Geology 101Geology 101Geology 101Geology 101

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Website: Website: http://geology.asu.edu/jfarmer/http://geology.asu.edu/jfarmer/g_stu_1.htmlg_stu_1.html

Website: Website: http://geology.asu.edu/jfarmer/http://geology.asu.edu/jfarmer/g_stu_1.htmlg_stu_1.html

Instructor:Instructor:Prof. Jack D. FarmerProf. Jack D. Farmerjfarmer@asu.edu PSF-550 965-jfarmer@asu.edu PSF-550 965-67486748Office hours: MWF 3 pm-4 pmOffice hours: MWF 3 pm-4 pm

Instructor:Instructor:Prof. Jack D. FarmerProf. Jack D. Farmerjfarmer@asu.edu PSF-550 965-jfarmer@asu.edu PSF-550 965-67486748Office hours: MWF 3 pm-4 pmOffice hours: MWF 3 pm-4 pm TA: TA: Aurora Hinckley(480) 965-5175email: Aurora.Hinckley@asu.edu Office & hours: Please announce in Office & hours: Please announce in classclass

TA: TA: Aurora Hinckley(480) 965-5175email: Aurora.Hinckley@asu.edu Office & hours: Please announce in Office & hours: Please announce in classclass

Why are we here?

A few ground rules…

Stuff about me.

Tools for succeeding in Geology 101.

Course exams & grading.

Overarching goals for this course.

Prelude: What is Geology?

Today: Course OverviewToday: Course OverviewToday: Course OverviewToday: Course Overview

http://http://geologygeology.asu.edu/jfarmer/g_stu_1.html.asu.edu/jfarmer/g_stu_1.html

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Note: NO “www”!!!

Read the textbook

- Cover-to-cover, see Syllabus on Web page

for weekly assignments

Attend lectures

- Hear topical overviews & ask questions

- Do in-class assignments & turn in & pick up HW

- Exams, quizzes & extra credit opportunities

In-class quizzes

- ~ Seven quizzes, each given after we complete a major

- Will be announced the class before

In-class exercises and homework assignments

- Exercises weekly & homework every other week

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While in lecture, please DO NOT:

Forget to turn off cell phones

Read and rustle newspapers

Talk and have conversations

Sleep uncontrollably, endangering yourself and others

Break ASU rules/laws (e.g. Don’t cheat, smoke, chew tobacco, spit., etc.)

Required by all students:Required by all students:G

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Required by all students:Required by all students:

While in the lecture, please DO:

Ask questions when anything is not clear

Engage in the discussions

Fully participate in in-class exercises

Geology is great! Have fun with it!GR

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Top Five Reasons: Top Five Reasons:

You absolutely LOVE geology

You need a science credit to graduate & think geology is easier than physics &/or need it NOW to graduate (We feel your pain)

Just curious, it seemed like it might be cool

There was an ASU registrar computer glitch(Again, we feel your pain)

You have absolutely no ideaWH

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I’m an ASU Professor in the Dept. of Geological Sciences and a geobiologist by training and inclination. I teach 2-3 classes/year & conduct research in geobiology, with applications to planetary exploration. I am Director of ASU’s Astrobiology Program I love interacting with students and thrive on field work.I am actively involved with exploring the planet Mars and am a member of quite a few NASA advisory committees as well as the Mars Exploration Rover team, a mission that will launch to Mars this June. I teach GLG101 every 3-4 years, and in between, other courses having to do with geobiology, sedimentary processes and Astrobiology.

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Ah! Mars….

Geology 101 Learning Tools:Geology 101 Learning Tools:1. Book - Earth: Portrait of a Planet-Stephen MarshakEarth: Portrait of a Planet-Stephen Marshak

- An excellent, up to date review of field- Nicely-illustrated with good study aids

2. How to study - Read the chapters before lectures

- Review class presentations afterwards: - Course website: http://- Ask questions in class- Check for terms in glossary given at end of text- Science Toolbox sections develop specific concepts- Interlude sections introduce larger topics- Study guideUse the book’s Website to:- Reinforce concepts- Check knowledge by taking sample quizzes- See Geology in the newsUse the Portrait of a Planet CDROM - Useful visualization tools

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Geology 101 Learning Tools:Geology 101 Learning Tools:

3. Meet with your Instructor and TA! - During office hours- Or, make an appointment(see class handout for times and places) - Use email!

