This page contains links used in the labs for SES 123.
This lab, done the first week of the semester, uses the NOAA Reanalysis site to examine spatial and seasonal variations in temperature. The instructions are available as a PDF from the link below.
A number of labs in SES123 involve exploration of a interesting place, called Painted Canyon, discovered on another planet. The first Painted Canyon lab is our first venture into the materials that occur in this place, starting with minerals and igneous rocks. The home page for Painted Canyon has 3D perspectives, panoramas, and other images of Painted Canyon. Start by examining these images to familiarize yourself with this interesting place, which you will explore for four labs.
Painted Canyon has an interesting assortment of earth materials (minerals and rocks). To understand the history of Painted Canyon, you first need to observe and identify the earth materials in the area. For this week, we focus on minerals and igneous rocks. The instructions for this lab are on a PDF you access by clicking on the link below. We recommend that you open this PDF in a new tab (right click), so that the current page will still be accessible.
Minerals and igenous rocks were collected near the bottom of the canyon and in the upper layers of the canyon. You do not need to actually do anything with these locations, at this time, but you will later. The numbers of the samples and chapters on the Painted Canyon website are from the GLG103 lab. We use the same sample numbers in this lab, but do not do the same chapters in the same order, so we'll selectively use materials from the Painted Canyon website.
The second Painted Canyon lab is about its sedimentary and metamorphic rocks. Start by examining the various images of Painted Canyon (from the Painted Canyon Home Page), focusing on the lower two-thirds of the canyon.
Painted Canyon has diverse sedimentary and metamorphic rocks. To learn how to observe, identify, and interpret these kinds of rocks, follow the steps in the instructions PDF accessed by the link below. We recommend that you open this PDF in a new tab (right click), so that the current page will still be accessible.
As part of this week's lab, you use the Sedimentary Environments and Their Deposits website (the link below)
Samples of sedimentary and metamorphic rocks were collected in lower parts of the canyon.
The third Painted Canyon lab is about reconstructing the geologic history of Painted Canyon and also reconstructing the sequence of events on a small area of Europa, an icy moon of Jupiter. Parts of this exercise are done using figures in the instructions sheet and associated worksheets, and others use websites associated with Painted Canyon.
When directed to the Principle of Relative Dating page by the instruction sheet, go to the following link:
When asked to reconstruct the history of Painted Canyon by the instruction sheet, go to the following link, which has very important images for observing the relative ages between important geologic features.:
You will need to revisit the locations of samples you described and identified in the two previous Painted Canyon labs. Those links are repeated below.
In part 3, you observe part of Europa. That image, in versions with and without letters, is available in the link below (but is also on the instruction sheet).
The fourth lab involves topographic and geologic maps. Parts of this exercise are done using figures in the instructions sheet and associated worksheets, and others use websites associated with Painted Canyon.
The instructions areat the link below (Open it in a new tab).
You will need to examine the 3D persepctives of the sample locations of rocks you described and identified in two previous Painted Canyon labs. Those links are repeated below. In this case, you need to actually plot the locations of the samples on the topographic map of Painted Canyon (on the worksheet).
The links below are to movies that illustrate what a topographic profile shows.
This one simply plays, but a bit too fast, so pause it and drag the progress bar.
This one is a QuickTime VR movie, so requires QuickTime 7; you click and drag vertically to cut into the terrain; if you don't have QT7 or the movie doesn't work, skip it.
This lab involves a field trip to Tempe Butte (also called Hayden Butte or A-Mountain). The instructions are at the link below, but the worksheet you'll need is on Blackboard.
In this lab, you will explore four important computer programs widely used by scientists and others. The instructions, worksheet, and necessary files are in a folder accessed from the link below.
This lab introduces you to a geographic information system (GIS), which is widely used by geoscientists and planetary scientists. In this lab, you will use various types of data within the GIS system to plan a path for one of the Martian rovers in Gale Crater. The instructions are at the link below, but the worksheet you'll need is on Blackboard.