University of San Diego

ENVIRONMENTAL STUDIES 110 LAB / Introduction to Earth Systems 

Fall 2010

 

LAB INSTRUCTORS:

 

Thursday Lab (ST 262): Warren Smith

Office: Shiley 250 and ST262

Email: usdwarrens@gmail.com

Office hours: Thursday 1:30-2:30 and by appointment

 

Friday Lab (ST262): Ray Rector

Office: Shiley 262 (the lab)

Email: geoprof@terrasonics.com

Office hours: Friday 1:30-2:30 and by appointment

 

TEXTBOOKS & SUPPLIES

Required textbooks:

1. AGI and NAGT, Laboratory Manual in Physical Geology, 8th ed.

2. Baker-Treloar, USD Course Materials ENVI 110 L (Lab Reader).

 

Supplies:

Sharp pencils, eraser, field notebook, ruler calibrated in metric and English units (always have in lab), protractor, and calculator (No cell phones allowed for calculations during exams)

 

Required field trips

 

1. Tourmaline Beach: Thurs. 9/23 and Fri. 9/24 during lab time.

2. San Diego River: Thurs. 11/4 and Fri. 11/5, during lab time.

3. Desert Field Trip: 7:00 AM Saturday Nov. 13 to Sunday Sun. Nov. 14 ~ 5:00 PM. Transportation provided.  You will need to bring camping equipment and pay a fee (TBA)

 

GRADES

 

Lab grade constitutes 33% of course grade. Lab grade is based on the following (subject to change):

 5%    Weekly prelab assignments and prelab quizzes

15%    Field trip participation and notebook

35%    Lab assignments

45%    Quiz, 2 Exams, and Final

 

POLICIES

1) Attendance & Participation:

Attend your scheduled laboratory section.  If you miss your lab due to an illness you need to get prior permission of both lab instructors in order to attend the other section. Unexcused absences will adversely affect your final grade. No make-up labs.

 

2) Check your email regularly:

Announcements and important information about the course will be sent as email. Please provide your email on the list circulated during the first two lab meetings. 

 

3) Field trips:

The field trips are an essential part of the course, a great learning experience, and a lot of fun.  What you learn on the field trips cannot be replaced by book learning or writing a paper.  NO STUDENT CAN PASS THIS COURSE WITHOUT ATTENDING THE REQUIRED FIELD TRIPS.  If you are ill on the field trip dates, you will need a doctor’s note and you will need to talk to your instructors about arranging alternate field experience to make up for the missed trip.  In most cases, the only alternative field trip will be the ENVI 110 field trip offered the following semester.  In this case you will receive a grade of Incomplete this semester, which will be changed to a grade when you make up the field trip.  No illegal drugs or alcohol will be permitted on field trips.  No one is allowed to drive his or her own car on the weekend field trip.  Field trips during lab time students will be asked to carpool.

                                                                                                                                                                       

                                                                                                                                                            OVERŕ

 

4) Prelabs and assignments:

Prelab assignments are due at 2:30 as you walk into lab.  No prelabs will be accepted after that time. Prelabs are designed to help prepare you for the lab; it is to your advantage to work through each prelab carefully prior to lab, not 15 min. before class starts. There will be unannounced (pop) prelab quizzes. 

Pay attention to when lab assignments are due, some must be turned in before leaving lab, others the following week.  Points deducted for late assignments.

 

5) Communication:

Remember that your instructors are here to help you succeed.  If you are having problems that are affecting your attendance or performance in the class, please communicate with us about the problem as soon as possible. Email correspondence is recommended.

 

6) Academic Integrity: 

You are responsible to have read and fully understand the meaning and expectations of academic integrity.  Any suspected violations of academic integrity will be referred to the Dean of Arts and Sciences and may result in a failing grade for the course.  No probations or second chances will be given.  Please review the Academic Integrity Policy in USD College of Arts and Sciences Handbook

http://www.sandiego.edu/administration/academicaffairs/facultydev/integrity.php

 

 

 

Student Learning Outcomes

 

1) Geologic Time Literacy:  Students will be familiar with the geologic time scale, and will be able to name several of the major time divisions in Earth history.  Students will be able to properly place in sequence several of the major events in Earth history that shaped the San Diego region.  Students will be able to interpret a several kinds of “unconformities” that represent differing scales of missing time in the rock record.

 

2) Survey of Minerals and Rocks: Students will be able to identify and interpret important common rock-forming minerals in hand specimen and rocks.  Students will be able to classify and interpret field specimens of rocks into the three major rock groups. 

 

3) Structural Geology & Geologic Map Literacy: Students will be able to read and interpret geologic maps.  Students will be able to create a crude structural cross section from a geologic map showing interpreted subsurface rocks and structures.  Students will be able to interpret past stress fields from successful identification of a variety of deformation structures.  Emphases will be placed upon understanding the diverse geology of California and the San Diego region.

 

4) Plate Tectonic Processes: Students will be able to identify the major tectonic plates and plate boundaries on a physiographic map of the planet. 

