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Home > For Libraries > Learning & Technology > Ed. Video Library > Geology Videos

Geology Videos

After the Ice Age: What Happened to the Mammoths?

15 min.; K-8; Geology, Maine Studies; Produced by: Maine Public Television (1997)

Thousands of years ago as the great glaciers began to recede, giant animals such as the woolly mammoth and mastodon roamed the area now known as Maine . Then, they were suddenly extinct. Was it because of a changing climate, or was it the appearance of man that did them in? Theories are many, but there are few clues. One clue that does exist, however, is a woolly mammoth tusk that was accidentally found in 1959 in Scarborough . Perhaps some pieces of the puzzle can be found within the core of this ancient ivory. Adapted from the award winning QUEST series, an added animated segment briefly explains the last glacial period in Maine .

Discovering Maine 's Mineral Resources

50 min.; 7-12; Geology, Maine Studies; Produced by: Maine Geological Survey

Profiles the types of mineral resources found in Maine .

Essential Science for Teachers: Earth and Space Science

8 programs - 60 min. each ; Teachers (K-6) ; Geology, Science, Space, Teacher Education ; Produced by: Harvard-Smithsonian Ctr for Astrophysics (2004); Annenberg/ CPB Channel

Earth and Space Science consists of eight one-hour video programs that provide in-class activities and homework explorations. Real-world examples, demonstrations, animations, still graphics, and interviews with scientists compose content segments that are intertwined with in-depth interviews with children that uncover their ideas about the topic at hand. Each program also features an elementary school teacher and his or her students exploring the topic using exemplary science curricula.

  • Earth's Solid Membrane: SoilSession 1. Earth's Solid Membrane: Soil - How does soil appear on a newly born, barren volcanic island? In this session, participants explore how soil is formed, its role in certain Earth processes, its composition and structure, and its place in the structure of the Earth.
  • Session 2. Every Rock Tells A Story - How can we use rocks to understand events in the Earth's past? In this session, participants explore the processes that form sedimentary rocks, learn how fossils are preserved, and are introduced to the theory of plate tectonics.
  • Session 3. Journey to the Earth's Interior - How do we know what the interior of the Earth is like if we've never been there? In this session, participants examine the internal structure of the Earth and learn how it is possible for entire continents to move across its surface.
  • Session 4. The Engine That Drives the Earth - What drives the movement of tectonic plates? In this session, participants learn how plates interact at plate margins, how volcanoes work, and the story of Hawaii 's formation.
  • Session 5. When Continents Collide - How is it possible that marine fossils are found on Mount Everest , the world's highest continental mountain? In this session, participants learn what happens when continents collide and how this process shapes the surface of the Earth.
  • Session 6. Restless Landscapes - If almost all mountains are formed the same way, why do they look so different? In this session, participants learn about the forces continually at work on the surface of the Earth that sculpt the ever-changing landscape.
  • Session 7. Our Nearest Neighbor: The Moon - Why is the Moon, our nearest neighbor in the solar system, so different from the Earth? In this session, participants explore the complex connections between the Earth and Moon, the origin of the Moon, and the roles played by gravity and collisions in the Earth-Moon system.
  • Session 8. Order out of Chaos: Our Solar System - Why do all the planets orbit the Sun in the same direction and why are the planets closest to the Sun so different from the gas giants farther out? In this session, participants gain a better understanding of the nature of the solar system by examining its formation.

Ice Age in Maine

30 min.; 7-12; Environment, Geology, Maine Studies; Produced by: Maine Geological Survey (1992)

Documents the ice age in Maine and shows the various geological formations left behind by the glaciers.

In Search of the Missing Iapetus Ocean

45 min.; 7-12; Environment, Geology, Maine Studies; Produced by: Maine Geological Survey (1993)

Discusses the geology of Maine and New England and shows the various geological formations such as mountains and ancient oceans.

Maine 's Water Resources

20 min.; 7-12; Environment, Geology, Maine Studies; Produced by: Maine Geological Survey (1992)

Life, as we know it, started out in the seas many millions of years ago. Although the original seas are vastly different than today's oceans, the basic ingredient was still the same - water. Here in Maine , we have been blessed with a rich abundance of clean, pure water sources. That is changing. How much it changes, and how long our supplies of clean water last is up to each of us, and depends on choices we make each day in our routine living habits.

Miracle Planet

6 programs - 60 min. each; 7-12; Geology, Science; Distributed by: Bull HN Information Systems, Inc. (1993)

The Miracle Planet explores the formation of the Earth and how it came to be "the jewel of the Universe." Viewers are taken to geological formations all over the world and shown, through visual simulation and photography, how continents are formed, how meteorites shaped our environment, and what the past can teach us about the future. Narrated by TV journalist Bill Kurtis.

  1. The Third Planet
  2. The Heat Within
  3. Life from the Sea
  4. Patterns in the Air
  5. Riddles of Sand and Ice
  6. The Home Planet

Piecing Together Maine's Coastal Geologic Puzzle

38 min.; 7-12; Environment, Geology, Maine Studies; Produced by: Maine Geological Survey (1994)

Hosted by Lou McNally and narrated by Maine teachers, the program shows how dramatic geologic forces shaped the coast of Maine and how the forces of the ocean continue to alter it today. Visit sandy and rocky beaches of the past and present and experience research cruises in the Gulf of Maine as scientists endeavor to piece together the complex and dynamic geologic history of the Maine coast.

Views of the Earth

20 min.; 7-12; Geology; Produced by: Chevron USA (1992)

This program, on the creation and formation of the Earth, will stimulate awareness of the Earth through the concepts of continental drift, magnetic fields, carbon dating, plate tectonics and more. It also shows some of the scientists who have contributed to our understanding of the Earth.