Kira Lawrence, Lafayette College, SERC On The Cutting Edge Collection
This activity introduces students to stratigraphic correlation and the dating of geologic materials, using coastal sediment cores that preserve a record of past hurricane activity.
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Activity should be preceded by a lesson on hurricane activity and references to papers discussing climate and its potential impacts on hurricane activity.
Mock data is used for cores but real data is referenced in the handout, and provides more concrete examples. The lab should include the link to the referenced data and other studies of sedimentary records of intense hurricane landfalls.
Great introduction to using stratigraphic data to answer a real-life research question.
Well-designed activity that engages students with an applied hook (research question from insurance company).
Students are tasked with assessing the past frequency and intensity of hurricane activity in the region from which the cores were derived, with respect to future hurricane activity, from an insurance point of view.
Project involves group work and allows for decision making that may contribute to students feeling more connected to the activity.
Activity will engage different learning types since students are asked to read and interpret graphs, draw hypothesis and make financial decisions.
No answer key provided for instructor.
Student handout provided with thought questions and three mock cores
