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[Winds, Fronts, and Cyclones] Where two air masses meet, a front is formed. In the animation below, click on the “Topics” menu and select the “Frontal Lifting” segment to learn about the process of frontal lifting. What type of front is shown in the animation? Hint: Does the temperature at the Earth’s surface get warmer or colder? Click here to open the animation in a new window.  

[Volcanic Hazards] In the animation below, watch the Introduction. Then click on Topics, and select Partial Melting. You will see what a rock looks like through a microscope. The individual crystals are different materials. Set the green bar on the left to 800°F (just above low temperature). Then, click the Migrate Magma button. Use the information you gather to answer the next five questions. Lava Composition What is the composition of the melt that has been mobilized?

[Plate Tectonics] This image shows an oceanic basin. The mid-ocean ridge is on the right and the continental margin is on the left. Which term best describes the continental margin shown here?  

 [Minerals] When a magma cools, minerals crystallize in a predictable manner. We call this Bowen’s reaction series. You can read about this topic in your text if it is new to you. Place each of the minerals in its correct location within the template provided.

[From Big Bang to Blue Marble] Which statement best explains why heat flows from a hot object to a cold object?

[Plate Tectonics] Ultimately, plate motion is something that rarely affects our everyday lives. However, the process is continuous and relentless, building mountains and occasionally reminding us of its presence by causing earthquakes. So, what does it mean for the future? We know that along the San Andreas fault, the Pacific Plate (upon which Los Angeles sits) is moving north at a rate of 5 cm/year compared to the North American Plate (upon which San Francisco sits). At this rate, how long will it be until Los Angeles is a suburb of San Francisco? San Francisco is 550 km north of Los Angeles.

[Tornadoes, Thunderstorms & Hurricanes] A lightning strike is a sequence of several events that occur in quick succession. Place the following lightning-generating events in order.

[From Big Bang to Blue Marble] Which statement best explains why igneous, sedimentary, and metamorphic rocks are considered distinct categories?

[Tornadoes, Thunderstorms & Hurricanes] Over the week you watch the storm build into a Category 5 storm before weakening to a Category 3 as it comes ashore. Where on the shoreline would the storm surge be the strongest?

[Plate Tectonics] Based on the direction of plate motion you just determined in the previous question;  where would you expect the next large eruption to occur?