GEOLOGY  321   GEOCHEMISTRY   SPRING  2016  

 

   

Instructor:    Dr.  Tamara  Carley  Email:  carleyt@lafayette.edu  Phone:  610-­‐330-­‐5199  Office:  Van  Wickle  101c  Research  Lab:  Van  Wickle  1c  Office  Hours:  casual  drop-­‐in  or  by  appointment:  

Monday  afternoon  (2:00-­‐5:00  pm)  Wednesday  morning  (9:30-­‐noon)  

Place  and  Time:              Van  Wickle  Hall,  Room  15,    Thursday,  1:10-­‐4:00  pm    

Textbook:  Geochemistry  by  William  M.  White  (Wiley-­‐Blackwell)    

 

Library  Collaborator     Lijuan  Xu     Email:  xul@lafayette.edu     Phone:  610-­‐330-­‐5152  

Office:  123  Skillman  Library    

 

Course  overview:  We  will  begin  by  using  geochemical  concepts  (specifically  trace  elements  and  stable  and  radioactive  isotopes)  to  think  about  the  origination,  evolution,  and  timing  of  magmatic  events.  We  will  then  use  geochemical  perspectives  (specifically  trace  elements  and  isotopes  in  the  hydrosphere  and  the  atmosphere)  to  connect  deep  earth  and  earth  surface  processes.  After  introducing  major  course  themes  and  fundamental  geochemical  concepts  in  the  context  of  magma  generating  systems  (specifically,  in  “supervolcano”  systems),  you  will  explore  the  same  geochemical  concepts  as  they  apply  to  modern-­‐day  Pennsylvania  (a  supervolcano-­‐free  zone!)  in  a  capstone  project,  culminating  in  an  NSF-­‐style  research  proposal  with  an  accompanying  presentation.        

Day   General  topic  and  notable  assignments   %  grade  

Every  day   Professionalism:  Be  on  time,  be  attentive,  be  respectful,  be  engaged,  come  prepared  with  necessary  materials,  submit  work  on  time,  abide  by  the  “no  screen”  policy,  etc.   5  

01/28   Introduction  to  geochemistry  and  information  literacy   5  02/04   Magma  generation:  General  earth  chemistry,  trace  element  behavior  in  magmas     5  02/011   Magma  generation:  Hafnium  isotopes  and  other  systems  that  behave  similarly   5  02/18   Magma  generation:  Oxygen  isotopes   5  02/25   Geochronology:  Uranium  and  its  daughter  products  and  recognition  of  other  systems     5  03/03   Volcanoes  and  climate:  sulfur  and  carbon,  with  mention  of  other  volcanic  gas  constituents     5  03/10   Paleoclimate  indicators:  carbon  and  oxygen   5  03/17   Aquatic  chemistry,  with  emphasis  on  hydrothermal  systems;  take  home  exam  assigned.   5  03/24   Spring  Break   0  03/31   Field  Trip  to  Minerals  Technologies;  take  home  exam  due.   5,  10  04/07   No  Class.  One-­‐on-­‐one  grant  proposal  consultation  meetings.   3  

04/14-­‐28   Geochemistry  in  the  News  and  grant  proposal  writing  workshops   10  05/05   Grant  Proposal  Presentations,  Review  Panel   9,  3  Finals   Final  Grant  Proposal  Due  Friday  05/06  by  midnight.   15  

   

2   Geology  321  syllabus  

 

Course  Objectives:  By  the  end  of  the  spring  semester,  GEOL  321  students  are  expected  to:  1. Be  proficient  in  understanding  and  applying  major  course  themes,  as  demonstrated  through  discussion,  problem  solving,  and  application  of  concepts  to  diverse  situations  

2. Acquire  relevant,  recent,  high-­‐quality,  peer-­‐reviewed  journal  articles  3. Read  peer-­‐reviewed  articles  for  content  and  contribution  to  an  existing  body  of  knowledge  4. Communicate  highlights  (goal,  process,  findings,  implications,  contributions)  of  journal  articles  in  a  way  that  is  educational  for  peers,  via  concise  verbal  and  written  communication    

5. Place  the  content  and  contribution  of  articles  into  an  existing  framework  at  two  scales:  a. Course  content,  learned  in  lecture  and  from  the  textbook  b. A  greater  body  of  geologic,  peer-­‐reviewed,  literature  c. Critically  evaluate  the  quality  of  a  study  presented  in  a  journal  article  by  asking  and  

answering  the  following  questions:  6. Did  the  authors  effectively  communicate  with  their  intended  audience?    

a. Did  the  paper  build  on  a  solid  foundation  of  knowledge?    b. Did  authors  make  reasonable  assumptions  and  avoid  undue  bias?    c. Does  data  appear  to  be  of  high  quality?    d. Is  the  research  design  transparent,  and  does  it  follow  the  scientific  method?  e. Do  the  findings  of  the  paper  contribute  to  an  ongoing  scientific  conversation  in  a  

meaningful  way?    7. Apply  concepts  learned  to  new  situations  by:  

i) Taking  geochemical  content  learned  in  class  and  recognizing  alternate  applications  in  the  scientific,  peer-­‐reviewed,  literature  

 

A  typical  week:    Your  weekly  grade  will  be  based  on  your  completion  of,  and  performance  on,  the  tasks  outlined  below.      

