Geology 121:
Geology and the Environment
Instructor: David M. Dobson
Office: Frank 215C
E-mail: ddobson
Phone: 316-2278 (office) 286-0337 (home -- no calls after 10 p.m.)
Office Hours: Mon-Fri 10-11, or make an appointment or
just drop by
Course Objective: This course has two main goals. First, students should leave the course with a fundamental understanding of the Earth. All parts of the planet will be explored -- solid, liquid, and gaseous, and surface and interior. Likewise, forces that have shaped the planet and guided its development will be presented and discussed. Second, students will develop an understanding of how the geological world affects humanity, and of how human population, technology and industry change the planet.
A Note on "Stuff" – Unlike chemistry and physics, which explore fundamental components and processes on an often theoretical level, or biology which is concerned with living organisms, geology concentrates on the real and the inanimate. In simple terms, geology covers both the history and the current state of stuff. In designing the lecture schedule (other side of this page), I have attempted to describe what kinds of stuff we will discuss in each lecture.
Text: Understanding Earth, 3rd edition, Press and Siever, (c) 2001, W.H. Freeman and Company, 573 pp. Other readings may be assigned as needed.
Labs: Attendance at one laboratory session per week is mandatory. Laboratories provide a vital hands-on learning experience; many include short field trips to local sites of geological interest.
Field Trip: There will be a class field trip on Saturday November 17. It will last all day (8 a.m. to 6 p.m.) More details will be given in class.
Exams: There will be two hour exams and one final exam in this course. The final exam will cover all topics covered but will emphasize the final four weeks of the course.
Attendance: Exams are based far more on lectures and discussions than on reading. The lectures cover the things I think are most important, and want you to learn. If you miss more than five lectures, you will be asked to drop the class. Attendance is REQUIRED at ALL lab sessions AND on the field trip.
Grading: Grades in this course will be determined as follows. Grading will be on a straight scale with a supporting curve. For example, a student who scores 85% of the total available points is guaranteed a B. However, if that student is in the top 15% of the class, she will get an A- or A instead.
Basis for grade calculation
| ITEM | WEIGHT |
| First exam | 15% |
| Second exam | 15% |
| Final exam | 20% |
| Lab exercises | 35% |
| Field trip report | 5% |
| Class participation | 10% |
Grade ranges and minimum grade distributions:
| GRADE | % RANGE | MINIMUM % OF CLASS |
| A | 90-100 | 15 |
| B | 80-89 | 35 |
| C | 70-79 | 35 |
| D | 60-69 | 10 |
| F | below 60 | -- |
Extra Credit Quizzes: There may occasionally be quizzes on subjects from lectures or reading taken in the first 5 minutes of class. Good performance on these quizzes will improve your final grade.
GEOLOGY 121 SCHEDULE - FALL 2001 |
||||||
| Week | Date | Topic | Type of Stuff | Chapters to Read | Laboratory | |
| 1 | 8/28 | Introduction to Geology and Geologic Time | (All stuff and its history) | 1, 9* |
(NO LAB) |
|
| 8/30 | Origin of the solar system and the Earth | (When stuff began) | 1 | |||
| 2 | 9/4 | Elements and Minerals | (What stuff is) | 2 | 1 | FIELD LAB: Topographic maps |
| 9/6 | Rocks and the Rock Cycle | (What happens to stuff) | 3 | |||
| 3 | 9/11 | Igneous Rocks: Magma and Plutons | (Molten stuff) | 4 | 2 | Minerals and Igneous Rocks |
| 9/13 | Igneous Rocks: Extruded and Erupted Rocks | (Molten stuff you can see) | 4 | |||
| 4 | 9/18 | Volcanos | (Airborne molten stuff) | 5 | 3 | Sedimentary and Metamorphic rocks |
| 9/20 | Erosion, Weathering, and Sediments | (Little bits of stuff) | 6, 7 | |||
