Marine Geologist
A WebQuest for Careers in Earth Science: Marine Geologist
Introduction
Think about all of the places that are dark. What do you know about them? Like the dark
side of the Moon before the Apollo missions in the 1970s, you know very little about
them. The same is true of the ocean bottoms. Below 20 m, there is little or no light to help
us observe what is there. Until the invention of the submarine, nothing was known of the
ocean bottom. It was presumed to be flat. So imagine our surprise when ridges of
mountains, volcanoes, and other features were discovered when wartime, anti-submarine
sonar was aimed at the seafloor instead. Who are the pioneers that are ferreting out the
secrets of the seafloor today? They are called marine geologists.
Task
Your task in this WebQuest is to explore the role of a marine geologist. You will find out
what they do, how they do their work, and some interesting discoveries they have made.
Process
Use the following questions to guide your progress. Be sure to record your answers.
1. What does a marine geologist study?
2. What is seafloor spreading?
3. How was seafloor spreading determined?
4. How is marine geology related to natural disasters?
5. Where are the hot spots of marine geology today?
6. What are some other areas of interest to marine geologists?
Flyer
For this WebQuest you will prepare a handout flyer explaining the career of a marine
geologist. The flyer might be used by a job recruiter, a guidance counselor, or a college
department chairman to provide to a prospective applicant. You may use a photo or
illustration to highlight one aspect of the career. You will provide the pertinent
information about what a marine geologist does, where and how they do that job, and
some of the requirements for attaining that position.
Resources
The National Oceanographic and Atmospheric Administration and the United States
Geological Survey both host vast Web sites with information about marine geology.
Many other scientific or news sites also contain facts about this topic. Be sure to verify
any information you collect.
Evaluation
Read this rubric to learn how you will be scored on this news report.
Criteria
Task
Process
Flyer
Total Score
0
The task
was not
completed.
The process
was not
followed or
used.
The flyer was
not done, or
not well done
and is largely
incomplete.
5
Some
effort was
made, but
major ideas
are
missing.
The
process
was
followed,
but not all
information
was
obtained.
The flyer
included
most of the
required
elements,
but was
poorly
organized.
Points
10
The task was
completed, but
some
information
was incorrect.
15
The task was
completed
with great
attention to
detail.
The process
was followed,
but some
answers were
incorrect.
It was clear
that the
information
gathered was
complete and
informative.
The flyer was
missing one or
two required
elements, but
was well
planned; or
had all the
required
elements, but
was poorly
organized.
The flyer
included all
the required
elements and
was well
organized.