Stanley A. Mertzman
Franklin & Marshall College
Department of Earth And Environment
Geology 321, Mineralogy
Fall Semester, 2011
TEACHER: Dr. Stan Mertzman
Office: Hackman-121A
Office hours: M and Th: 12:30 to 2:30 PM; Th: 10:00 to Noon; F: 1:00 to 2:30 PM.
Telephone: At School: 291-3818; At Home: 295-1290
E-mail: Stan.Mertzman@fandm.edu (the best most reliable way to contact me and receive a quick meaningful answer). I do not own a cell phone so texting is not a viable alternative.
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Course Texts:
1) Earth Materials (2010) by Kevin Hefferan and John O’Brien.
2) Simon & Schuster’s Guide to Rocks and Minerals 29Pbk.
2) Petrography of Igneous and Metamorphic Rocks (1989) by A. R. Philpotts
No computers for note taking during class. Buy yourself a notebook for this course. The notes you take will be the first item you ought to review in preparation for the exams. Also get in the habit of turning your cell phone off and going to the bathroom before you come to my 9:00 AM class. Class convenes in H-111; Lab convenes in H-111 at 1:30 PM beginning Wednesday, August 31, 2011. You will be given a hand lens for your personal use during this course. Please remember to bring it with you for labs and field trips.
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. Attendance at all labs, as always, is mandatory.
Grading: 20% for each of two one-hour exams,
25% for the final exam,
25% for the lab portion of course which includes three quizzes,
10% for class participation and homework assignments
Examination Schedule: Friday, September 30, 2011; Friday, November 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. This material should be read prior to coming to the class meeting. EM = Earth Materials textbook, RM = Rocks and Minerals, P = the Philpotts text.
Date Topic Chapter and pages
Aug 31 Overview, Identification Process EM: Preface + Ch. 5, pp 111-144; RM: 31-61
Sept. 2 Physical properties, Silicate minerals EM: Ch. 5, pp. 111-144; RM: 31-61; P: 26-29
Date Topic Chapter and pages
Sept. 5 Physical properties, Silicate minerals EM: Ch. 5, pp. 111-144; RM: 31-61; P: 26-29
Sept. 7 Non-silicate minerals EM: Ch. 5, pp. 111-144; RM: 31-61; P: 26-29
Sept. 9 Minerals in context EM: Ch. 1, pp. 1-18
Sept. 12 World view- plate tectonics EM: Ch. 1, pp. 1-18
Sept. 14 Atoms, elements, ions… EM: Ch. 2, pp. 19-45
Sept. 16 Atoms, elements, ions… EM: Ch. 2, pp. 19-45
Sept. 19 Atoms, elements, ions … EM: Ch. 2, pp. 19-45
Sept. 21 Ionic substitution, phase diagrams EM: Ch. 3, pp. 46-74 + handouts
Sept. 23 Ionic substitution, phase diagrams EM: Ch. 3, pp. 46-74 + handouts
Sept. 26 Ionic substitution, phase diagrams EM: Ch. 3, pp. 46-74 + handouts
Sept. 28 Ionic substitution, phase diagrams EM: Ch. 3, pp. 46-74 + handouts
Sept. 30 Examination #1.
Oct. 3 Phase diagrams, isotopes EM: Ch. 3, pp. 46-74 + Handouts
Oct. 5 Phase diagrams, isotopes EM: Ch. 3, pp. 46-74 + Handouts
Oct. 7 Phase diagrams, isotopes EM: Ch. 3, pp. 46-74 + Handouts
Oct. 10 Phase diagrams, isotopes EM: Ch. 3, pp. 46-74 + Handouts
Oct. 12 Phase diagrams, isotopes EM: Ch. 3, pp. 46-74 + Handouts
Oct. 14 Crystallography EM: Ch. 4, pp. 75-110 + handout
Oct. 17 NO CLASS (Fall Break)
Oct. 19 Crystallography EM: Ch. 4, pp. 75-110 + handout
Oct. 21 Crystallography EM: Ch. 4, pp. 75-110 + handout
Oct. 24 Crystallography EM: Ch. 4, pp. 75-110 + handout
Oct. 26 Crystallography EM: Ch. 4, pp. 75-110 + handout
Oct. 28 Crystallography EM: Ch. 4, pp. 75-110 + handout
Oct 31 Crystallography EM: Ch. 4, pp. 75-110 + handout
Nov. 2 Crystallography EM: Ch. 4, pp. 75-110 + handout
Nov. 4 Examination #2.
