GEOLOGY 101:  PRINCIPLES OF GEOLOGY

SPRING 2008

Earth Revealed

LECTURE: 5:00 PM - 6:15 PM, Monday-Wednesday, Deloach Hall 114.

INSTRUCTOR: Dr. David E. Blake, Rm 221 Deloach Hall, (910) 962-3387 (Main Office: (910) 962-3490; Fax:  (919) 962-7077);EMAIL: blaked@uncw.edu; http://people.uncw.edu/blaked/index.html

OFFICE HOURS: Monday 4:00 – 5:00 PM, Tuesday 11:00 AM – 1:00 PM, Wednesday 10:00 AM – 5:00 PM; Additional hours always open by appointment

LECTURE TEXTBOOK: Exploring Geology, by Reynolds, Johnson, Kelly, Morin and Carter, 2008, McGraw-Hill, Boston, MA, 575 p.  You are expected to read your textbook assignments prior to the tentative dates on the syllabus.  You should adjust your reading schedule as the syllabus and course material evolve through the semester.  Additional readings may be assigned during the semester on pertinent topics in current periodicals, the newspaper, or the worldwide web.  Your textbook publisher maintains an interactive website of world-wide web educational opportunities and activities at http://www.mhhe.com/reynolds. They allow you to cover a variety of geologic and earth science concepts, manipulate live data sets, perform interactive exercises, review concepts, and quiz yourselves.

For earth science and geological terms that are new and strange, try the Glossary of Geology by Bates and Jackson (Reference: QE5 .B38 1987). If you want to find something in the geologic literature the computer data base GEOREF is the best. Search the Randall Library under Inside UNCW on its web page. Then search electronic resources by subject and choose Earth Sciences. The reference librarian in the Randall Library will help you get started with this if you wish to use it. U.S. government publications on geology can be found in the Government Documents section of the Randall Library which is a repository for such items. In that collection you will find a complete set of the topographic maps for North Carolina and South Carolina plus partial collections for the surrounding states. The library also has extensive collections of the U.S. Geological Survey publications including Circulars, Bulletins, Professional Papers, and Geologic Maps. Geology books in the Randall Library are found primarily in the QE section of the stacks. Books related to the technical and applied nature of geology are found in the TN section and those related to geography in the GB section. Of course, for general information, various search engines can assist in your discovery process.

LABORATORY TEXT: GLY 101 labs will meet in Deloach 109.  The GLY 101 laboratory manual is Laboratory Manual in Physical Geology, 7th Edition, by the American Geological Institute and the National Association of Geoscience Teachers, Richard M. Busch, editor. There is the general syllabus for the laboratory. Individual TAs will supply lab syllabi for each lab section.

ATTENDENCE: Attendance of lecture is extremely important in order to function well in this course.  It is my assignment to highlight the nuances of Physical Geology.  Absence from the lecture may hinder useful insights needed toward successful completion of the lecture exams.  Attendance of the laboratory is MANDATORY!!

LECTURE OBJECTIVES: Physical Geology in an introductory course that deals with planet Earth.  The lecture is intended to provide the student with a survey of the physical processes and resultant features involved in Earth's formation and continuing evolution. Earth will be discussed as a dynamic machine that has experienced continual change throughout geologic time.  Much of this change is due to the interaction between Earth's interior heat energy, which creates the Plate Tectonic Cycle, and the Sun's exterior heat energy, which drives the Hydrologic Cycle. Results of this interaction include Earth’s physical processes, its Rock Cycle, and the geomorphologic features of the planet, which are the highlights of this course.  Topics to be discussed are described in the tentative syllabus below.  The laboratory is intended to provide hands-on, practical experience in understanding Earth materials, architectures, and landforms created by the interaction of these major energy sources.

GRADING:   Course letter grades are assigned on an A-F scale. The +/- system will be used in reporting final grades.  There are four lecture exams that will be given during the semester.  The first three exams will take place during the lecture hour. The fourth will be given during the first hour of the final exam period. NO make-up exams will be offered during the semester.  However, one of the first three exams may be replaced by an optional comprehensive make-up exam offered during the second hour of the final exam period. The final exam is scheduled for Friday, May 2, 2008, from 7:00 PM – 10:00 PM.

For each exam, you are responsible for material discussed in lecture supplemented by reading material in the textbook.  Don't forget to review the chapter summaries, important terms, and review questions at the end of each chapter’s topical two-page spread.  Pop quizzes will be given.  Scores on the four exams will be equally weighted and will determine 75% of the final course grade. Your laboratory instructor will discuss the laboratory objectives and grading scheme during the first week of laboratory classes.  Their grade is provided to me and combined with your lecture grade.  The remaining 25% of your final course grade will come from your laboratory results.

ACADEMIC HONOR CODE

UNCW is committed to the proposition that the pursuit of truth requires the presence of honesty among all faculty, staff, and students involved. It is therefore this institution's stated policy that no form of dishonesty among its faculty or students will be tolerated. Although all members of the University community are encouraged to report occurrences of dishonesty, each individual is principally responsible for their own honesty.

UNCW practices a zero-tolerance policy for violence and harassment of any kind.  For emergencies contact UNCW CARE at 962-2273, Campus Police at 962-3184, or Wilmington Police at 911.  For University or community resources visit: http://uncw.edu/wrc/crisis.htm.

TENTATIVE LECTURE SCHEDULE

A tentative course schedule is provided below.  Due to the scope of material required for the course, I reserve the right to modify the schedule when and where needed.  I encourage you to read the introductory sections of your textbook to assist you in its organization and function as we travel through this schedule.

DATE-TOPIC-TEXT READINGS

1/09: Course Policies; What do we do as geologists? Chapters 1 and 2

1/14: Fundamentals of Geology; Chapter 1

1/16: Investigating Geologic Questions; Chapter 2

1/21: Martin Luther King Birthday!

1/23: Mineral Properties; Chapter 4

1/28: Minerals, Atoms, and Elements; Chapter 4

1/30: Plate Tectonics; Chapter 3

2/04: Magma, Crystallization, and Igneous Rocks; Chapter 5

2/06: Volcanoes Chapter 6

2/11: EXAM I:  Chapters 1-5

2/13: Sedimentary Environments and Rocks; Chapter 7

2/18: Deformation and Structures; Chapter 8

2/20: Metamorphism; Chapter 8

2/25: Geologic Time; Chapter 9

2/27: Geologic Time; Chapter 9

3/01-09: Spring Break!! Yeha!!

3/10: Ocean Basins and Continents; Chapters 10 and 11

3/12: EXAM II:  Chapters 6-9

3/17: Ocean Basins and Continents; Chapters 10 and 11

3/19: Ocean Basins and Continents; Chapters 10 and 11

3/20-23: Easter Break!!!

3/24: Earthquakes and Earth’s Interior; Chapter 12

3/26: Earthquakes and Earth’s Interior; Chapter 12

3/31: Climate, Weather, and Geology; Chapter 13

4/02: Climate, Weather, and Geology; Chapter 13

4/07 Shorelines, Glaciers, and Sea Level; Chapter 14

4/09: EXAM III:  Chapters 10-13

4/14: Shorelines, Glaciers, and Sea Level; Chapter 14

4/16: Rivers and Streams; Chapter 16

4/21: Rivers and Streams; Chapter 16

4/23: Water Resources; Chapter 17

4/28: Mineral and Energy Resources; Chapter 18

4/29: Reading Day

5/02: EXAM IV: Chapters 14, 16-18; MAKE-UP EXAM; 7:00 PM – 10:00 PM.