Geology 1110:Geology and Earth Systems. (CE 2425: Geologic Principles for Civil Engineers) Roadmap for today: Review syllabus & course expectations

Transcription

1 Geology 1110:Geology and Earth Systems (CE 2425: Geologic Principles for Civil Engineers) Roadmap for today: Review syllabus & course expectations Discuss course goals Note: I will end class a bit early today; at that time I would like the CE 2425 students to stick around for a brief meeting. 1

2 What, who, where, when Geology and Earth Systems (Geol 1110; CE 2425) Instructor: Office: Dr. John B. Swenson Heller Hall 224A Lecture: MWF 11:00 11:50 Bohannon 90 Office hours: M 10:00 10:50 T 11:00 11:50 W 09:00 9:50 Heller Hall 224A By appointment Course website: jswenso2@d.umn.edu In addition, each of you registered for a lab section Do not redistribute class notes (slides). Do not record electronically my lectures. I will post PowerPoint lectures and files (including the syllabus) here Please note: You are free to download course materials, e.g. lectures, from the above website for your personal use as part of taking this course. However, you are expressly prohibited from redistributing these course materials in any manner. (See section on Appropriate Student Use of Class Notes and Course Materials.) 2

3 Texts (required) Essentials of Geology, 4 th ed. by Marshak This is NOT an online class Laboratory Manual by UMD Geology Department The text is a second reservoir of knowledge (in addition to class notes) Liberal Education Content This class fulfills the Liberal Education Category 4 requirement: Physical and Biological Sciences with Lab Course / grading structure Lab component: 25% (1 credit) (Normalized between lab sections / TAs) Lecture component: 75% (3 credits) 3 (of 4) midterm exams: 17% x 3 = 51% Final exam: 24% % All exams are multiple-choice format 3

4 Points distribution: Description Weight % When Laboratory Exercises 25 Weekly Exam 1 17 Wed., Sept. 23 Exam 2 17 Wed., Oct. 14 Exam 3 17 Wed., Nov. 4 Exam 4 17 Mon., Nov. 23 Final Exam 24 Thurs., Dec. 17 (12:00 13:55) I retain your best three mid-term scores Grading Standards I grade on a floating scale, i.e. a curve. For each exam, I will provide you with an approximate letter grade based on the overall distribution of grades for that exam. I will post numerical scores to e-gradebook ( Labs All Geol 1110 labs meet in Chemistry 206 Except for a field trip in October No lab the first or second week of classes, the week of fall break, or the week of Thanksgiving break All CE 2425 labs meet in Civil Engineering Lab attendance is mandatory: If you miss three or more labs, you will fail the laboratory component of the course (25%) 4

5 Tips for performing well in this course Attend lab If you miss three (3) or more labs, you receive zero credit for that portion of your grade. DO NOT SKIP LAB! Capiche? Tips for performing well in this course Come to class Read material before lecture, attend lecture, and pay attention It s your money 5

6 Tips for performing well in this course Study smart, not just hard Find a study group Create mock exams within your study group Study your notes and THEN the text Put yourself in my shoes: What questions would you ask that are fair, reasonable, and capture some important concept? (Did I mention come to class?) Be more than a face in the crowd Ask questions when you do not understand something (chances are good you are not alone!) Please feel free to talk to me: Professors are (mostly) very nice people we want to help you! Office Hours (224A Heller Hall): Monday: 10:00 10:50 Tuesday: 11:00 11:50 Wednesday: 09:00 09:50 By appointment ( me) 6

7 Class rules: Simple: Consider the Ethic of Reciprocity Be courteous and respectful of your classmates! Adhere to UMD s Student Academic Integrity Policy ( Quick note on There are ~240 of you There is but one (1) of me Before ing me, please: Check the syllabus Check the class website Consult with your peers Consult with your TA Missed class? Your responsibility to get the notes 7

8 Your assignment for Wednesday 1. Skim the Prelude (pp. 1-7) in your textbook 2. Read Ch. 1 (pp. 9-31) 3. Read the course syllabus 4. Purchase the Lab Manual What is Geology? Broadly speaking, geology is the study of the Earth and the processes acting on its surface and within its interior. The Earth is a dynamic system, characterized by complex interactions and rich feedbacks between rock, water, air, and life. Geologic processes operate over an immense range of temporal and spatial scales: Events that happened billions of years ago can have relevance to modern society. Likewise, because the Earth is continuously changing, actions that we take now can affect Earth systems in the future. 8

9 What are Earth systems? Earth can be envisioned as a series of interconnected systems (or spheres ) Life: Biosphere Water: Hydrosphere Rock: Geosphere Air: Atmosphere 9

10 Goals of this course Upon completing this course, you should be able to: Make informed decisions related to Earth Sciences; Predict topographic relationships, rock and mineral assemblages, and natural-hazard risks for a location based on its tectonic setting; Place current anthropogenic perturbations to climate and surface processes into a deep-time perspective. Let s look at some examples Goal: Make informed decisions related to Earth Sciences NOLA Question: Is global climate change the reason New Orleans seems more prone to flooding during tropical cyclones, e.g. Hurricanes Katrina and Isaac? 10

11 Answer: In part Other factors: Natural, ongoing consolidation of the thick sediment package beneath the delta Huge decrease in sediment supply due to dams Extraction of oil and gas (and groundwater) on the delta causes addition compaction and lowering of the land surface Accelerating sea level rise in the last century (climate change component) Goal: Predict topographic relationships, rock and mineral assemblages, and natural-hazard risks for a location based on its tectonic setting Where do we find mountains? 11

12 Goal: Predict topographic relationships, rock and mineral assemblages, and natural-hazard risks for a location based on its tectonic setting Mid-ocean spreading center Birthplace of new crust New crust made of BASALT Pebbles on the beach in front of my house Mostly BASALT! (and other volcanic rocks ) Pebbles derived from the local bedrock, which is very OLD What are the implications of this observation? 12

13 About a billion years ago, the North American continent began rifting (splitting apart) Formed the Mid-continent Rift System Duluth was almost ocean-front property Goal: Predict topographic relationships, rock and mineral assemblages, and natural-hazard risks for a location based on its tectonic setting; 2004 Boxing Day (Dec. 26) tsunami: Huge earthquake in trench off Sumatra 13

14 Banda Aceh, Indonesia Total death toll in Indian Ocean region: > 230,000 Goal: Place current anthropogenic perturbations to climate and surface processes into a deep-time perspective Extent of arctic sea ice 14

15 Volume shows even stronger decline? Causal mechanism? 15

16 July 2015: ppm July 2014: ppm July 2013: ppm July 2012: ppm Let s place these values in a deeper time context Where do we get these older data? Image: R.A. Rohde 16

17 Really deep time Image: R.A. Rohde 17