Announcements
This page includes includes links for on-line readings, course updates, links to discussion activity media, and other information of note. Check it regularily.
Links to discussion activities
These activities are done in class and can not be made up if you miss class on the day that it was offered.
Week 1 (9/22-9/24)
These activities are done in class and can not be made up if you miss class on the day that it was offered.
Week 1 (9/22-9/24)
- Mon 9/22 - Discussion activity - The scientific method and geology
- Tues 9/23 - Lab - Busch and Tasa (Laboratory 1 - Observing and measuring Earth Materials and Processes)
- Complete parts 1A, 1B, and 1C. Make sure to type your writeup, use complete sentences when answering questions, and show any and all calculations.
- Supplement for part 1A. Click here to download placemarks for Google Earth that correspond to Figures 1.10 through 1.13. To use the placemarks launch Google Earth and then select "Open" from the "File" menu. Then select the file "Lab01.kmz".
- Weds 9/24 - Discussion activity #1 - Earth Structure / Discussion activity #2 - Earth System
Week 2 (9/29-10/01)
- Mon 9/29 - Discussion activity - Rock formation
- Tues 9/30 - Lab - Busch and Tasa (Laboratory 4 - Rock forming processes and the rock cycle)
- Complete parts 4A and 4B.
- For part 4B you'll be completing Figure 4.14 in your lab manual. For the front side of the table (page 87) you'll be using real rocks. For the back side (page 88) you'll be using a rock cycle simulator (GeoCycle). I'll be showing you in lab how the program operates and what you'll be doing with it. The rocks you'll be looking up with the simulator are basalt, granite, conglomerate, sandstone, gneiss, slate, and obsidian.
- Weds 10/1 - Discussion activity - Minerals vs. Rocks
Week 3 (10/06-10/08)
- Mon 10/06 - Discussion activity - Mineral Chemistry
- Tues 10/07 - Lab - Busch and Tasa (Laboratory Mineral Properties Uses and Identification)
- Weds 10/08 - Discussion activity - Properties of Igneous Rocks
Week 4 (10/13-10/15)
- Mon 10/13 - Discussion activity - Formation of Igneous Rocks
- Here's the links for Earthweek and Nasa Goddard's website where they have some climate videos in honor of Earthweek.
- Tues 10/14 - Lab - Busch and Tasa (Laboratory 5 - Igneous Rocks and Volcanic Hazards)
- Complete parts 5A, 5B, and 5C. Make sure to type your writeup, use complete sentences when answering questions, and show any and all calculations.
- For part 5A I've set up Google Earth in the lab to show you the areas represented by figures 5.21 through 5.23. Click here if you want to download the placemarks for these figures. Once you'll downloaded them start up Google Earth on your computer, go to the file menu, and open the file the downloaded file "ES_Labs.kmz".
- For parts 5B the sixteen rocks that you'll be looking at include granite, granite pegmatite, diorite, gabbro, peridotite, basalt, prophyritic basalt, rhyolite, flow banded rhyolite, andesite, obsidian, pumice, scoria, vesicular basalt, volcanic tuff, and volcanic breccia.
- For part 5C focus on volcanoes here in Oregon and Washington. Acquire your information from Cascade Volcanic Observatory's website.
- Weds 10/15 - Discussion activity - Volcanic Shapes
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- Week 5 (10/20-10/22)
- Mon 10/20 - Discussion activity #1 - Sediment and Weathering and Discussion activity #2 - Weathering Environments
- Tues 10/21 - Weathering of Rocks and Formation of Sediment by Pamela J.W. Gore (Georgia Perimeter College) - Make sure to download this lab handout prior to lab and read through it. Here are the parts of the lab that we'll be doing in the order that I recommend doing them.
- Examining sand samples (#8) - pages 66 and 67.
- Examining river sand (#2), beach sand (#3), and sand from Colorado (#4) - pages 60-65.
- Virtual sand collection (#10) - pages 69-73. Click here to access the index for the virtual sand collection.
- Weds 10/22 - Midterm exam. There will be two parts to this exam a closed book, multiple choice and an open book, essay. The study guide for this exam can be found in your syllabus ( See the course objectives sets entitled "Major Geologic Idea", " Minerals", and "Igneous Rocks"). The test will also have several questions on volcanoes and intrusive Structures.
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- Week 6 (10/27-10/29)
- Mon 10/27 - Discussion activity #1 - Characteristics of Sedimentary Rocks and Discussion activity #2 - Depositional environments and sedimentary rocks
- Tues 10/28 - Laboratory 6 (Sedimentary Rocks, Processes, and Environments) from Busch and Tasa. You'll be doing parts 6A, 6B, and 6C.
- Weds 10/29 - No class. District inservice.
Week 7 (11/3-11/5)
- Mon 11/03 - Discussion activity - Metamorphic rocks and their proliths
- Tues 11/04 - Laboratory 7 (Metamorphic Rocks, Process, and Resources) from Busch and Tasa. You'll be doing parts 7A and 7B. For part 7B, in the column for parent rock also add metamorphic conditions. These conditions are the pressures and temperatures necessary to produce the rock from its prolith (parent rock). To determine these conditions use GeoCycle to metamorphose each prolith. I'll explain how to do this in lab.
- Weds 11/05 - Discussion activity - Metamorphic rocks and their proliths
Week 9 (11/17-11/19)
- Mon 11/17 - Discussion activity - Earthquake Damage
- Tues 11/18 - Laboratory 16 (Earthquake Hazards and Human Risks)
- Weds 11/19 - Discussion activity - Tsunami Geology of the Niawiakum River - Link to "TOTLE in the Field 2008" virtual environment.
Week 10 (11/24-11/26)
- Mon 11/24 - Link to Media for discussion activity - Tectonics Model
- Tues 11/25 - Laboratory 16 (Earthquake Hazards and Human Risks)
- Weds 11/26 - Discussion activity - Characteristics of tectonic environments.
Week 11 (12/01-12/03)
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- Mon 12/01 - Link to Media for discussion activity - History detective work (geology style)
- Tues 12/02 - The lab for this week is "Geology and Time 1" and is on-line. But do come to lab, since this lab works much better when you are working as a group.
- Click here to download a copy of the lab handout in pdf format.
- Click here to download a copy in .doc format.
- Click here to access the program called "Relative Dating" that is needed to complete the lab.
- Weds 12/03 - TBA
- Page created 3/20/2007
- Last updated 12/01/2008
