Educational Media Reviews Online

This film follows a group of students from a Native American preparatory school in Rowe, New Mexico, as they participate in two geological field experiments. The first experiment takes place in the Rio Grand Valley. Dr. Larry Crumpler, of the Museum of Natural History and science in New Mexico, leads the students in a series of experiments. The students examine gas vesicles in the cross sections of a three-million-year-old lava flow. Crumpler gives a detailed explanation of the importance of the gas vesicles, along with an explanation of how to perform the experiment. However, it is difficult to follow along because sound quality during the filming of the experiment was poor.

The second experiment takes place at a road cut in Las Vegas, New Mexico, with the students’ teacher, Susan Abbott. Using geometric tools and formulas students measure and map cross sections of the road cut. They also test the rocks for identification purposes. The second half of the experiment takes place in the classroom, with students using the data they collected to make inferences about the history of the rocks. The experiment is well organized, and easy to understand.

The majority of the film is shot outdoors, in the field. The footage is interesting, because you can actually see the gas vesicles in the lava flow during the first experiment, and in the second, you can see the various sections of the road cut. Although it is interesting, it does not significantly add to the educational value and quality of this film. The quality of the audio is poor, making it difficult to hear the instructors and follow the scientific concepts they are attempting to explain.