4. Connect to Geology on a personal level and try to apply what you are learning.

- Think about how the concepts you are learning apply in your everyday life as you walk around on planet Earth!

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PRELUDE: What is Geology?“CONTEXT” SECTION1. Cosmology & Birth of the Earth2. Journey to the Center of the Earth3. Drifting continents and spreading seas4. The way the Earth works: Plate tectonics5. Patterns in nature: Minerals“EARTH MATERIALS” SECTIONINTERLUDE A: Rock groups6. Up from the inferno: Magma and igneous

rocks 7. A surface veneer: Sedimentary rocks8. Change in the solid state: Metamorphic

rocksINTERLUDE B: The rock cycleMidterm I (February 28)

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“INTERNAL PROCESSES” SECTION9. The wrath of Vulcan: Volcanic eruptions10. The violent pulse: EarthquakesINTERLUDE C: Seeing inside the Earth11. Cracks, crags and crumples: Crustal

deformation and mountain buildingINTERLUDE D: Memories of past life: Fossils

and Evolution12. Deep time: How old is old?13. A biography of the Earth14. Squeezing power from a stone: Energy

Resources15. Riches in rocks: Mineral resourcesMidterm 2 (April 7)

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“EXTERNAL PROCESSES” SECTIONINTERLUDE E: Ever changing landscapes and

the hydrologic cycle16. Unsafe ground: Landslides and other mass

movements17. Streams and floods: The geology od

running water18. Restless realm: Oceans and coasts19. Hidden reserve: Groundwater20. An envelope of gas: Earth’s atmosphere

and climate21. Dry regions: The deserts of the world22. Amazing ice: Glaciers and ice ages23. Global change in the Earth systemFinal Exam (May 14, 2:40PM -4:30 PM)

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Geology 101 Exams:Geology 101 Exams:

1. There will be three Exams. -In class, 1-hour, 100 points each-One for each major section of course-See web page for more information

2. Review outline-Will be handed out before exams-Will provide a list of topics that will be covered

3. Final Exam -Covers last section of course, but all exams may call on basic concepts presented earlier.

4. In class quizzes- Multiple choice, matching - 10-15 minutes, 10-15 points

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MAKE-UP EXAMS

There are none! Exceptions include a health problem or ASU sanctioned event, which will require written confirmation from your doctor or a presiding ASU official. Make-ups under these exceptions will be 1-hour oral exams.

TERM PAPER OPTION

You can substitute a 12-page term paper for one of the exams, provided it is on a topic drawn from the content for that part of the course. This must be arranged ahead of time and the topic must be approved by the instructor. The term paper will be due the day of the exam for which it is being substituted. You will still be responsible for any major topical areas that are covered from that part of the course on subsequent exams.

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Extra credit opportunities

1. Optional field trip to Papago Park

2. Geology in the news

3. Geology songs/poems

4. In-class demos

4 ways to pick up extra credit points (see web page for details)

Two dates: (1) Tuesday, April 15 & (2) Thursday, April 24

Email me a short blurb drawn from geology in the news during the week presented. Be prepared tostand up and give a 2-3 minute summary to the class.

Write a rap/poem/song that conveys geologic conceptsfor that part of course

Devise a practical in-class demo for a specific topic

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ASU Course catalog says:

GLG 101 Introduction to Geology I (Physical).

Basic principles of geology, geochemistry, and geophysics. Rocks, minerals, weathering, earthquakes, mountain building, volcanoes, water, and glaciers.

To develop critical thinking skills & a basic understanding of how the science works

Become familiar with some of the observational methods, reasoning processes and analytical tools used by geologists to understand the Earth and its history

Learn the basic scientific concepts and principles- essentially the current paradigm for how the Earth and its systems interact to produce what we see.

But also, we have these goals:

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You will be learning a new language!

Geology is a broad, interdisciplinary science with a rich vocabulary. The terminology we will use throughout this course will require that you learn a new language.

We will all work together to find ways to become familiar with this vocabulary and the ideas it is designed to convey. But more is needed than simply memorizing terms. You also need to develop an understanding of the conceptual framework that the terminology is a part of, and how the words and concepts relate to each other.

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Enrich your understanding of the planet we depend upon for our survival.

Broaden your perspective of the relationship between humans & their environment.

Become as more responsible citizen and make smart investments in your future, and the future of your children.

Maybe you will decide to become one of the true, the proud and the brave and go on to major in geology!

