 6
20 100 91 82 74 66 58 51 44 36 30 23 17 11 5
22 100 92 83 75 68 60 53 46 40 33 27 21 15 10 4
24 100 92 84 76 69 62 55 49 42 36 30 25 20 14 9 4
26 100 92 85 77 70 64 57 51 45 39 34 28 23 18 13 9
28 100 93 86 78 71 65 59 53 47 42 36 31 26 21 17 12
30 100 93 86 79 72 66 61 55 49 44 39 34 29 25 20 16


Temperature Pressure

1040.0 30.70
110
380
220 30.60
Water boils 100 1036.0
370
200 30.50
90 1032.0
360
180 80 30.40
350 1028.0
160 70 30.30
340
1024.0
140 60 30.20
330
50 1020.0 30.10
120 320
40 1016.0 30.00
100 310
30 One atmosphere 29.90
80 300 1012.0
Room temperature 20
290 29.80
60 1008.0
10
280 29.70
40
Water freezes 0 1004.0
270 29.60
20
–10 1000.0
260 29.50
0
–20
250 996.0 29.40
–20 –30
240 29.30
992.0
–40 –40
230
29.20
–60 –50 988.0
220
29.10
Key to Weather Map Symbols 984.0
29.00
Station Model Station Model Explanation 980.0
28.90

976.0 28.80
28 196
1 972.0 28.70
2 +19/
27 968.0 28.60
.25
28.50

Present Weather Air Masses Fronts Hurricane

cA continental arctic Cold
Drizzle Rain Smog Hail Thunder- Rain cP continental polar
Warm
storms showers cT continental tropical Tornado
Stationary
mT maritime tropical
mP maritime polar Occluded
Snow Sleet Freezing Fog Haze Snow
rain showers


Selected
Properties of
Earth’s
Atmosphere

Planetary Wind and Moisture
Belts in the Troposphere
The drawing on the right shows the
locations of the belts near the time of an
equinox. The locations shift somewhat
with the changing latitude of the Sun’s
vertical ray. In the Northern Hemisphere,
the belts shift northward in the summer
and southward in the winter.
(Not drawn to scale)

Electromagnetic Spectrum

X rays Microwaves

Gamma rays Ultraviolet Infrared Radio waves

Decreasing wavelength Increasing wavelength
Visible light
Violet Blue Green Yellow Orange Red (Not drawn to scale)


Characteristics of Stars
(Name in italics refers to star represented by a .)
(Stages indicate the general sequence of star development.)
1,000,000
Massive
Deneb Betelgeuse Stars
100,000 SUPERGIANTS
Rigel
(Rate at which a star emits energy relative to the Sun)
(Intermediate stage)
Spica
10,000

Polaris GIANTS
1,000 (Intermediate stage)
Aldebaran
100
Luminosity

MA Pollux
IN Sirius
10 (E a
SE
rly QU
s ta E N
ge C Alpha Centauri
) E
1 Sun

0.1

40 Eridani B
0.01
Barnard’s
WHITE DWARFS Star
0.001 (Late stage)
Procyon B Small
Proxima
Centauri Stars
0.0001
30,000 20,000 10,000 8,000 6,000 4,000 3,000 2,000
Surface Temperature (K)
Blue Blue White White Yellow Orange Red
Color

Solar System Data
Celestial Mean Distance Period of Period of Eccentricity Equatorial Mass Density
Object from Sun Revolution Rotation at Equator of Orbit Diameter (Earth = 1) (g/cm3)
(million km) (d=days) (y=years) (km)
SUN — — 27 d — 1,392,000 333,000.00 1.4
MERCURY 57.9 88 d 59 d 0.206 4,879 0.06 5.4
VENUS 108.2 224.7 d 243 d 0.007 12,104 0.82 5.2
EARTH 149.6 365.26 d 23 h 56 min 4 s 0.017 12,756 1.00 5.5
MARS 227.9 687 d 24 h 37 min 23 s 0.093 6,794 0.11 3.9
JUPITER 778.4 11.9 y 9 h 50 min 30 s 0.048 142,984 317.83 1.3
SATURN 1,426.7 29.5 y 10 h 14 min 0.054 120,536 95.16 0.7
URANUS 2,871.0 84.0 y 17 h 14 min 0.047 51,118 14.54 1.3
NEPTUNE 4,498.3 164.8 y 16 h 0.009 49,528 17.15 1.8
EARTH’S 149.6 27.3 d 27.3 d 0.055 3,476 0.01 3.3
MOON (0.386 from Earth)


