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Welcome
to General Education Earth Science Course !
The purpose of this course is to present to
the student processes and principles of the earth sciences. During
the semester such varied topics as the historical development of
the Earth Sciences, major principles of the Earth Sciences, the
age of the Earth, interpretation of geologic cross sections,
minerals, igneous rocks, sedimentary rocks, metamorphic rocks,
earthquakes, plate tectonics, volcanoes, streams, ground water,
glaciation, physical and geological oceanography, and shoreline
processes will be studied. It is hoped that the student will
become aware of the fact that the earth is a dynamic object: one
that is constantly undergoing change.
There will be three tests, each
lasting approximately 1 hour. In addition, there will be a comprehensive
final examination. Of these four grades, the low grade will be
discarded and the three remaining grades numerically averaged.
This average will determine the student's final grade for the
semester. However, if the student's grade on the final examination
is higher than the grade he/she would have received by averaging
the three best scores, then the student will receive as a final
grade the score obtained on the final examination.
In order to be permitted to take the final
examination a student must have taken at least 2 of the 3 hourly
tests. All students are required to bring at least one #2 pencil
to all tests. Makeup tests will not be given unless the student
presents to the instructor upon his/her return to classes a
doctor's bill, hospital bill, clinic bill, or the like that
clearly indicates that the student was incapacitated on the day of
the test.
Students can, if they wish, turn in a 5
page typewritten paper on a topic, which was previously approved
by the instructor. This paper will be worth a maximum of 10
points, which will be added to one of the student's test scores
(excluding the final examination). This paper will be graded on
both content and grammar. These papers are due two weeks before
the start of final exams.
During the semester there will be at least
one, possibly two, extra-credit Internet based assignments. These
are for extra credit and are not part of the required work for the
semester. Each of these assignments will be worth between 5 and 7
points.
Students are expected to attend all scheduled
class meetings. A student who has more than 5 UNEXCUSED absences
MAY be dropped from the course. Students who are excessively
absent and who do not comply with official withdrawal procedures
may receive an F for the course.
What this means is that your instructor has
the right to drop you for poor attendance but it remains your
responsibility to make sure that if you want to drop the course
that you do the paperwork.
Incompletes will
not be given unless the
student shows the instructor that he/she was incapacitated on the
day of the final examination. In order to be considered for an
Incomplete students must have a passing grade in the course at the
time an incomplete is requested.
Students who have beepers and/or cell phones
are asked to turn them off before entering class. If a cell phone
or beeper rings (or beeps) that student will be asked to leave the
class for the rest of that class meeting. If this happens more
than twice during the semester the student will be asked to leave
the class permanently.
One of the biggest breakthroughs that has
occurred in education in the past decade is the growth of the
Internet. The amount of material available to students is truly
astounding. The number of sites is increasing at an unbelievable
pace. I am listing several sites that might be of interest to
students enrolled in this course. Please feel free to
"surf" any (or all) of these sites. You can either use a
computer at home or any of the computers that are in the Computer
Courtyards (rooms 2201 and 2301). If you do not know how to use
the software or are unfamiliar with the procedures or jargon
please feel free to ask me and I will work with you on an
individual basis to show you how to best utilize the Internet.
If you come across any other sites that you
think I might be interested in please let me know. These sites
were accurate at the beginning of the year. However the Internet
is in a constant state of change and some of the address might not
still be valid. If you find any mistakes or changes please let me
know.
United States Geological Survey
Earthquakes
Volcanoes
Plate Tectonics
Miscellaneous
Search Engines Lycos
1. By the end of the term you must show
knowledge, comprehension, and application of the historical
development of the geological sciences. This means that you must
be able to:
v
Identify and/or define terms and people related to
the development of the geological sciences including but not
limited to Greek and Roman philosopher/scientists, catastrophists,
the role of the church in western Europe, and recent developments
in the development of the geological sciences.
v
Identify and/or define the major principles and laws
that form the foundations of geology including but not limited to
correlation, faunal succession, cross cutting relationships,
original horizontality, superposition, and uniformitarianism.
v
Discuss the relationship between the work that
geologists do and our daily lives.
2. By the end of the term you must show
knowledge, comprehension, and application of different methods
that are used to determine the age of the earth. This means that
you must be able to:
v
Define various terms that are used in dating the
earth including relative age dating, absolute age dating,
radioactive decay, half life, atomic number, atomic mass, alpha
particle, beta particle, and isotope.
v
Explain how radioactive age dating techniques are
used to determine the age of the earth.
v
Explain the limitations of different radioactive
dating techniques.
v
Reproduce the geologic time scale using both
geologic terms and absolute dates.
3. By the end of the term you must show
knowledge, comprehension, and application of using techniques that
you have learned in determining a possible sequence of events that
could explain how a selected geologic sequence of strata formed.
This means that you must be able to:
v
Explain what discontinuities are and how they form.
v
Develop a logical sequence of events that could
result in the geologic cross section that you are given.
