GY202 — Introduction to Petrology
Block#5
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Professor |
Paraprof: |
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Jeff Noblett |
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Palmer Hall 6 x6516 |
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jnoblett@ColoradoCollege.edu |
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home: 444-0441 |
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Office Hours: most of the day everyday, or by chance, or by appointment
Place in the Curriculum: GY202 is a required course for the geology major, and for good reason.
Why Study Petrology, Anyway?: Petrology is the study of the nature of rocks and the processes that form the rocks that comprise the Earth. The rock-forming processes we will consider — those that produce igneous, sedimentary and metamorphic rocks — reflect, either directly or indirectly, the production and redistribution of heat within the earth. Since plate tectonics operates as an efficient heat-loss mechanism for the Earth, the study of petrology is fundamental to understanding the large-scale geodynamics of our planet.
Scope of the Course: The course seeks to illustrate what we consider to be the most important rock-forming processes. We hope to convince you that igneous, sedimentary, metamorphic rocks form by distinct but analogous processes. For example, the process of differentiation — the selective addition or removal of minerals and/or chemical components — occurs in all three-rock systems, although the mechanisms of differentiation in each system are distinct. We will examine rock-forming processes in a systematic way beginning in the source region and ending with the formation of a rock or rock package. You will learn how use some basic physical and chemical tools employed by petrologists to understand the evolution of a rock suite. The goals for this class are to give you: 1) a meaningful sampling of the approaches and philosophy behind petrologic studies; 2) an appreciation for the diversity, complexity and geological significance of the rocks that comprise the earth; 3) a basis for understanding the importance of petrology in the earth sciences; and 4) to provide you with an opportunity to further develop your written and oral communication skills by working in groups, writing solutions to problems and discussing concepts with your colleagues (you know, your classmates) and with us (you know, the instructors). This course is not meant to be a comprehensive account of petrology — such a goal is unrealistic for a one-block course. There are upper level classes that focus on the petrology of igneous, sedimentary and metamorphic rock systems.
Acknowledgement: The inspiration, development, organization, many of the exercises and the Island Arc Project are largely due to the efforts of Professor Dave Hawkins, now at Denison University. We created this class during the 1998 and 1999 years when he was a visitor at Colorado College.
Textbooks and Materials:
REQUIRED TEXTS:
Blatt, tracy, Petrology
Optical text from Mineralogy
REQUIRED MATERIALS:
hand lens, calculator, straight edge,
acid bottle (we’ll supply the acid)
Meeting Times & Places: Morning sessions will begin at 9:00 am and Afternoon sessions will begin at 1:15 pm. We will meet in Palmer 18.
Attendance is mandatory for ALL sessions. Period.
Honor Code Issues: The Honor Code applies to this course in the usual manner. I encourage you to work with your classmates on those exercises designed for group study. However, on such exercises you are responsible for developing your own understanding of the material. For example, if strategies for solving a problem arise from collaboration (as they should), it is your responsibility to critically and independently evaluate those strategies in your written assignments. Because many of the exercises have finally reached a decent state, you are also required not to talk with former students from this class or review their work.
Grades: The grading scheme reflects the goals of the course and our belief that a variety of exercises evens the playing field for students with diverse backgrounds and skills. No one exercise exerts significant influence on the final grade, although the summary paper for the island arc project is very important. Note that 60% of your grade will be based on work you do with your classmates. The remaining 40% of the grade will be based on individual projects.
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Class Participation |
5% |
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Daily Exercises (15) |
30% |
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Island Arc Project |
45% |
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Igneous Component |
15% |
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Sedimentary Component |
15% |
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Metamorphic Component |
15% |
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Final Paper |
20% |
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100% |
These comments from Introduction to Petrology were in response to the question: “What could you as a student have done to make petrology a better learning experience for yourself?
“I would approach each problem set and lab assuming that it was reasonable and that I could do it, instead of wasting time listening to classmates complain”
“I would have tried to work harder on knowing the optical properties and background information about the rocks we looked at”
“I could have known the optical properties of minerals better, petrography must be approached intelligently”
“I need to know mineral properties better” “I would have been more systematic with optical properties”
Assignment Schedule
DAILY EXERCISES (collaborative work) ASSIGNED DUE†
1) Optical Mineralogy 1/20 1/2215pm
2) Rock Identification 1/21 1/22
3) Mantle Melting 1/22 1/23
4) Crystal Settling 1/22 1/23
5) Reactions in Igneous Rocks 1/23 1/24
6) Igneous Crystallization 1/23 1/24
7) Mixing Processes 1/25 1/25 3pm
8) Volcanic Rocks 1/27 1/27 5pm
9) Sedimentary Rocks 1/29 1/30
10) Sedimentary Differentiation 1/30 1/31
11) Chemical Weathering 1/31 1/31 3pm
12) Metamorphic Rocks 2/4 2/5
13) Metamorphic Reactions and P-T Paths 2/5 2/6
14) Petrogenetic Grid 2/5 2/6
15) Geothermometry 2/6 2/7
† all daily exercises are due at 9:00 am unless otherwise noted
ISLAND ARC PROJECT ASSIGNED DUE†
Igneous Component (collaborative work) 1/23 1/28@3pm
Sedimentary Component (collaborative work) 1/29 2/3@3pm
Metamorphic Component (collaborative work) 2/4 2/7@ 3pm
FINAL PAPER (individual work) due last day of the block at noon