Properties of Common Minerals

FRACTURE
CLEAVAGE
HARD- COMMON DISTINGUISHING
LUSTER NESS COLORS CHARACTERISTICS USE(S) COMPOSITION* MINERAL NAME
1–2 silver to black streak, pencil lead,
gray greasy feel lubricants
C Graphite
Metallic luster

metallic gray-black streak, cubic cleavage, ore of lead,
2.5 silver density = 7.6 g/cm3 batteries
PbS Galena

black to black streak, ore of iron,
5.5 – 6.5 silver magnetic steel
Fe3O4 Magnetite

brassy green-black streak, ore of
6.5 yellow (fool’s gold) sulfur
FeS2 Pyrite
Either

5.5 – 6.5 metallic silver or ore of iron,
or 1 earthy red
red-brown streak
jewelry
Fe2O3 Hematite

white to ceramics,
1 green
greasy feel
paper
Mg3Si4O10(OH)2 Talc

yellow to
2 amber
white-yellow streak sulfuric acid S Sulfur

white to easily scratched plaster of paris,
2 pink or gray by fingernail drywall
CaSO4•2H2O Selenite gypsum

colorless to flexible in
2 – 2.5 yellow thin sheets
paint, roofing KAl3Si3O10(OH)2 Muscovite mica

colorless to cubic cleavage, food additive,
2.5 white salty taste melts ice
NaCl Halite

black to flexible in construction K(Mg,Fe)3
2.5 – 3 dark brown thin sheets materials Biotite mica
AlSi3O10(OH)2
colorless bubbles with acid, cement,
3 or variable rhombohedral cleavage lime
CaCO3 Calcite
Nonmetallic luster

colorless bubbles with acid building
3.5 or variable when powdered stones
CaMg(CO3)2 Dolomite

colorless or cleaves in hydrofluoric
4 variable 4 directions acid
CaF2 Fluorite

black to cleaves in mineral collections, (Ca,Na) (Mg,Fe,Al) Pyroxene
5–6 dark green 2 directions at 90° jewelry (Si,Al)2O6 (commonly augite)
black to cleaves at mineral collections, CaNa(Mg,Fe)4 (Al,Fe,Ti)3 Amphibole
5.5 dark green 56° and 124° jewelry (commonly hornblende)
Si6O22(O,OH)2
white to cleaves in ceramics, Potassium feldspar
6 pink 2 directions at 90° glass
KAlSi3O8
(commonly orthoclase)
white to cleaves in 2 directions, ceramics,
6 gray striations visible glass
(Na,Ca)AlSi3O8 Plagioclase feldspar

green to commonly light green furnace bricks,
6.5 gray or brown and granular jewelry
(Fe,Mg)2SiO4 Olivine

colorless or glassy luster, may form glass, jewelry,
7 variable hexagonal crystals electronics
SiO2 Quartz

dark red often seen as red glassy grains jewelry (NYS gem),
6.5 – 7.5 to green in NYS metamorphic rocks abrasives
Fe3Al2Si3O12 Garnet

*Chemical symbols: Al = aluminum Cl = chlorine H = hydrogen Na = sodium S = sulfur
C = carbon F = fluorine K = potassium O = oxygen Si = silicon
Ca = calcium Fe = iron Mg = magnesium Pb = lead Ti = titanium

= dominant form of breakage


Earth Science Peer Review Worksheet

Attention Earth Scientists! Use this form to review your peers’ work. (Hint: This can be used to
review websites, wikis, papers, or any type of project!) Remember to be positive and fair. Here
are your tasks:
1. Insert your name, your peer’s name, and the title of the project.
2. Carefully review your fellow student’s efforts.
3. Tell your peer what you like. Example: “I like the way you referred to your picture
and created an easy link to the picture for reference.”
4. Suggest some ways to make your peer’s work better. Example: “It was nice that
you put the title of each landform at the top. I think they would be easier to see if
the titles were larger.”
Name of reviewer: _____________________________

Name of person whose work is being reviewed: ____________________________

Title of the project: __________________________________________________

Here are some things I like: ______________________________________________________

_____________________________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________________________

Here are some things I think you could improve upon: ________________________________

_____________________________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________________________

On a scale of 1-10, I think your website is a . (Use the guidance provided below to help
you decide. Feel free to select numbers between those suggested.)