 

5) Topographic Maps and Spatial Literacy: Students will be able to read, interpret, and create topographic maps. Students will be able to accurately draw a topographic profile from a line transect of a topographic map. Students will be familiar with the notion of scale, orientation, and the UTM coordinate system. 

 

6) Landforms: Students will be able to accurately describe large-scale landforms of the planet and relate their structure to underlying geology and surface processes, such as weathering, erosion, mass wasting, and rivers. Students will be able to identify the major landforms and surface processes in landscape images and in the field.

 

7) Weather and Climate: Students will be able to gather weather data using simple weather instruments.  Students will be able to correctly interpret a weather map for pressure centers, wind direction, cold and warm fronts, and general movement of storm systems.  Students will be able to explain why the Earth has seasons.

 

8) Scientific Method: Lab and field exercises will give students the opportunity to develop a basic understanding of scientific method

 

 

 

 

 

ENVI 110: INTRODUCTION TO EARTH SYSTEMS LAB–Fall 2010

Subject to change, includes exam dates

LAB #

Thursday

Friday

 

 

TOPIC

Lab manual in Physical Geology, 8th ed. and Reader

1) Refer to for prelabs

2) Exercises and labs you will work on in lab class

1

 

2 Sept.        3 Sept.

Safety Training

 

Geologic Time / Relative Time

Prelab 1 due (p. 3) at the end of lab (an exception to the rule!)

Reader Exercise: Geologic Time (p. 4-7)

Lab manual: Lab 8 p. 151-160; Lab 10 p. 198 (unconformities)

Geologic Time Scale: p. 4 in lab manual / p. 328 in lecture text

2

 

9 Sept.    10 Sept.

Geologic Time Scale Quiz

Minerals

Igneous Rocks

 

Prelab 2A and 2B due (p. 17 and 18)

Lab Manual: Lab 3 p. 47-69; Reader: p. 19

Lab Manual: Lab 5 p. 89-107; Reader: p. 19

3

 

16 Sept.    17 Sept.

Sedimentary / Metamorphic Rocks

 

(Organize desert field trip groups)

Prelab 3 (p. 22) and Mineral Web assignment due (p. 20-21)

Lab Manual: Lab 6 p.109-118 / Lab 7 p. 133-145

Reader: p. 23

4

 

23 Sept.   24 Sept.

Field Trip: Tourmaline Beach

Sedimentary Environments and Coastal Processes

Prelab 4 due (p. 24)

Bring Tourmaline Beach exercise (p. 25-32 in reader)

 

 

Study Sessions: TBA

 

5

 

30 Sept.

1 Oct.

 

Mineral and Rock Exam

 

Isostasy / Plate Tectonics

Lab Manual: Lab 4 p. 75-86 is a good review

 

Prelab 5 due (p. 8)

Lab Manual: Lab 1 p. 19-27; Lab 2 p. 30-46; Lab 10 p. 198-201

Reader Exercise: Plate Tectonics and Isostasy (p. 9-16)

6

7 Oct.

8 Oct

Earthquakes / Structure

Prelab 6 due (p. 38)

Lab Manual: Lab 16 p. 297-307 / Lab 10 p. 195-201

Reader Exercise: p. 39-46; p. 47-52

 

14 Oct.

15 Oct.

Fall Holiday: Both labs off

Good idea to spend some time reviewing structure

7

 

21 Oct.

22 Oct.

Topographic Maps

 

Prelab 7 (p. 33) and Desert Group Outlines due

Lab Manual: Lab 9 p. 167-191 

Reader Exercise: 34-37

 

 

Study Sessions: TBA

 Review Lab 4 p. 75-81

8

 

28 Oct.

29 Oct.

 

Plate Tectonic / Structure Exam

Geologic Maps

No Prelab due

Reader Exercise: p. 53-56

Lab Manual: Lab 10 p. 195-201

9

4 Nov.

5 Nov.

Field Trip: San Diego River

Prelab 9 due (p. 77)

Reader Exercise: p. 78-82 (bring with you)

10

11 Nov.

12 Nov.

Field Trip Prep

Weather instruments

Prelab 8 due

Bring field notebook and reader to lab

 

Sat.11/13

Sun. 11/14

Mountain-Desert Field Trip

Group presentations in field

Field Notebook due at the end of the trip

11

18 Nov.

19 Nov.

Atmosphere Circulation

 

Prelab 10 due (p. 57) Refer to lecture text for help with prelab

Lab exercise will be handed out in class

 

25 Nov.

26 Nov.

THANKSGIVING HOLIDAY

 

12

2 Dec.

3 Dec.

Weather Maps and Climate

Lab exercise will be handed out in class

 

 

Study Sessions: TBA

 

13

9 Dec.

  10 Dec.

FINAL EXAM

Topo and Geol. Maps; River Trip; Atmosphere and Weather; Desert Field trip

Please bring lab manual in Physical Geology, 8th ed. and “Laboratory Reader” to each lab class.