THE EVEREST SUMMIT: TEACHING THE BIG IDEAS OF THE ROCK CYCLE

When it comes to discussions of the rock cycle, teachers are charged with presenting a phenomenon that students cannot actively observe. In this situation clear examples and straightforward explanations of relevant evidence play a critical role in building student understanding. Towards the end of Basin and Range, John McPhee’s 1981 work of popular geology, the author considers exactly these circumstances when he considers a drastic edit. “If by some fiat I had to restrict all this writing to one sentence, this is the one I would choose: The summit of Mt. Everest is marine limestone.” By citing a bottom-of-the-sea to top-of –the-world transformation, McPhee achieves with his readers what every earth science teacher hopes to achieve with their students: the creation of a flash insight that leads inevitably to the question of “How is that possible?”

This session will explore the usefulness of the Mount Everest example as well as other lower altitude examples in discussing the movement of plates, volcanism, and the force and pace of erosion with elementary, middle, and high school earth science classes.