Suggested guidance:
“10” Your website is interesting and attractive and I would find it to be a useful tool from
which to study.
“5” Your website has a few significant errors but still contains good information that I
consider useful.
“1” Your website needs a lot of work to make it useful as a study tool.

Landform Unit Project Rubric
This is an interesting unit where we will learn about many of the landforms you see around you on an everyday
basis. This will be especially fun because you will be in charge of finding, recording, and describing certain
landforms and creating a website to display them. This website will be yours to use for study and review. You
will spend some of your time working in groups. As always, your ability to effectively work with your team
members is important to your learning. If you do your share, you will learn more and others will too! You are
also expected to visit the websites of your classmates to review the work they have done. Not only will you
learn from their efforts, but they will learn from you. You will be able to tell them what is good and what needs
improvement. The information contained in this rubric describes how you will be assessed for this unit. Read
carefully and good luck!
Assessed Task
Attend NYS Landform Field Trip or accomplishes authorized replacement task and works diligently toward project Student is present and Student is present but is Student is present, but Student is present Student not
completion actively engages tasks occassionally distracted is often distracted but distracts present and does
from tasks from tasks others from tasks not accomplish
replacement task
Document one landform (solo work); must include the following: Documentation of Documentation of Documentation of Documentation of Little or no
Name of the landform type landform is complete, landform lacks one or landform lacks several landform lacks documentation of
Authentic photograph of the landform
accurate, well two important details; important details; many important landform
Authentic observation of the landform
GPS coordinates plotted on a map of their location during observation presented, and presentation style is presentation of details;
Information about the landform such as how it was created (what processes), its size, its importance to the area/ organized good information is fair presentation is
landscape etc. distracting or poor

Create a website that communicates important information about landforms. This site must: Website is attractive, Website lacks one or Website lacks several Website lacks a Website not
Be Visually Attractive Be accurate, and contains two pieces of important pieces of logical flow, is accomplished
Scientifically Accurate Contain all
all required information information or contains information or has missing significant
required information (from #6 above) for three landforms (one solo, two additional from team members)
minor distractions significant distractions information and is
poorly designed

Work effectively in Group Context: Share Workload is shared and Workload is mostly Workload partially Workload uneven No effort made
workload with two group members Visit a minimum accomplished in a shared but some shared but team due to team toward team
of three peer websites and complete Peer Review Document *Team members will be
healthy team evidence of resistance dynamics distracted dynamics accomplishment
assessed based on their individual efforts toward group effort
environment to team effort from task
accomplishment

Timeliness: Accomplish All tasks accomplished Not Applicable Not Applicable Not Applicable Some or all tasks
all tasks no later than assignment due date and submitted no later not submitted on
than due date time

Landforms Field Trip

Items to bring:

_____ Camera (1 per group) _____ GPS Unit (1 per group)

_____ Pen/Pencil _____ Journal

Reminders:
You will be visiting landforms and will be outdoors. Please bring
appropriate clothing for the day’s weather forecast. ex) sunglasses,
raincoat, sweater
We will be walking around a bit so wear sneakers or boots.
We will be off of school property, but school rules still apply-
BE COURTEOUS AND CAREFUL!

Directions:
At each landform that we visit:
YOUR GROUP will:
Take a photo of the landform
Take a GPS reading of your location
YOU will:
Write your authentic (your own) observations in your journals.
Don’t forget to be on the lookout for those 3 interesting facts, some of them
could come from your observations.

OBSERVATIONS:
Be sure to take notice of what the landform looks like as well as the area
around it. It may be wise to be watching the landscape on the bus ride to
each landform. Write a lot about what you see, you will have your picture,
but nothing is like seeing a landform in real life.

Google Maps Landform Locations - NYS Landforms Page 1 of 1


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Finger Lakes
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assignment and receives this seal Map data ©2012 Google -
work well done.


https://sites.google.com/site/nyslandforms/google-earth?previewAsViewer=1 7/8/2012

NYS Landforms

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