Fluent Essays

Background Information Zion National Park is famous for its large geologic structures that contain a glimpse into the Earth’s history. The large structure of Navajo sandstone displays the cross sections of deposited material that was once flowing sand dunes. The limestone and siltstone formations contain fossils dating back millions of years. Due to the most recent interesting geologic and topographic structures, Zion national park has been used as a location for refuge and farming by native populations such as the Anasazi and Paiute.  Modern day Italy has been built on the remains of many various volcanoes, some more or less active than othe0rs. These volcanoes have formed from the subduction of the African plate underneath the Eurasian plate, an event that has been slowly occurring for several million years. Cities in ancient history have been destroyed by the eruption of these volcanoes. Yet, to this day some of the most famous wines in the world are produced on the slopes of extinct or hibernating volcanoes, as the soil itself is perfect for growing grapes.  There are many places in the world that, due to the important features of their geology, have resulted in affecting our modern lives for better or worse. The underlying rock features that exist to this day formed at some point in history through various forces that are discussed throughout the course of class. We spend plenty of time talking about the rocks themselves, but a bit less so on the modern-day impact that these changes that occurred millions of years ago have on our everyday life.  Focus In this writing assignment, you are tasked with discussing a geologic feature or set of geologic features that we see have important use in the modern world. This could be about protected parks, or it could be about the development of an industry. Discuss the formation of the geologic structure(s) and the modern effect(s) we see from its existence.  Goals Students will be expected to research a topic on their own and gather facts and data from whatever sources they come across. Students will also be expected to write technically, avoiding ‘fluff’ and emotion in their writing. BRAINSTORMING ON RELEVANT CONCEPTS (due Oct 8) Below are some concepts questions that should be addressed in the article itself. To respond to these questions, please do some preliminary research and identify at least 3 relevant articles and provide them at the end of the worksheet . The citations do not need to be in any format just yet; just provide that you have the evidence. This will be the evidence and sources you use in your final paper. Do not limit yourself to the size of the provided box; it will expand as you type. Questions to Consider Student Feedback 1) When and in what environment did your geologic structure begin to form? Is it a single formation event we are interested in, or is there several planes of material that have an effect that we are interested in? Where is it in the world? When was it discovered? 2) How did that structure form? What were the processes and over how much time did it take for that structure to develop? If it is metamorphic, what rock was it before? If it is sedimentary, what material was deposited and from where was that original material from? If it’s igneous, what were the formation processes that resulted in magma/lava finding its way there and why is it now at or clos to the surface? 3) What do we use this area for? What historical impacts has this area had on human history? What is it used for to this day? What effect does this structure have on the local economy? Tourism, industry, research? Preliminary Worksheet for Developing Your Ideas Use the spaces below to build your paper in bullet or note form. Treat it like an outline. Provide the points you want to make and potential sources that you will be using, just as if you would when writing out the entirety of a paper. By the end you should have a perfect outline to a rough draft that you can form complete sentences around. Content/Questions Student Feedback Introduction · Introduce the structure. Brief background info (location, time, etc.) · Write one sentence on its modern effects or use. Body paragraph # 1 · Discuss the location itself, when it formed, why it formed, how it formed Body paragraph # 2 · Discuss historical impact of the region and what impact it may have had on prehistory or ancient history, if at all · OR if formation is interesting and long, more formation could be discussed here and historical impacts could be pushed to p#3 Body paragraph # 3 · Discuss modern effects of structure, what it is used for to this day, or what modern industry benefits. Conclusion · Write one sentence summarizing your entire paper. · Extrapolate information from structure to other implications for other structures around the world.