GEOL 102: Geology of Planet Earth Laboratory

Spring 2016

Instructor: Hannah Cohen

Office hours: / LO 1224 Wednesday 12-2pm, or by appointment
Phone: / Office/818-677-2039; Department Office/818-677-3541
Email: /

Course objectives

This course complements the Geology 101 lecture; we will apply concepts learned in lecture to the lab exercises. The concepts from Geology 101 lecture will not also be taught in this Geology 102 lab. Topics include the geologic timescale, rock and mineral identification, plate tectonics, topographic maps, natural resources, and natural hazards.

Required Textbook

Laboratory Manual for Introductory Geology, Third Edition, by Allan Ludman and Stephen Marshak.

You must purchase and bring the required lab manual to class every time. We will be using it.

Attendance and Coming Prepared for Lab

It is essential that you attend all labs, arrive on time, and stay until your group has completed the lab. If you are more than 30 minutes late, you receive a 15-point deduction for the lab. In order to get credit for the lab, you must be present when your group lab is submitted to the instructor. THERE ARE NO MAKE-UPS FOR MISSED LABS.

You will need to go over the assigned readings prior to lab every week; they will be essential to your success. Bring a notebook and a printed copy of the lab to each class. The labs will be posted on Moodle every week, but printed copies will not be supplied in the classroom.

The last day to drop the course through SOLAR is February 5, 2016. The last day to drop with a hardcopy form is February 12, 2016, 4 pm. NO DROPS ARE PERMITTED AFTER THIS DATE.

Lab reports and lab groups

You will usually work in a lab group of four to six people. Each group will turn in one lab report, for which you will all get the same grade. However, you should bring your own copy and record the answers so that you have it to study for the exams. Everyone must be a contributing member to their group. If there are problems, I will resolve them to ensure fairness of grades.

Classroom etiquette

Phones (talking and texting) are a rude distraction during the lab. Please respect me and your classmates and turn them off during lab. Engage with actual humans instead of your mobile devices. Treat each other and me with courtesy—and have fun with the lab exercises and making new friends.

Academic Dishonesty

I will not tolerate any form of academic dishonesty. This includes, but is not limited to copying answers during an exam, plagiarism, facilitating cheating by another student, and altering answers after I have graded your work. If I find evidence of academic dishonesty, I will report it to the Office of the Vice President for Student Affairs and recommend either a letter of admonishment or disciplinary action. If you are caught cheating on an exam or assignment, you will receive a failing grade for the exam or assignment AND will receive a full grade deduction the entire course.

Grading

This is a hybrid lab class; this means that some labs, as well as supplemental information for the class will be online (Moodle). You must have access to a computer and the internet, and you must check Moodle and your email regularly for updates and communications regarding this class. Attendance is mandatory for the in class labs.

There will be several online quizzes and online labs, and one in-class final exam. The final is cumulative. There are no make ups on this exam. The instructor will evaluate individual cases where documentation of a serious emergency or illness is provided.

Each lab report is worth 20 points. The lowest score earned on ONE lab will be dropped. Take note that this covers either the lowest lab grades or a missed lab, and is the only accepted leniency on missing a lab due to all personal circumstances, seen or unforeseen.

Grading will be on the +/- CSUN system. NO GRADE OF INCOMPLETE WILL BE GIVEN FOR THIS COURSE.

Laboratory Topics and Schedule.

This schedule is subject to change. Check Moodle often for revisions.

DATE / TOPIC
January 25 / Introduction & syllabus.
February 1 / Lab 1 – Read chapter 1 and complete the lab: Setting the Stage for Learning About the Earth
HW: Read chapter 2 for lab 2
February 8 / Lab 2 – The Way the Earth Works: Examining Plate Tectonics
HW: Read chapter 3 for lab 3
February 15 / Lab 3 – Minerals (& Mineral ID)
HW: Read chapters 4 & 5 for labs 4 & 5
February 22 / Lab 4 – Minerals, Rocks, and the Rock Cycle
Lab 5 – Using Igneous Rocks to Interpret Earth History (Rock ID)
HW: Read chapters 6 & 7 for labs 6 & 7
February 29 / Lab 6 – Using Sedimentary Rocks to Interpret Earth History (Rock ID)
Lab 7 – Interpreting Metamorphic Rocks (Rock ID)
Quiz 1 - Labs 1 through 7 (Will open immediately after class and end in 1 week)
HW: read chapter 17 for lab 17
March 7 / Lab 17 – Interpreting Geologic History: What Happened and When Did it Happen?
HW: Read chapter 9 for lab 9
March 14 / Lab 9 – Working with Topographic Maps
Lab 15 – Geologic Structures, Maps, and Block Diagrams
HW: Read chapters 10 & 12 for MOODLE lab 10 & 12
March 21 / SPRING BREAK. NO LAB MEETINGS
March 28 / NO LAB MEETINGS. Cesar Chavez Holiday Thursday, March 31.
April 4 / ONLINE LAB
Lab 10 – Landscapes Formed by Steams
Lab 12 - Groundwater as A Landscape Former and Resource
HW: Chapters 13 & 14 for labs 13 & 14
April 11 / ONLINE LAB
Lab 13 – Processes and Landforms in Arid Environments
Lab 14 – Shoreline Landscapes
HW: Read chapter 16 for lab 16
April 18 / Lab 16 – Earthquakes and seismology
Quiz 2 - Labs 17,9,10,12,13,14, and 16 (Will open immediately after class and end in 1 week)
April 25 / NO CLASS
May 2 / Final exam.