• Preparations  for  class:    o Find  an  article  in  a  peer  reviewed  journal  that  is  relevant  to  the  topic  discussed  in  class  

the  previous  week  (i.e.,  going  into  week  two  you  will  find  an  article  about  supervolcanoes;  going  into  week  three  you  will  find  an  article  about  trace  elements)  

o Claim  your  article  on  Moodle  to  ensure  everyone  has  a  unique  contribution  in  class  o Update  RefWorks  to  include  your  journal  article  o Create  an  article  overview  sheet  and  prepare  to  discuss  your  findings  with  the  class  o Complete  reading  assignments  in  your  textbook  (occasionally  supplemental  materials)    o Create  discussion  contributions;  one  must  be  related  to  the  assigned  reading    and  the  

other  must  relate  to  your  journal  article  • Typical  submission  timeline:  

o Claim  your  article  on  Moodle  ASAP,  to  ensure  you  can  work  with  your  top  choice  o Update  RefWorks  ASAP  o Submit  discussion  contributions  via  Moodle  at  least  24  hours  before  class  meets  o Submit  your  article  overview  sheet  at  least  24  hours  before  class  meets  

• In  Class:  o Begin  with  a  partner  or  small  group  discussion  of  your  article  (content,  info  lit)  o Partners  share  highlights  of  each  other’s  article  presentation  with  the  large  group  o Large  group  discussion  of  articles  (relevant  to  last  week’s  main  topic)  o Mini-­‐lecture  on  new  topic  of  the  week  (relevant  to  assigned  reading)  o Activities  or  in-­‐class  problem  sets  as  applicable  

 Teaching  Philosophy:  I  am  a  strong  proponent  of  “active  learning,”  and  “challenge-­‐based  learning.”  I  firmly  believe  that  things  “stick”  best  when  you  learn  by  doing.  There  will  be  frequent  opportunities  to  exercise  agency  and  identify  subtopics  and  examples  that  you  find  to  be  particularly  interesting  and  relevant.  This  approach  to  teaching  and  learning  has  huge  benefits,  but  it  requires  a  great  deal  of  participation,  cooperation,  enthusiasm,  and  preparation  on  your  part.  I  thank  you  in  advance.      

Geology  321  syllabus   3  

 

Talkin’  rocks:  I’m  here  for  you!  I’m  very  happy  to  discuss  the  course,  assignments,  your  experience,  and  this  crazy  planet  of  ours.  You  are  invited  to  stop  by  my  office  or  research  lab  for  casual  drop-­‐in  meetings.  If  you  prefer  more  definite  plans,  please  let  me  know  and  we  can  set  up  an  appointment.  My  preferred  times  for  meetings  (scheduled  or  casual)  are  Monday  afternoons  and  Wednesday  mornings.      I’m  also  happy  to  communicate  via  email.  I’m  not  big  on  formality,  but  I  do  ask  for  a  salutation,  a  sign-­‐off,  and  a  response  in  all  of  our  email  exchanges.  I  will  strive  to  respond  to  your  emails  promptly,  but  please  know  that  I  will  likely  wait  until  morning  to  respond  to  emails  received  after  I  leave  Van  Wickle  for  the  evening.  Plan  ahead!    