| 5 | 9/25 | Sedimentary Rocks: Terrigenous | (Bits of continental stuff) | 7 | 4 | FIELD LAB: Rocks in the Field (Philips Velvet plant in Jamestown) |
| 9/27 | FIRST HOUR EXAM | (Graded stuff) | ||||
| 6 | 10/2 | Sedimentary Rocks: Marine | (Bits of wet stuff) | 7, 17* | 5 | FIELD LAB: Geologic interpretations (Buffalo Creek) |
| 10/4 | Dating Methods: Relative and Absolute | (Ages of Stuff) | 9 | |||
| 7 | 10/9 | Metamorphic Rocks: Temperature and Pressure | (Baked stuff) | 8 | 6 | FIELD LAB: Horsepen Creek |
| 10/11 | Metamorphic Rocks: Facies and Minerals | (Recipes for baked stuff) | 8 | |||
| 8 | 10/16 | Plate Tectonics: Evidence and Wegener's Woes | (Big mobile chunks of stuff) | 20 | 7 | Horsepen Creek Data Analysis |
| 10/18 | Plate Tectonics: Plate Boundaries and Motion | (More big stuff) | 20 | |||
| 9 | 10/23 | Fall Break | (No stuff) | (NO LAB -- Fall Break) | ||
| 10/25 | Fall Break | (No stuff) | ||||
| 10 | 10/30 | Structural Geology: Faults and Folds | (Warped and twisted stuff) | 10 | 8 | Structural Geology |
| 11/1 | Earthquakes: Tremors and Tribulations | (Shaking stuff) | 18, 19 | |||
| 11 | 11/6 | SECOND HOUR EXAM (Dave at GSA) | (More graded stuff) | 9 | Mineral Resources | |
| 11/8 | Guest Lecture: Mineral and Natural Resources and Exploitation | (Valuable stuff) | 22, 23 | |||
| 12 | 11/13 | Fuels: Fossil and Alternative | (Energized stuff) | 22, 23 | 10 | FIELD
TRIP - Hanging Rock
No Lab - Field Trip on Sat.11/17 |
| 11/15 | Soils: Types, Profiles, and Locations | (Dirty stuff) | 11 | |||
| 13 | 11/20 | The Hydrologic Cycle: Clouds, Rain, Rivers, and Oceans | (Wet stuff) | 12, 13 | 11 | Geologic Maps |
| 11/22 | Thanksgiving | (Turkey stuffing) | ||||
| 14 | 11/27 | Climate and Weather: Atmospheric and Oceanic Circulation | (Stormy stuff) | 14, 17 | 12 | Pollution and Politics Simulation |
| 11/29 | Coastal Processes, Development and Consequences | (Seaside stuff) | 17 | |||
| 15 | 12/4 | Pollution, Contamination, and Radioactivity | (Yucky stuff) | 23, 24 | 13 | Waste Management and Recycling |
| 12/6 | Ozone Loss: Facts, Futures, and Dangers | (Mutated stuff) | 23, 24 | |||
| 16 | 12/11 | Ice Ages and Global Warming: Facts, Futures, and Dangers | (Thermal stuff) | 15, 24 | 14 | Remote Sensing |
| 12/13 | Humanity and the Earth: Concluding Thoughts | (Deep stuff) | ||||
| 12/18 | FINAL EXAM (8:30-11:00 a.m.) | (Final stuff) | *only some parts | |||
Click Here for Study Guide for Test 1
Click Here for Sample Test 1 from 1997
Click Here for Answer Key for Sample Test 1 from 1997
Click Here for Silicate Slides
Click Here for Sedimentology/Stratigraphy Slides
Click Here for Metamorphic Rock Slides
Click Here for Soils lab handout text
|
Horsepen Creek Lab Data |
| Data from 1998 is missing |
Click Here for Study Guide for Test 2
Click Here for Sample Test 2 from 1997
Click Here for Answer Key for Sample Test 2 from 1997
Click Here for Geologic History lab handout text
Click Here for Appalachian Orogenies Slides
Click Here for Study Guide for Final
Note: Final will also cover material on Tests 1 and 2
Click Here for Ice Ages Slides
Click Here for Global Warming Slides*
(*warning - in some browsers, the little animation in the back has to finish before you can go to the next slide)
Click Here for Final Exam from 1997
Click Here for Answer Key for Final Exam from 1997
Students who have missed one of the labs that requires in-class work (e.g. the simulation labs) may make up for their absence by completing a short research paper on a topic of their choosing within geology or environmental science topics. The paper must be typed, 4-5 pages double spaced, and include at least five references (not including encyclopedia articles).
Only one lab may be made up - students who miss more than one lab will get no credit for those labs.
Students who have missed a lab and do not complete make-up papers will receive zero points for the lab in question. No papers will be accepted after the final lecture on December 7.