NEW PERIODIC TABLES FOR TEACHING OF PHYSICAL GEOLOGY, MINERALOGY, ECONOMIC MINERALOGY, DISTRIBUTION OF THE ELEMENTS IN MINERALS, ECONOMIC GEOLOGY, DISTRIBUTION OF THE ELEMENTS, GEOCHEMISTRY, ENVIRONMENTAL GEOCHEMISTRY, AND COSMOCHEMISTRY

Periodic tables of the elements are powerful learning tools for students. A periodic table for earth scientists was developed by Railsback (2003). This presentation is on a series of tables that have been developed for teaching geology students from introductory non-major freshmen to upper level majors. The periodic tables have a typical form with color coding that shows the elements chemical affinities and other attributes. All the manmade elements after plutonium are omitted from the periodic tables. The periodic tables can be projected in classrooms during lectures, used on students PCs, and printed in sizes from 8 by 11 inches to poster size (44 by 120 inches). Surrounding the periodic tables are descriptions, tables, and figures that enhance teaching and learning. Examples are tables of lithophile, siderophile, and chalcophile elements; data on the role of elements in human health, hazardous elements, and radioactive elements; and economic flow diagrams for metals.

Each table has an expanded listing of Goldschmidt distribution of the elements (Hollabaugh, 2010). For physical geology the periodic table has tables on the most abundant elements in the earth, crust, and in humans. Additionally, there is a section on how elements combine to form common minerals. The mineralogy periodic table includes a list of lithophile, siderophile, and chalcophile minerals and common ionic radius and charge of the elements. A periodic table on crystal chemistry includes diagrams that explain tetrahedral, octahedral and cubic coordination and a list of controls on the distribution of elements in minerals. The periodic table for environmental geochemistry includes the role of elements in human health, toxic threats to humans, radioactive elements, and toxic manmade substances. The economic geology periodic table using USGS data lists US and world data on mining and value of the elements in modern society. Additionally, flow diagrams of metal production, recycling, and consumption are provided. The geochemistry periodic table includes plots of the hydrosphere and cosmophile elements. The cosmochemistry periodic table includes information on the composition of the inner planets and plot of cosmophile elements. The final periodic table has information on the mineralogy and geochemistry of the radioactive elements.