Geology 101: Cast• Prof: J. Steven Kite

– G 55 Brooks– 293-5603 ext 9819– steve.kite@mail.wvu.edu– http://www.geo.wvu.edu/~kite/teaching.htm

• Office Hours: W 13:15-15:00, Th 11:15-11:45 or by appointment

• TAs: – Jamie Skeen– Christian Figueroa-Tyler

Text Book:

9th ed. 10th ed.

11th ed. eBook available for online viewing only eBook available for online viewing only McGrawMcGraw--Hill's PlummerHill's Plummer--Carlson: Physical Carlson: Physical Geology, 12th Edition Geology, 12th Edition ISBN: 039087048XISBN: 039087048XPrice (in US funds): $68.75 Price (in US funds): $68.75

Not = Physical Geology: Not = Physical Geology: Earth RevealedEarth Revealed

12th ed.

GEOL Lab Announcement:

•GEOL 102 Bring manual to lab next week

•No Lab This Week

Course GoalsWhat Is Science?

Way of ThinkingNot a Bunch of Facts

Geologist’s View:10,000 Years = Short Time

Geology =scientific study of the earth.

Earth CyclesEarth Cycles•• Earth Systems are CEarth Systems are Cyclicyclic––Periodic Periodic ––EpisodicEpisodic

H2O Cycle5 wk to

>100,000 yr

H2O Cycle

Photosynthesis: CO2 + H2O + light = sugar + O2

Greenhouse Effect: too much CO2

Is Photosynthesis the Solution?Carbon Sinks Residence Time: days to >500,000,000 yr

Carbon Cycle

NASA Drawing: After M.J. Pidwirny, Dept. of Geography, Okanagan University College)

http://geo.arc.nasa.gov/ sge/casa/cquestwebsite/overview.html

Solar System

Cyclic Periodic System(s)Cyclic Periodic System(s)

Solar System

Radiation Cycle8 min to >4,500,000,000 yr

Plate Tectonic “Cycle”->100,000,000 yr

Lithospheric PlatesLithospheric Plates

Plate Motion:

Last 200 my

Note my = Ma = million years

1 in/yr = ~25 mm/yr4 in/yr = ~100 mm/yr

Plate Spread Rates (NASA)http://www.ngdc.noaa.gov/mgg/ocean_age/data/2008/image/age_error.jpg

Rock Cycle

• Balinese Carving - copyright Richard Seagram• Source: http://www.richard-seaman.com/Travel/Indonesia/Highlights/CyclistCarving.jpg

Image is protected by copyright

Rock

⊕⊕ solid cohesive solid cohesive aggregate of grains of aggregate of grains of one or more minerals.one or more minerals.

3 Rock Types•Igneous

•Sedimentary•Metamorphic

Rock Cycle

MineralMineralNaturally Occurring, Solid Naturally Occurring, Solid

Inorganic Element or Compound of Inorganic Element or Compound of Elements, Elements, With a Definite Composition, or With a Definite Composition, or

Range of Compositions, Range of Compositions, Usually Having a Regular Usually Having a Regular

Internal Crystalline Structure.Internal Crystalline Structure.

MineralMineralnot same usage as in nutrition: not same usage as in nutrition: ––zinc, potassium, iron, zinc, potassium, iron,

selenium, selenium, etc.etc. are elementsare elements

Vicarious Field Trip – Coliseum Rapids, Cheat Canyon

• Map by Steven Dutch, Natural and Applied Sciences, University of Wisconsin - Green Bay – See http://www.uwgb.edu/DutchS/GRAPHIC0/StateGeolMaps/Va-Md-De-WV1kp.gif

AGES & RESIDENCE TIMES• How Old Is a Boulder in Cheat River?

May Have Been in the River for Only Minutes or Few Years!

BUT WHERE WAS IT BEFORE IT WASHED IN?

• SOME OLDER STREAM DEPOSIT : FEW TENS TO FEW THOUSAND YEARS OLD

BUT WHERE WAS THE BOULDER BEFORE THAT?

