Office hours next Monday: I'll be around from 2-4 if you have questions.
Reading: 13.3-13.5.
Next week Tuesday: the second "learning opportunity" in class.
Slides from the second half of class are on the Moodle page.
First-year students...keep in mind that you could use a page (or more) of the visual journal for your sophomore writing portfolio.
Week 8
Reading: Chapter 14 (first half: glaciers; second half: coast processes). Sections: 11.1-11.3, 8.5-8.9, and 8.11-8.13. Also, all of Chapter 9.
Your last journal assignment is due next Tuesday. There are two options.
For next week's lab: Weather permitting, we'll have our exciting lab-based learning opportunity. To study, review old labs and the local stratigraphy, and think about where we've seen particular rocks relative to Northfield. You will be completing this exam by yourself but the write-up will be quite similar to those you normally complete in lab.
Week 7
Reading: Chapter 7 (sedimentary rocks) and Chapter 16 (streams). Upcoming readings (if you want to get ahead): Chapter 8 (deformation and metamorphism) and Chapter 9 (geologic time).
FIELD TRIP: Meet Sunday morning (May 19th) in the classroom at 7:45 am. Bring a water bottle, good shoes, some warmer layers of clothing including a raincoat (and rainpants if you have them(. The forecast looks a bit grim. We provide breakfast before we depart and lunch in the field. We will be back by 6 pm.
Journal assignment: Summarize our Sunday field trip. REVISED: See new assignment.
Week 6
There is combined Intro and Paleobiology class on Thursday. Be nice to your peers and learn from them, too.
Your TAs are leading lab this week. Be nice to them, too.
Your sixth visual journal assignment about rivers is due next Tuesday. I put your graded visual journals in a box in our classroom so you can pick them on Thursday this week.
Textbook: You should have already read Chapter 7 on sedimentary rocks.
Office hours: My office hours are canceled for this coming Friday.
Week 5
Your next visual journal assignment about geology-in-your-hometown-news (or the alternative option) is due on Tuesday.
Have a good mid-term break.
Week 4
Textbook: Chapter 3 is now a good thing to read. Chapter 10 has more details than we have discussed in class but could also be helpful, especially 10.1-10.4.
Your next visual journal assignment about plate tectonics is due next Tuesday.
We will have a learning opportunity, what you might call an "exam," next week in class on Thursday. Igneous rocks and minerals will show up that day. I expect that people will need to review and practice identifying rocks and minerals. The TAs have lots of office hours.
Week 3
Check out the sections of the textbook about volcanoes. Highlights include sections: 6.1-6.4, 6.6-6.11. You can also look at Chapter 12 (including 12.1-12.3, 12.5-12.12, and 12.15).
Your next visual journal assignment about earthquakes is due next week on Tuesday.
Keep up the good work for Geology-in-the-News.
Week 2
Read Chapters 4 (minerals), 5 (rocks), and 6 (volcanoes).
Do the second visual journal assignment for next Tuesday.
Also for Tuesday, finish up the half-sheet about igneous minerals and rocks.
Week 1
We may be going outside in lab this week. Wear warm clothes and shoes that can get wet.
Read the following sections from the textbook this week: 1.1-1.4 and 2.1-2.9. PLEASE NOTE: If you have the 2nd or 1st editions of the book, you will mostly be okay as far as the actual content. However, the actual numbers may vary between editions. It is your job to make sure you are reading the correct material. Here is a link to the table of contents for the third edition.
Please bring your textbook to class everyday.
Buy a ruler (the red see-through kind is the best) and have it handy in your school bag. It's useful to measure things sometimes...
Complete your first visual journal assignment for next Tuesday.
Here are links to the Geo-in-the-news lineup for Tuesday and Thursday.
