South West Dig

SW Dig Center: . . . . Sun, Jul 28, 8:29AM PST (-0800 GMT)
Today you are going to see how Ancient Southwest ruins are being studied using state-of-the-art rendering software. We have computer graphic works by two people to study – one is John Kanter who is an ANTHROPOLOGIST, and the other is DENNIS HOLLOWAY who is an ARCHITECT. Both men are interested in helping us learn what life was like in the Ancient Southwest and their 3D and virtual reality images are excellent examples of what technology literacy can bring to life to share with others !! Here is a great example – watch how Pueblo Bonito was built, mysteriously un-built, and then rebuilt – kivas, storage rooms and living areas … click on this to see it in ANIMATED action button !!

SW Dig Center: . . . . Sun, Jul 28, 8:29AM PST (-0800 GMT)
Let’s BEGIN OUR DIG by exploring an ancient KIVA and learn about its features… and discover the mysteries it has revealed …….…

SW Dig Center: . . . . Sun, Jul 28, 8:30AM PST (-0800 GMT)
First, let’s visit several three dimensional images of the kiva and buildings at Chetro Ketl in Chaco Canyon. Click on this button to see where Chaco Canyon is and then find it on a larger United States map in your classroom. Once you understand where in the world this KIVA is, click on this button to view the pueblo of Chetro Ketl and see its great KIVA in the lower center of the picture button …….. And next, view an amazing interior rendering of the KIVA button You can click on different parts of this picture to see more detail and closer images about the room. Each time you have clicked on the image and then want to go back to the main picture, you will need to use your BACK button on your browser to return to the main picture. Then zoom-in on another area. (TEACHERS - If you know you have a Quicktime and audio plug in on your computer you can see even more about this KIVA by clicking here button .)

SW Dig Center: . . . . Sun, Jul 28, 8:30AM PST (-0800 GMT)
>>> Dig Question #1 – name two or more objects you can identify in the Chetro Kettle Kiva that had a ceremonial art or musical purpose. button …………..

SW Dig Center: . . . . Sun, Jul 28, 8:30AM PST (-0800 GMT)
Now, let’s look at the floor plan of the kiva button >>> Dig questions #2 – what shape is the kiva ? What has been found in the KIVA ? After many years of excavation, secret compartments were discovered in the walls of the kiva and you can click on this button to see what they found hidden in the walls. What did they find in the niches and where do you think it came from ?

SW Dig Center: . . . . Sun, Jul 28, 8:31AM PST (-0800 GMT)
>>> Dig Question #3 - When was Chetro Ketl Built ? How many rooms did it have ? How tall was it ? button …………….

SW Dig Center: . . . . Sun, Jul 28, 8:31AM PST (-0800 GMT)
Here is what the ruins look like today …. As photographed by a teacher from Granite School in Utah button And this teacher also visited Casa Rinconada – the LARGEST KIVA in Chaco Canyon with unique features that you can see here at this button

SW Dig Center: . . . . Sun, Jul 28, 8:31AM PST (-0800 GMT)
>>> Dig Question #4 – How wide across was Casa Rinconada ? button

SW Dig Center: . . . . Sun, Jul 28, 8:31AM PST (-0800 GMT)
North of Chaco Canyon there is another Great KIVA – this one is know known as Aztec Ruins. Click on this button to find the answer to the following questions : >>> Dig question #5 – What do you notice about WHERE the KIVA is positioned in the town ? Is it mixed in with other buildings ? or is it surrounded by something that sets it off from the rest of the buildings ? button

SW Dig Center: . . . . Sun, Jul 28, 8:32AM PST (-0800 GMT)
>>> Dig question #6 – looking at the map on the same link, what important Anasazi site is north of Aztec and which is south ? button

SW Dig Center: . . . . Sun, Jul 28, 8:32AM PST (-0800 GMT)
Next, let’s look at a 3D rendering of the Aztec kiva to see how it was built button ….. it can be seen as the large circular building in the lower image ………… now, let’s step inside to see a rendering of the interior of the building …. button .

SW Dig Center: . . . . Sun, Jul 28, 8:32AM PST (-0800 GMT)
>>> Dig Question #7 – What can you see would have been the building technique used to hold up the roof of the kiva ? The roof was strong enough for people to walk on it …… button

SW Dig Center: . . . . Sun, Jul 28, 8:33AM PST (-0800 GMT)
>>> Dig Question #8 - How wide across is this KIVA ? What do you see in the walls around the KIVA ? button

SW Dig Center: . . . . Sun, Jul 28, 8:33AM PST (-0800 GMT)
Since the Aztec site has been rebuilt, we can also enjoy photographs of a KIVA that has been reconstructed and is now a National Historic Monument. button …. And you can see what the outside of this great KIVA looks like today at the National Parks web site at this button ….. TEACHERS – note that the Monument offer teachers resources at this button .

SW Dig Center: . . . . Sun, Jul 28, 8:33AM PST (-0800 GMT)
In closing, this is what a KIVA looks like from the outside when reconstructed ….. and when you step inside this reconstructed KIVA at Aztec you can see the dark mysterious interior as it looks today …… …… can you imagine the people gathered around in a circle on the bench along the wall ? seated in groups on the floor by clan group ? can you hear the drum beat ? smell the air scented with juniper or sage incense ? image the storytelling or the dancing ? and see the stars up in Father Sky passing overhead through the hole in the ceiling where the ladder would have provided the entry and exit for this room tucked into the embrace of Mother Earth ? ……. Thanks for joining us on the GREAT KIVA INTERNET DIG !!!!

