SPRING 2000

This information effective for Spring 2000.
Check with instructor the first day of class for any changes.

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Earth Sciences

[EART-010-01] [EART-109-01] [EART-130-01] [EART-172-01]

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EART 10/10L - Geologic Principles

Catalog Description

Introduction to earth materials, earth processes, and earth structure: origin of the earth, evolution of the continents and ocean basins, geologic time, world-wide earthquake belts, formation of landscapes and global change. Includes a one-day, optional field trip. General Education Codes: IN, Q.

Detailed Description

Geology is a very natural science, blending elements of chemistry, physics, and biology, and, through interaction of the solid Earth with the atmosphere, drawing in meteorology, oceanography and marine sciences as well. EART10 introduces the basic principles of geology, working from minerals to rocks to processes to earth structure. We will see that our planet works as an interacting system of matter and energy, producing volcanoes, earthquakes, glaciers, mountains, continents and oceans. The energy that drives the system comes from Earth's internal heat and solar radiation. The matter of Earth-its rocks and minerals-and its structure are the relics of Earth system processes evolving over the 4.6 billion years of geologic time. Rocks, and the minerals that comprise them, tell us the story of this evolution. They record ancient volcanism, ancient mountain building events, ancient climates and ancient shifts in landmass position. Reading that story requires knowledge of minerals and rocks, of how familiar processes act to shape the rock record, and of geologic time. The Earth operates over a bewildering range of time scales: from the seconds and minutes of earthquake rupture, to the tens and thousands and millions of years of climate variability, to the billions of years of continental evolution . We will see how processes operating on different time scales, including anthropogenic effects, interact to shape the planet's landforms and biota.

EART10 is a gateway to a major in Earth Sciences. For those of you looking to satisfy an IN or Q requirement, it is the gateway to a greater appreciation of the physical world around you.

Prerequisites: A desire to learn about the natural world you live in.

Instructor

Justin Revenaugh
A101 Earth & Marine Sciences
459-3055
jsr@es.ucsc.edu

Webpages

Course webpages contain complete copies of lectures, all course handouts, lab materials, supplementary materials and notices of help and review sessions. Tests from previous years are also available.

http://es.ucsc.edu/~jsr/EART10

Textbook

The Dynamic Earth, Fourth Edition, by B.J. Skinner and S.C. Porter (available at the bookstore).

All assigned readings come from this book. Included with the book is a collection of black and white reproductions of nearly all of the overheads used in class.

Tests

There are two midterms, breaking the quarter into thirds. They are closed book, consisting of multiple choice and short essay questions. The final will stress material from the final three weeks of class, but will have minor comprehensive elements.

Homework

There will be four homework assignments during the quarter. Help sessions will be scheduled prior to the due date of each.

Final Project

All students participate in a small-group, multimedia projects presented in section during the last week of class. Project themes are chosen by the groups.

Grading

Grading reflects a mix of homework and test scores with specific emphasis placed on the component in which the student performs best. You must, however, pass the tests to pass the class. Attendance and active participation in section is expected.

Syllabus

Week 1 - Introduction to the Earth; Minerals
Week 2 - Igneous Rocks and Volcanism; Sedimentary Rocks
Week 3 - Metamorphic Rocks; The Rock Record and Geologic Tim
Week 4 - First Midterm; Folds and Faults
Week 5 - Mass Wasting; Groundwater and the Hydrologic Cycle
Week 6 - Rivers; Wind and Deserts
Week 7 - Oceans and Coasts; Second Midterm
Week 8 - More Oceans and Coasts; Climate Change and the Fossil Record
Week 9 - Earthquakes; Earth's Interior
Week 10 - Plate Tectonics; More Plate Tectonics

Field Trip

There is an optional field trip to the Pinnacles National Monument tentatively scheduled for the sixth Saturday of the quarter. There is no assignment associated with it. It will be fun, but only if you want to go--that's why it's optional.

Lab

The lab (EART10L) is required of all Earth Science majors, but is optional for non- majors and carries no general education codes . It stresses mineral and rock identification skills, map reading and structural interpretation. Taking it will definitely bolster your understanding and appreciation of lecture material. Non-majors should strongly consider it if it fits your schedule. The lab meets once a week for three hours. There are two short in-lab quizzes and a short lab final. In-lab field trips will be held as weather permits.

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EART 109/109L - Elements of Field Geology

Instructor: Ken Cameron

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EART 130/130L - California Rocks and Tectonics

Instructor: Ken Cameron

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EART 172 - Geophysical Fluid Dynamics

Instructor: Gary A Glatzmaier, Professor of Earth Sciences
Earth and Marine Sciences Building, Room A102
459-5504, glatz@es.ucsc.edu

Check http://www.igpp.lanl.gov/Geodynamo.html for a summary of the instructor's most recent 3D computer modeling simulations of the generation of the geomagnetic field via convection and rotation in the Earth's fluid outer core.

Text: "Introduction to Geophysical Fluid Dynamics" by Benoit Cushman-Roisin

Course description:

This is an introduction to the study of fluid flow, starting with the fundamental concepts of inertia, pressure gradient, buoyancy, viscosity, rotation, and thermodynamics. The general equations governing conservation of mass, momentum, and energy are studied and traditional approximations to these equations are described for various problems. The lectures focus on the different styles of thermal convection and global circulation in the Earth's atmosphere, ocean, mantle, and core. Applications to other terrestrial planets, giant planets, and stars will also be investigated. The students will get hands-on experience developing a computer program for modeling a simple thermal convection problem and analyzing the results of simulations.

Topics by week:

Concepts and equations of fluid dynamics.
Rotational effects.
Geostrophic and barotropic flows.
Viscous boundary layer flows.
Barotropic waves and ocean circulation.
Stratification and convection.
Atmospheric circulation.
Mantle convection.
Core and stellar convection.
Computer modeling projects.

This course is designed for upper-division science majors and graduate students.

Prerequisites (for undergraduates): EART 110C, 111 (or Math 11C or 19A or PHYS 114B), PHYS 5B or 6B.

Recommended: EART 113, PHYS 107, CS 60N.

Student Evaluation: Quizzes, computer modeling project report and presentation, class participation