Nov. 7 Optical Mineralogy EM: Ch. 6, pp. 145-181; P: pp. 4-24
Nov. 9 Optical Mineralogy EM: Ch. 6, pp. 145-181; P: pp. 4-24
Nov. 11 Optical Mineralogy EM: Ch. 6, pp. 145-181; P: pp. 4-24
Nov. 14 Optical Mineralogy EM: Ch. 6, pp. 145-181; P: pp. 4-24 + handouts
Nov. 16 Optical Mineralogy EM: Ch. 6, pp. 145-181; P: pp. 4-24
Nov. 18 Optical Mineralogy EM: Ch. 6, pp. 145-181; P: pp. 4-24
Date Topic Chapter and pages
Nov. 21 Optical Mineralogy EM: Ch. 6, pp. 145-181; P: pp. 4-24
Nov. 23 THANKSGIVING BREAK
Nov. 25 THANKSGIVING BREAK
Nov. 28 Sedimentary Rocks EM: Ch. 11, pp. 295-327; RM: entries 323-347
Nov. 30 Sedimentary Rocks EM: Ch. 11, pp. 295-327; RM: entries 323-347
Dec. 2 Igneous Rocks EM: Ch. 7, pp. 182-211; RM: entries 277-322
Dec. 5 Igneous Rocks EM: Ch. 7, pp. 182-211; RM: entries 277-322
Dec. 7 Metamorphic rocks EM: Ch. 15, pp. 438-454; RM: entries 352-377
Dec. 9 Metamorphic rocks EM: Ch. 15, pp. 438-454; RM: entries 352-377
A simple introduction to rocks can be found in RM, pp. 414-438. Please peruse.
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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 early October, the week before fall break. Also, please make sure you and/or your parents do not schedule winter break vacation travel until you know your final exam schedule. The final exam period is Wednesday December 14 through Sunday December 18, 2011.
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LABORATORY SYLLABUS
The following syllabus lists the assigned readings for each lab session. This material should be read prior to coming to the lab. EM = Earth Materials; RM = Rocks and Minerals; P = Philpotts.
Date TYPE OF EXERCISE WE'LL BE DOING Reading Assignment
Aug 31 Mineral Identification: silicates RM: pp. 31-61; entries #157-274.
Sept 7 Mineral Identification: non-silicates RM: entries #1-156
Sept 14 Field Trip to the dumps of the old Cornwall Iron Mine courtesy of the HK Group, Inc.
Sept 21 Field Trip to the Penn / MD Quarry courtesy of the HK Group, Inc.
Sept 28 X-ray diffraction analysis (XRD) Handout
Oct 5 Mineral ID quiz #1: silicates (First 1/3-1/2 of lab)
Thermal gravimetric analysis (TGA) Handout
Date TYPE OF EXERCISE WE'LL BE DOING Reading Assignment
Oct 12 Mineral ID quiz #2: non-silicates (First 1/3-1/2 of lab)
Introduction to external symmetry EM: Ch 4, pp. 75-100; RM: 8-31
External planar symmetry and M. C. Escher Handout
Oct 19 External symmetry continued EM: Ch 4, pp. 75-100; RM: 8 -31 Tetragonal, orthorhombic, and hexagonal systems Handout
Oct 26 External symmetry continued EM: Ch 4, pp. 75-100; RM: 8-31
Isometric, monoclinic, triclinic systems Handout
Nov 2 External symmetry ID quiz (First ½ of lab)
Introduction to the petrographic microscope EM: CH. 6, pp. 145-181; P: 1-24
Nov 9 2nd microscope lab EM: CH. 6, pp. 145-181; P: 1-24
Nov 16 3rd microscope lab EM: CH. 6, pp. 145-181; P: 1-24
Nov 23 No Lab. Thanksgiving Holiday.
Nov 30 4th microscope lab—a wrap up EM: CH. 6, pp. 145-181; P: 1-24
Dec 7 Optics lab quiz (have entire period if needed)
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There is much new knowledge to be discovered in a mineralogy course. To provide you hope that you can survive and potentially do well in this course, please peruse pp. 26-29 in the Philpotts’ spiral bound book. That summary provides you a checklist. If you can write a paragraph about each of those minerals in terms of what it tells you about the geologic situation in which it was found together with how you distinguish it from all the other minerals in the neighborhood, you will do well in this course.
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