Application of this new knowledge:Application of this new knowledge:G

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Lecture style designed to address the fact that different people learn differently:

Seeing/visual learning

Reading the written word

Hearing about it

Engaging through personal inquiry and discovery

Connecting what we learn in the classroom to what is out there!

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What methods will we need to succeed in geology?

An innate curiosity and willingness to ask questions

Good observational skills to recognize basic patterns and spatial relationships

A systematic approach to documenting, analyzing, and predicting observations

An ability to visualize in 3-dimensional space, while integrating the 4th dimension, time.

Willingness to learn and apply basic scientific principles from other sciences (physics, chemistry, math)

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Time…

Geology deals with complex historical systems that have evolved and changed over time.

Time is thus a fundamental variable in geology.

Coupled processes, operating over time produce all that we see.

A Prelude:A Prelude:

And just what is Geology?And just what is Geology?

You are here!

Geology: The study of the Earth and its systems

Nature of scientific inquiry

Basic Concepts:Basic Concepts:

Scientific method

Observation

Hypothesis

Test

Scientific “certainty”

Paradigms and the nature of scientific revolutions

Theory

Prelude: Box P-1 Science Toolbox Prelude: Box P-1 Science Toolbox Text pages 9-10Text pages 9-10Prelude: Box P-1 Science Toolbox Prelude: Box P-1 Science Toolbox Text pages 9-10Text pages 9-10

Nature of scientific inquiry

Science is based on:

assumption that the natural world behaves in a consistent & predictable manner

Goals of science:

understand underlying patterns in nature (from careful observations/measurements) form hypotheses that lead to predictions

Nature of scientific inquiry

Scientific method

gathering information through careful observation to formulate hypotheses and theories

note: involves insight and creativity to break freefrom conditioned accepted views

Nature of scientific inquiry

Four basic steps:

1) collect the facts (observation/measurement)

2) develop hypothesis (one or more)

3) test hypothesis

4) accept/modify/reject

Nature of scientific inquiry

Process begins with Observation!Formulation of Hypotheses:

Construction of a tentative (untested) explanationfor something observed

Value of multiple working hypothesesTesting hypotheses

Evaluate explanatory power. Certainty in science and the nature of scientific proofScience has been described as the orderly accumulation of rejected hypotheses.

Nature of scientific inquiry

Theory

- well-tested/widely accepted hypothesis that“acceptably” predicts observed facts.

- also: explains additional observations not used

originally to form theory - predictive power

- still testable and subject to disproof!

You are here!

Geology: The study of the Earth and its systems

Prelude: Earth Systems

Atmosphere

Hydrosphere

Cryosphere

Solid Earth

Biosphere

AtmosphereAtmosphere

Protection from Sun’s heat & UV rays

Weather: due to exchange of energy between Earth’s surface & atmosph. between atmosph. & outer space

Strongly interacts w/ surface

Blanket of gases surrounding the EarthBlanket of gases surrounding the Earth

HydrosphereHydrosphere

Oceans (most prominent) 71% of surface of Earth

Streams, lakes, glaciers, underground water

Atmosphere

Water portion of EarthWater portion of Earth

CryosphereCryosphere

Glaciers

Permafrost and ground ice

Polar ice caps

Frozen polar seas

Icy portion of Earth’s crustIcy portion of Earth’s crust

BiosphereBiosphere

Earth’s surface and subsurface to depths of a few kilometers

Life occupies an extreme range of environments

Life strongly interacts with the atmosphere, the hydrosphere and the solid earth (these interactions are called ecology!)

Earth’s EcosystemsEarth’s Ecosystems

Prelude:Prelude: Earth’s internal structure

crust

mantle

core

Oceanic 0-6 km (“young”, < 180 m.y.)Continental 0-34 km (older, up to 3.8 b.y.)

Upper 34-670 kmLower 670-2900 km

Outer (liquid) 2900-5160 kmInner (solid) 5160-6370 km

3 distinct divisions:

Solid EarthSolid Earth Interior of the Earth is losing heat.Primary source of heat: Radioactive decayHeat loss drives convection, based on density differences

Hotter stuff is lighter and risesCooler stuff is denser and sinks.

Earth’s dynamic interior and crust

Heat loss drives plate tectonics

Three types of plate boundaries

Prelude: Plate TectonicsPrelude: Plate TectonicsPrelude: Plate TectonicsPrelude: Plate Tectonics