Mrs. Nunes: . . . . Sun, Jul 28, 2:32PM PST (-0800 GMT)
#1 foot drums, rock art and flute

Mrs. Nunes: . . . . Sun, Jul 28, 2:40PM PST (-0800 GMT)
#2 The Kiva is round in shape. A necklace of shell and stone beads and three pieces of turquoise were found in one of the niches. It is likely they traded for these items since not many seashells can be found in the four corners area.

Mrs. Nunes: . . . . Sun, Jul 28, 2:43PM PST (-0800 GMT)
#3 Chetro Ketl was built between A.D. 1010 and A.D. 1109. It was four stories tall and had 337 rooms.

Mr. Sandoval Garfield Elementary: . . . . Tue, Jul 30, 3:17PM PST (-0800 GMT)
EXPLORING THE ANCIENT SOUTHWEST… We are exploring the Ancient Southwest. There are many facts we do not know about the Ancient Southwest like that it was connected by a single continent called Pangaea.

Mr. Sandoval Garfield Elementary: . . . . Tue, Jul 30, 3:18PM PST (-0800 GMT)
Dig #1 What caused the Sierra Nevada and the Rocky Mountains to form and the Colorado Plateau of the four corners to be lifted a mile high in the sky? button

Mr. Sandoval Garfield Elementary: . . . . Tue, Jul 30, 3:18PM PST (-0800 GMT)
Dig #2 During the Ice Age, what was the size of lions and horses compared with those today? button

Mr. Sandoval Garfield Elementary: . . . . Tue, Jul 30, 3:19PM PST (-0800 GMT)
Dig #3 What became of the Ancient People of the Southwest? button

GJones@Nightingale: . . . . Wed, Jul 31, 8:27AM PST (-0800 GMT)
1. What is a volcano? Volcanic eruptions are some of the most violent, spectacular, and awe-inspiring manifestations of nature. Some volcanoes erupt only once, but others erupt repeatedly. Volcanoes have not only destroyed but have also created many thousands of square miles of land surface, both as oceanic islands and on some continents. button Not only are volcanic lands extensive but also commonly are very fertile, especially in the tropics.

GJones@Nightingale: . . . . Wed, Jul 31, 8:28AM PST (-0800 GMT)
2. What/where is the Ring of Fire? Tectonic plate boundaries are likely places from volcanoes to form. The Ring of Fire contains nearly 75 percent of the world’s active volcanoes on land. The Pacific Ocean has so many volcanoes that these boundaries together are called the Ring of Fire. Volcanoes of the world button

GJones@Nightingale: . . . . Wed, Jul 31, 8:30AM PST (-0800 GMT)
3. What was so special about the eruption of Mt. Pele? What happened? button Trivia – There are more active volcano in Indonesia than anywhere else on Earth, 130! Perhaps the most dangerous volcano in called Merapi, or “Mountain of Fire” on the island of Java. Since 1548, Merapi has erupted violently 68 times. In 1998, it became active again, and people began to evacuate. -When the island of Krakatau, in Indonesia, exploded in 1883, it caused a shockwave that sped around the world seven times. The volcano ejected about 18 km¬ of volcanic material into the air. As a result of the explosion, the volcano collapsed and the island lost 21 km¡ of land. After the eruption, all that was left was a caldera lying as deep as 275 m below the ocean. All volcanoes, whether explosive or non-explosive, have deep underground magma (liquid molten rock) chambers. The magma rises through holes in the Earth’s crust called vents. Once the magma flows onto the Earth’s surface, it is called lava. Magma that erupts as fragments of molten material that solidify in the air is called pyroclastic material. Pyroclastic material includes magma and fragments of rock that are blasted into the air during a violent volcanic eruption. A vent or group of vents combined with the buildup of lava or pyroclastic material on the Earth’s surface is a volcano.

GJones@Nightingale: . . . . Wed, Jul 31, 8:32AM PST (-0800 GMT)
4. What are the different types of volcanoes? Types of volcanoes: button There are four types of volcanoes. Shield volcanoes are built out of layers of lava from repeated nonexplosive eruptions. Cinder cone volcanoes are small volcanic cones made entirely of pyroclastic material from moderately explosive eruptions. Composite volcanoes are one of the most common, formed by explosive eruptions of pyroclastic material followed by quieter outpouring of lava. They are a combination of layers from both types of eruptions. Lava domes are formed by masses of lava too thick to flow a great distance lava piles over and around the vent.

GJones@Nightingale: . . . . Wed, Jul 31, 8:33AM PST (-0800 GMT)
New crust is continually being pushed away from divergent boundaries (where sea-floor spreading occurs), increasing Earth's surface but the Earth isn't getting any bigger. 5. What happens, then, to keep the Earth the same size? button Convergent boundaries and the forming volcanoes.

GJones@Nightingale: . . . . Wed, Jul 31, 8:34AM PST (-0800 GMT)
6. How do volcanologists monitor volcanic disturbances? Volcano-Monitoring Techniques button

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