4. By the end of the term you must show
knowledge, comprehension, and application of the different types
of minerals as well as the rock cycle and the three major types of
rocks. This means that you must be able to:
v
Define a mineral.
v
Explain how minerals are identified.
v
Define terms that are used in the identification of
minerals and specific examples of minerals utilizing these
properties including but not limited to: luster, hardness, streak,
crystal form, cleavage, fracture, Moh's hardness scale, taste, and
color.
v
Using common everyday items determine a range of
hardness for an unknown mineral.
v
Compare and contrast, using specific examples, the 7
different mineral groups.
v
Explain the rock cycle.
v
Describe the relationship between texture and the
rate of cooling as it relates to igneous rocks.
v
Describe how igneous rocks are classified.
v
Describe how sedimentary rocks are classified.
v
Describe how metamorphic rocks are classified
v
Compare and contrast clastic and nonclastic
sedimentary rocks.
v
Compare and contrast the different types of
nonclastic sedimentary rocks.
v
Define various terms related to the three types of
rocks including, but not limited to: metamorphism, igneous
texture, evaporite basin, precipitate, mafic, felsic, silicic,
intrusive, extrusive, foliated, phyllite, schist, gneiss,
porphyritic, contact metamorphism, glassy, oolite, regional
metamorphism, organic, salt dome, aphanitic, and cataclastic
metamorphism.
v
Describe the steps involved in the formation of
coal.
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5. By the end of the term you must show
knowledge, comprehension, and application of how and why
earthquakes occur. This means that you must be able to:
v
Describe the geographic distribution of earthquakes.
v
Define various terms related to earthquakes,
including but not limited to: stress, strain, rupture, elastic
limit, zone of plastic flow, zone of elastic flow, focus, Richter
Scale, Modified Mercalli Scale, and epicenter.
v
Compare and contrast the Modified Mercalli Scale and
the Richter Scale.
v
Describe how the velocity of different types of
seismic waves vary as they travel through the earth.
v
Describe how to determine the focus of an earthquake
using the data obtained from seismograms.
v
Describe what causes deaths when earthquakes occur.
v
Describe various ways that scientists are trying to
predict earthquakes.
v
Explain a possible way to control earthquakes.
v
Describe how buildings might be designed to minimize
the effects of earthquakes.
6. By the end of the term you must show
knowledge, comprehension, and application of the concept of plate
tectonics. This means that you must be able to:
v
Describe the historical development behind the
concept of plate tectonics.
v
Describe the various types of plate boundaries
v
Compare and contrast different lines of evidence
that are used to prove that plate tectonics occurs.
v
Define various terms related to plate tectonics
including but not limited to: mid ocean ridge, central rift
valley, tensional forces, convection cell, paleomagnetism, Curie
Point, remnant magnetism, magnetic reversal, divergent plate
boundaries, convergent plate boundaries, transform fault, hot
spot, Ring of Fire, subduction zone, Benioff Zone, and volcanic
island arc.
7. By the end of the term you must show
knowledge, comprehension, and application of volcanic action and
igneous intrusions. This means that you must be able to:
v
Compare and contrast the different types of
volcanoes.
v
Define the following terms related to igneous
features, including but not limited to: volcanism, viscosity,
shield volcano, strato volcano, cinder cone volcano, composite
volcano, nuee ardent, lahar, tilt meter, harmonic seismic waves,
laccolith, batholith, stock, and pyroclastic flows.
v
Discuss the ways in which geologists try to predict
volcanic eruptions.
v
Compare and contrast concordant and discordant
igneous intrusions.
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8. By the end of the term you must show
knowledge, comprehension, and application of surface flow of water
and ground water. This means that you must be able to:
v
Discuss the changes that occur in a stream as one
travels from its' headwaters to it mouth.
v
Define the following terms related to running water
and ground water, including but not limited to: zone of aeration,
zone of saturation, water table, artesian water system, spring,
well, velocity, competence, capacity, discharge, stream, river,
stalactite, stalagmite, column, and karst topography
v
Discuss the stages in stream and valley development.
v
Discuss the flow of ground water and the
relationship between the water table and the surface topography.
v
Discuss the chemical reactions that occur when
ground water travels through limestone.
v
Discuss the geological effects of ground water.
9. By the end of the term you must show
knowledge, comprehension, and application of the basic principles
of oceanography. This means that you must be able to:
v
Discuss the structure and bathymetry of the
continental margins as well as the deep ocean basins.
v
Compare and contrast the types of sediments found on
the seafloor.
v
Discuss the origin of submarine canyons and atolls.
v
Discuss tides.
v
Discuss how wave action modifies coastlines.
v
Discuss, using specific examples, the movement of
sand along a beach and the effects of man's intervention.
v
Define the following terms related to oceanography,
including but not limited to: turbidity flow, abyssal plains, deep
ocean trench, terrigenous sediment, biogenous sediment,
hydrogenous sediment, wave height, wave length, wave refraction,
long shore current, spit, baymouth bar, wavecut terrace, groin,
and jetty.
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