Day 3: Coal & Plate Motion Map Activity

Lesson Plan - Coal & Plate Motion Map Activity

Developed by 2008-2009 TESSE Graduate Fellows from Penn State University (http://sites.psu.edu/drlauraguertin/)

Objectives

Students will:

  1. Review the prime environmental conditions for the formation of coal.
  2. Use paleomaps to examine plate motions from the Silurian to the Late Cretaceous and identify the main coal-forming period in Pennsylvania. (located in separate document)
  3. Use paleomaps to explain the distribution of coal in other regions of the United States.

Materials

  • U.S. Coal reserves map (two examples provided)
  • Color copies of 5 Scotese paleomaps (Silurian, Devonian, Early Carboniferous, Late Carboniferous, and Late Cretaceous)
  • Western Interior Seaway map
  • Late Cretaceous Climate map
  • Photos of U.S. swamps and illustrations of PA swamps 300 Ma
  • World coal map for assessment exercise

List of Resources

AttachmentSize
Microsoft Office document icon Coal and Plate Motion Map Activity and Discussion - Lesson Plan10.79 MB
Office presentation icon Presentation for Coal and Plate Motion Activity3.66 MB
Image icon View a paleomap of the Devonian118.01 KB
Image icon View a paleomap of the Early Carboniferous125.14 KB
Image icon View a paleomap of the Late Carboniferous124.71 KB
Image icon View a paleomap of the Late Cretaceous119.92 KB
Image icon View a paleomap of the Silurian126.91 KB
Microsoft Office document icon Compiled Paleomaps with Descriptions2.63 MB
Image icon View a Late Cretaceous Climate Map83.15 KB
Image icon View map of U.S. Coal Reserves85.04 KB
PDF icon View a second map of U.S. Coal Reserves6.46 MB
Image icon View map of the Western Interior Seaway46.48 KB
Image icon View map of World Coal Reserves278.88 KB