Iowa's Geology Diversity

This phenomena demonstrates Iowa's geologic diversity across the state.

• What does Iowa’s surface look like?  

• Why doesn't all of Iowa look the same? 
• What might have caused these differences? 
• What does it look like where we live?
• How were Iowa's features formed?

Students could:

• Use one or more of the lessons from Geology Land and Sky Storyline
• Make predictions of what Iowa landscape looks like before watching video.  Compare different ideas and confirm with video. 
• Use as anchoring phenomena to discuss why the landscape looks different across Iowa.
• Plan and carry out investigations as to how glaciers could have changed Iowa’s land.
• Use a model to study the scale of geologic time.
• Develop an emerging model that represents the current surface of the Earth, beyond those of Iowa.
• Develop an emerging model that represents the processes currently impacting Iowa’s surface.
• Assign student groups different Iowa landforms and share out Iowa's geologic history. 
• Generate a list of landforms in the local area.

• PBS LearningMedia | Iowa Land and Sky: Geology Storyline:  This complete unit contains objectives, phenomena, and instruction all linked back to the Iowa Core.  
• State of Iowa | Landform Regions of Iowa: Simple explanations and map of how the glacier shaped Iowa’s landscape.
• Iowa DNR | Iowa's Geology: Provided by the Iowa DNR, this site contains a description and map of the state of Iowa's bedrock geology.