AN EVEN OLDER STREAM DEPOSIT, AN EVEN OLDER STREAM DEPOSIT, OROR

LANDSLIDE DEPOSITS AT THE BASE OF LANDSLIDE DEPOSITS AT THE BASE OF HILLSLOPES: 20,000 YEARS HILLSLOPES: 20,000 YEARS OROR OLDEROLDER

Old Morgantown & Kingwood Railway, North of Rowlesburg, W.Va.

WHERE WAS THE SAND GRAIN BEFORE

THE LANDSLIDE?

SOILS ON HILL SIDES AND SOILS ON HILL SIDES AND HILL TOPS, HILL TOPS, UP TO FEW UP TO FEW MILLIONMILLION YEARS OLD YEARS OLD Formed Formed FROM

WEATHERING OF SEDIMENTARY ROCK

W.Va. State Soil: Monongahela Silt Loam

OR SOILS ON HILL SIDES AND HILL TOPS, UP TO FEW MILLION YEARS OLD, or

BEFORE THAT?EVEN OLDER STREAM DEPOSITS, or

HOW OLDE IS YE OLDE SEDIMENTARY BEDROCK??

Pottsville Sandstone = Old River Deposit

@ Coopers Rock315,000,000 yr

OLDER SEDIMENTARY ROCK?Price Sandstone (Sidling Hill, I-70)

360,000,000 yr

STILL OLDER BEDROCK?• Tuscarora Sandstone (Seneca Rocks,

North Fk. Mtn., Wills Mtn.) 430,000,000 yr

STILL OLDER BEDROCK?

• Tuscarora Sandstone (Seneca Rocks, North Fk. Mtn., Wills Mtn.) 430,000,000 yr

The moon rises over Seneca Rocks.

by David Fattaleh

www.wonderfulwv.com/gallery.cfm?menu=july2

STILL OLDER BEDROCK?• Metamorphic Rock in Blue Ridge Mountains:

560,000,000 yr

National Archives: www.nara.gov/nara/nn/ nns/civil110.jpg

Need Blue Ridge Images, with rocks

www.mcmullans.org/canal/ harpers_ferry_railroad_

bridge.htm

Source:Virtual Tour of the

Chesapeake & Ohio Canal

Maryland Rocks: outcrop at

Harpers Ferry

OLDEST BEDROCK in EAST?• Blue Ridge Granite Gneiss*

(Metamorphic Rock) 1,000,000,000 yr

• Quartz “Crystal” that makes up the Sand Grain formed!

Old Rag Mtn., Virginia

Source:www.jmu.edu/geology/assets/ images/oldrag2.jpg

Before The Gneiss?

• Blue Ridge Granite Gneiss (Metamorphic Rock) formed from Older Granite (Igneous Rock), 1,000,000,000 to 1,200,000,00 yr

• Quartz first crystallized from molten rock (magma)

“Ancient Rock May Alter Theories of Earth History”By Kenneth Chang, 11 January 2001, NY Times

Photo by John Valley Sand-sized zircon

crystal from AustraliaCrystal = 4.3 or 4.4

Billion years old.Oldest piece of Earth

yet discovered.Rock is only 3 Billion

years old

“Ancient Rock May Alter Theories of Earth History”By Kenneth Chang, 11 January 2001, NY Times

Photo by John Valley Low Temperature Zircon Suggests Earth was <100°C & had Solid Crust4,300,000,000 years ago.

VS.

Magma Ocean

Rock Cycle

http://www.nsf.gov/od/lpa/news/press/01/pr0102.htm

Source: A high-resolution image is available for downloading at:http://www.news.wisc.edu/newsphotos/zircon.html. See also: Time line graphic at http://www.news.wisc.edu/newsphotos/oldrock.html

Rock Cycle

•• Rocks and Minerals are Rocks and Minerals are DynamicDynamic

•• Each Has A HistoryEach Has A History•• Geologists Perspective Geologists Perspective

on on TIMETIME is the Keyis the Key