Visual Journal
Eighth assignment: Option 1: Find a geologic map of your home state or country. Then, describe the basic rock types and their ages. (Try lumping areas of the state with similar rock types/ages rather than discussing each and every unit.) Then, use the rock lithologies to speculate on how the rocks may have formed and use their ages to speculate on the timing. Do the basic evaluation by yourself first, before using the internet to add details. Feel free to print out a color map of the state (as opposed to drawing it yourself). Option 2: Make a map and identify the rocks in the rock garden next to the building.
Seventh assignment: Based on the elevations where we've seen local rocks and their approximate thicknesses, try to make a geologic map of Northfield. Consider the topography (and geologic controls on the topography) as you make this map. Here is a good website for making your own topographic map. Be sure to include text that explains your major decisions.
Sixth assignment: River systems. Pick a river system near your hometown or within your homestate. (Be sure that the river has data on the USGS website - see below.) Make a topographic map of that system, describe the patterns of tributaries to the river, places where you think potential future sedimentary rocks could be forming, and what types of rocks they could become (think about grain size, etc.). Then spend some time poking around on this USGS website and learn something about the river - you could use current and historical flood data, current streamflow data, etc. on your chosen river. Your textbook may be helpful for understanding the USGS site.
Fifth assignment: There are two options this week: (1) Geo-in-the-news: hometown. Look for articles from a local paper (either town, or state) about a local geologic story (or two) from the last week. Explain the story, the impacts for your hometown/state, and the geology-behind-the-news. Don't forget that images help with the retelling of the story. Or (2) Geology jobs. Attend the talk on Friday afternoon from 3:30-4:30 about careers in Geology. Write up a summary of the various speakers career paths with a summary of what their current jobs are like.
Fourth assignment: Plate tectonics. Draw an imaginary plate system that includes a mid-ocean ridge and a subduction zone - a two-dimensional diagram is fine. Add details and labels for major topographic features; also show where earthquakes and volcanoes are expected in the diagram. Your text should do two things: (1) Explain how mid-ocean ridges work, including a discussion of how to make new crust, seafloor stripes, the types of rocks that form, and the different kinds of data that help us know about these systems. (2) Explain what happens at subduction zones, including why melting occurs and why stratovolcanoes are formed in these systems. Let me reiterate: Make all of your own diagrams by drawing - the act of drawing often helps you understand better. Imagine the audience is some relative of yours who knows little geology. You shouldn't need to cite other sources apart from your textbook.
Third assignment: Earthquakes. I want you to find about earthquake hazards near your hometown by exploring this USGS website. Do many (or few) earthquakes happen near you? On what kinds of faults? How deep are the hypocenters? Any famous earthquakes? etc. Then, find out about earthquakes near your dream city. Similar to last week, compare the earthquake hazard of your hometown with this other city. For each place of interest, be sure to show a location map that includes earthquake information. If relevant, you could also mention whether either place is at risk for tsunamis. Your textbook may also be a useful resource (especially for mid-continent folks).
Second assignment: Volcanoes. Compare two different kinds of volcanoes. One should be the volcano nearest the place you said you wanted to live in five years. (Or the nearest volcano that you can find good information about.) The other should be a different kind of volcano, anywhere on Earth. Your comparison should include text and images (photos, cartoons, sketches). For this assignment, hand-drawn images are often more informative than ones just printed from Google image. Location maps may be useful. Don't forget to ask a question that ties all the pieces together. Remember to cite your sources (internet or textbook).
First assignment: Topography. Use the terrain feature in Google Maps to make topographic maps of two places: (1) the area around your hometown and (2) an area where you think (or hope? dream?) you might be living in 5 years (as long as this is different than your hometown). Also choose an interesting spot on either of the maps to make a topographic profile - either by hand or by using Google Earth (the computers in the geology lab all have Google Earth installed on them). Then add text blurbs around the maps that describe the kinds of things you can see in the topography, such as the steepness of slopes, hills, valleys, ridges, the range of elevation, etc. Remember to ask and answer a question in the process of this assignment.