Technology  in  the  classroom:  It’s  not  the  Stone  Age  anymore.  We  live  in  an  amazing  technological  era,  and  we  will  make  use  of  many  electronic  resources  (e.g.,  RefWorks,  Google  Earth,  Excel,  ThingLink,  Moodle,  etc.)  during  our  time  together.  However,  there  is  a  time  and  a  place  for  everything.  As  a  general  rule,  please  consider  our  classroom  to  be  a  screen  free  zone.  I  will  be  very  clear  about  times  when  laptops  and  phones  (or  similar)  may  be  used  in  the  classroom  (or  field).  Otherwise,  I  ask  that  you  come  to  class  ready  to  participate  in  discussions  and  activities  and  critical  thinking  exercises  without  the  crutch  or  distraction  of  a  tool  with  a  power  button.        Moodle:  We  will  use  Moodle  frequently—for  communication,  daily  reading  assignments,  resource  distribution,  surveys  and  polls,  assignment  submissions,  grade  reporting,  etc.  Please  familiarize  yourself  with  Moodle,  and  please  let  me  know  if  you  have  any  questions  or  concerns.    Moodle  Disclaimer:  Moodle  contains  student  information  that  is  protected  by  the  Family  Educational  Right  to  Privacy  Act  (FERPA).  Disclosure  to  unauthorized  parties  violates  federal  privacy  laws.  Courses  using  Moodle  will  make  student  information  visible  to  other  students  in  this  class.  Please  remember  that  this  information  is  protected  by  these  federal  privacy  laws  and  must  not  be  shared  with  anyone  outside  the  class.    Academic  Honesty:  Integrity  is  of  paramount  importance,  and  I  hold  it  in  the  highest  regard.  It’s  okay  (even  encouraged,  and  often  required!)  to  struggle  with  coursework.  It’s  not  okay  (never,  ever)  to  compromise  your  academic  integrity.  Any  work  you  submit  must  be  of  your  own  creation.  The  ideas  you  put  forth  in  discussion  and  the  answers  you  provide  on  homework  or  exams  must  be  your  original  thoughts;  otherwise,  credit  must  be  given  where  credit  is  due  (citing  published  work,  or  acknowledging  your  peers  for  their  intellectual  contributions).  Any  perceived  breach  of  academic  integrity  will  be  reported  to  the  chair  of  the  Geology  and  Environmental  Geoscience  Department  and  to  the  Dean  of  Students.  Consult  the  Lafayette  College  Student  Handbook  for  further  information.      

     Academic  Accommodation:  I  am  happy  to  discus  appropriate  accommodations  that  you  may  require  to  be  successful  in  this  course.  I  ask  that  you  contact  the  ATTIC  (attic@lafayette.edu,  610-­‐330-­‐5098)  and  involve  them  in  in  determining  and  facilitating  an  action  plan  as  soon  as  possible.              

4   Geology  321  syllabus  

 

Timeliness:  We  will  spend  a  lot  of  class  time  thinking  about  and  discussing  geologic  time.  In  practice,  though,  I  ask  that  you  operate  on  social  contract  time.  Be  punctual  for  class  and  fieldtrips  (especially  fieldtrips!).  Work  will  typically  be  collected  via  Moodle  submission  portals  that  have  explicit  submission  deadlines.  Occasionally,  you  will  need  to  submit  physical  copies  of  work  at  the  beginning  of  the  designated  class  period.  Late  work  will  be  accepted  until  graded  work  is  returned  to  your  classmates,  but  there  will  be  penalties  for  tardiness:  5%  if  late  on  deadline  day,  10%  every  day  thereafter.  In  addition  to  this  official  late  policy  for  assignments,  please  note  that  late  submission  of  your  work  will  likely  have  a  negative  impact  your  ability  to  successfully  participate  in  class  activities  and  discussion,  which  will  in  turn  impact  your  class-­‐based  grade  for  the  week.      Attendance:  Come  to  class.  Attend  fieldtrips.  I  will  accept  dean-­‐approved  absences  as  necessary,  but  please  know,  in-­‐class  participation  is  a  crucial  element  of  your  success  in  this  course.      

Grading  policy  and  a  breakdown  of  the  numbers:  Above  and  beyond  

expectations  Good,  high-­‐quality  work   Sufficient;  baseline  

expectations  met   Room  for  improvement  

A   A-­‐   B+   B   B-­‐   C+   C   C-­‐   D+   D   D-­‐  94%   90%   87%   84%   80%   77%   74%   70%   67%   64%   60%  These  numbers  indicate  the  minimum  score  that  must  be  earned  for  each  corresponding  letter  grade.  Grades  are  firm  (no  

rounding!)  and  non-­‐negotiable.  Take  advantage  of  extra  credit  and  opportunities  to  redo  work  for  partial  credit.      Extra  Credit:  You  may  add  a  maximum  of  5%  extra  credit  towards  your  final  grade  over  the  course  of  the  semester  (this  is  significant—take  advantage!).  All  extra  credit  work  must  be  submitted  via  Moodle  by  the  last  day  of  class.      Brown  Bag  Seminars  (or  similar):  A  short  write  up  (2  pages,  1  inch  margins,  1.5  spacing,  size  11  font)  can  be  turned  in  for  a  maximum  of  0.5%  extra  credit  towards  your  final  grade.  The  write  up  must  contain:  (1)  a  summary  of  the  lecture;  (2)  an  overview  of  issues  you  found  particularly  interesting;  and  (3)  questions  you  have  related  to  the  content  of  the  lecture.                      Photos  in  order  of  appearance:    NW  Arizona,  landscape  shaped  by  supereruption  of  the  Peach  Spring  Tuff;    Whole  rock  isotope  analysis  preparations  at  Washington  State  University  Boiling  mud  pots  in  Northern  Iceland  Photo:  in  situ  analysis  of  oxygen  isotopes  in  zircon  at  UCLA  Geothermal  springs  on  Satsuma  Iwo  Jima,  Japan