Please note that the content on this website may not be up-to-date. The Wat on Earth newsletter is no longer publishing new issues, and this site exists as an archive only. For more recent information, visit the Earth Sciences Museum website.
Kelly Snyder and Peter Russell
Gypsum, hydrated calcium sulphate, Ca SO4.2H2O is a common mineral formed mainly by the evaporation of sea water. Known from antiquity, its name comes from the Arabic jips, for "plaster," then to the Greek gypsos, for chalk.
Gypsum can be found as thick layers in shale and as attractive crystals.
Jean Farquharson
What do the following activities have in common?
Dirk Schmid, M.Sc.
Ryerson Polytechnic University, Toronto
Finding a well-designed internet website with interesting and useful information on the earth sciences can be a frustrating exercise. Many existing websites offer content of little use to children, parents and teachers, or they are poorly organized, or they don't work properly. Websites focusing on Canadian content are few and difficult to find.
Some people have streets named after them. Some, parks. Some, towns. Some, mountains.
University of Saskatchewan Geology Prof. William Sarjeant found out quite by accident the other week he has been immortalized in a very special place -- at the bottom of the Atlantic Ocean. And he couldn't be more thrilled.
by Gary Nyp "Reprinted with permission from the University of Waterloo Magazine, Fall 2000."
Until recently, Walkerton was a tranquil southwestern Ontario town, a friendly, vibrant tourism hotbed known for its quaint shops, nature trails, and canoe trips along a serpentine Saugeen River abundant with trout, bass, and salmon.
P.E. Childs
Reprinted from Chemistry in Action, Volume 40, Summer 1993.
Most of us are familiar with the phrase "taking it with a dose of salts," but not everyone knows what it means. It goes back to the practice of taking Epsom salts as a cure for constipation.
The medicinal value of the the spring waters at Epsom, Surrey was discovered in the rein of Elizabeth I (1558-1603) and the Epsom Spa grew in fame over the next half-century. Local tradition recounts the discovery of the spa in this way:
Estimated values in $US Billions (1998 data).
One billion dollars worth of mined diamonds translates into $7 billion dollars of value-added benefits.
As you are aware, the Ministry of Education has suggested that, commencing in 2002, a new Science course (Earth and Space Science) be offered as a pre-university, Grade 12 contribution. You are also probably aware that a portion of the "new" course was previously offered in as a "physical section" in Geography and Social Sciences. The Ministry - in its wisdom - decided two years ago that this should be discontinued because there were only about 500 students taking this course.
Joe Umanetz, enrichment teacher for the Bruce-Grey Catholic School Board and Peter Russell presented a one hour workshop titled "Geology for Beginners." to over 30 participants at this year's Science Teacher's Association of Ontario meeting at the Regal Constellation Hotel in early November. The focus was on local geology. Joe pointed out 10 basic concepts to be understood they are The Rock Cycle, Living on a Layercake, The Earth Moves, Up and Down Upheaval and Subduction, Sideways Tectonics, Sedimentation Coral Reefs, Glaciation, Weathering of Rocks and Minerals and Bedrock vs Gravel.
After studying Earth Sciences for three years at the University of Waterloo, I am finding that creating and understanding maps is a very important skill. Detailed maps can be used to show many features of interest to an Earth scientist, including the shape of the landscape; topography, geology, hydrology, locations and nature of terrestrial environments. Maps display massive amounts of information at once. The challenge is that it is impossible to display all the information about the landscape on a single map sheet because it would become too difficult to read.