Stanley A. Mertzman
Franklin and Marshall College
Department of Earth and Environment
Geology 110, The Dynamic Earth
Spring Semester, 2011
TEACHER: Dr. Stan Mertzman
Office: Hackman Physical Sciences Building – Room 121A
Office hours: M and F: 12:30-2:30 PM, T and Th: 10:00 - Noon, or by appointment.
Telephone: at School: 291-3818. at Home: 295-1290
E-mail: (the easiest and most reliable method to contact me!)
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My goal in this course is to help you arrive at an understanding of how the Earth operates as an evolving planet. My wish for you is that, as a result of doing well in this course, you will be able to understand how and why the landscape around you looks the way it does regardless of where you might be standing at the time.
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Course Text: Understanding Earth, 6th Edition by John Grotzinger and Tom Jordan (2010)
Lab Text: Laboratory Manual In Physical Geology: Geology, 8th Edition, Edited by R. M. Busch (2009)
Class convenes in Hackman-131; Lab convenes in Hackman-115 at 1:30 PM beginning Tuesday, January 25, 2011. PowerPoint presentations will be placed on e-disk the same day they are used in either class or lab. You will have access to them for the entire semester.
Attendance Policy: You are permitted 3 un-excused absences from class during the term. The 4th absence will cause your final grade to diminish by 1/3 of a letter grade and so on. Attendance at all labs (as always) is mandatory.
Grading: 15% for each of two lecture period exams
25% for the final exam
25% for the lab portion of course that includes two lab quizzes, the geophysics experiment lab report, and your weekly performance in lab
10% for class participation and
10% for the class writing assignment (see additional handout)
Examination Schedule: Monday, February 21, 2011
Monday, April 4, 2011
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The following syllabus lists the assigned lecture readings for each class meeting together with the
appropriate pages in the textbook to be read prior to coming to the class meeting.
Date Topic Chapter and Pages
Jan. 19 Course introduction Preface, xxiii-xxxv; Ch.1, pp. 1-23
Jan. 21 Building a planet Ch. 1, pp. 1-23
Date Topic Chapter and Pages
Jan. 24 Plate tectonics I Ch. 2, pp. 25-42
Jan. 26 Plate tectonics II Ch. 2, pp. 42-53
Jan. 28 Minerals Ch. 3, pp. 55-74, Append. 3 & 4,
pp. AP-3 through AP-8
Jan. 31 Rock forming minerals; rocks Ch. 3, pp. 74-87
Feb. 2 Igneous rocks Ch. 4, pp. 89-100
Feb. 4 Igneous rocks Ch. 4, pp. 100-111
Feb. 7 Volcanism I Ch. 12, pp. 305-318
Feb. 9 Volcanism II Ch. 12, pp. 318-335
Feb. 11 Mount. St. Helens and Mount Pinatubo--Case studies
Feb. 14 Weathering and erosion Ch. 16, pp. 421-435
Feb. 16 Sedimentary rocks Ch. 5, pp. 113-145
Feb. 18 Metamorphism and metamorphic rocks Ch. 6, pp. 147-165
Feb. 21 àHOUR EXAMINATION #1ß
Feb. 23 Deformation Ch. 7, pp. 167-189
Feb. 25 Time and Geology Ch. 8, pp. 191-213
Feb. 28 Early solar system history Ch. 9, pp. 215-243
March 2 How continents form Ch. 10, pp. 245-273
March 4 Geobiology Ch. 11, pp. 275-303
March 7 Earthquakes Ch. 13, pp. 337-351
March 9 More about earthquakes Ch. 13, pp. 351-367
March 11 Seismology Ch. 14, pp. 369-391
SPRING BREAK: Friday March 11, 4:20 PM until Monday March 21, 2011 at 8:00 AM
March 21 The broad topic of climate system Ch. 15, pp. 393-419
March 23 Rock and soil mass movements Ch. 16, pp. 435-453
March 25 Groundwater and the hydrologic cycle Ch. 17, pp. 455-481
March 28 Streams: erosion, transport, deposition Ch. 18, pp. 483-511
March 30 Streams: erosion, transport, deposition Ch. 18, pp. 483-511
April 1 Catch-up Day
April 4 àHOUR EXAMINATION #2ß
April 6 Winds and deserts, Part 1 Ch. 19, pp. 513-520
April 8 Winds and deserts, Part 2 Ch. 19, pp. 520-533
Date Topic Chapter and Pages
April 11 Tides and currents Ch. 20, pp. 535-548
April 13 Shorelines Ch. 20, pp. 548-567
April 15 Glacial activity and landscapes Ch. 21, pp. 569-580
April 18 Glacial activity and landscapes Ch. 21, pp. 580-597
April 20 Landscapes Part 1 Ch. 22, pp. 599-611
April 22 Landscapes Part 2 Ch. 22, pp. 611-621
April 25 Humans and the Holocene continued. Ch. 23, pp. 623-642
April 27 Humans and the Holocene still continued. Ch. 23, pp. 642-654
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The final examination in this course is scheduled by the Registrar's Office, not by your instructor. Please check the time and place of the exam on the "final exam schedule" which usually becomes available in late February / early March, just before the beginning of spring break. The final exam period is Tuesday May 3 through Saturday May 7, 2011.
LABORATORY SYLLABUS
The following syllabus lists the schedule of laboratory exercises together with the appropriate pages in the
Lab Manual (LM) and the Lecture Text (LT). Read over the material prior to coming to lab; do not work
out the exercises unless they are specifically assigned. Do lab work in pencil, not pen. NB: The labs after March 11, 2009 may be re-arranged a bit depending on the weather.
Date Type Of Exercise We'll Be Doing Reading Assignment
Jan. 25 Minerals - How to tell one from another LT: Ch. 3, LM: Lab #3, pp. 47–74.
Feb. 1 Magma crystallization and igneous rocks LT: Ch. 4, LM: Lab #4 and #5,
pp. 75-88 and pp. 89-108.
Feb. 8 Sedimentary rocks LT: Ch.5, LM: Lab #6, pp.109-132.
Feb. 15 Metamorphic rocks LT: Ch 6, LM: Lab #7, pp.133-150.
Date Type Of Exercise We'll Be Doing Reading Assignment
Feb. 22 The Geologic time scale constructed LT: inside front cover and p. 207;
on the Williamson football field or in LM: see p. 4.
the hallways of the Hackman Bldg.
March 1 àRock and mineral quiz followed by “Volcanoes of the Deep”ß
March 8 Potholes field trip Lab hand out
or
The basics of topographic maps LM: Lab #9, pp.167-191.
(Need pencil with eraser, 6" plastic ruler)
****SPRING BREAK Friday March 11, 4:20 PM until Monday March 21, 2011 at 8:00 AM****
March 22 Chickies Rock Field Trip Lab handout
or
The basics of topographic maps LM: Lab #9, pp.167-191.
(Need pencil with eraser, 6" plastic ruler)
March 29 Seismology Lab: Chickies Rock Park Lab handout
April 5 Geologic structures, maps and block LT: Ch 7,
diagrams LM: Lab #10, pp. 195-212.
April 12 Conoy Creek field trip Lab handout
April 19 Indian Echo Cavern Fieldtrip Lab handout
April 26 àSecond lab quiz (No rocks or minerals)ß
