EarthViewer

This interactive module allows students to explore the science of Earth's deep history, from its formation 4.5 billion years ago to modern times.

EarthViewer dynamically shows how continents grow and shift as students scroll through billions of years. Additional layers let students explore changes in atmospheric composition, temperature, biodiversity, day length, and solar luminosity over geologic time.

Students can access the online version using Google Chrome (version 8 or newer) or Firefox (version 4 or newer). Alternatively, students can download the accompanying ZIP files to use EarthViewer without an Internet connection, with improved performance.

The accompanying worksheets guide students’ exploration. The “Student Worksheet - Mass Extinctions” document focuses on the five mass extinctions that have occurred throughout Earth’s history. The “Student Worksheet - Climate” document focuses on how temperatures have changed over time.

The “EarthViewer Data Files” ZIP file contains the data files used to create the graphs in EarthViewer. Students can use these files to practice working with data and making their own plots. The ZIP file also contains a “Summary” PDF that includes instructions and references for the data files.

The “Resource Google Folder” link directs to a Google Drive folder of resource documents in the Google Docs format. Not all downloadable documents for the resource may be available in this format. The Google Drive folder is set as “View Only”; to save a copy of a document in this folder to your Google Drive, open that document, then select File → “Make a copy.” These documents can be copied, modified, and distributed online following the Terms of Use listed in the “Details” section below, including crediting BioInteractive.