GEO 1001: Earth and its Environments

Section 002 (Martin Saar)

EARTH and its EnvironmentsGEOLOGY 1001 – Section 002

Spring 2006: 4 Credits

This course satisfies the Physical Science Core with Laboratory and the Environment theme of the Liberal Education requirements

Instructor:Martin Saar21 Pillsbury Hall,Telephone: 625-7332, E-mail: saar@umn.edu

Office Hours:By an appointment

Assistant Professorof Geology & Geophysics

Areas of research:• geophysical fluid mechanics• volcanology• hydrogeology• hydroseismicity

M.S.: U. of Oregon, 1998Ph.D.: U.C. Berkeley, 2003Postdoc: U. of Michigan, 2004Faculty at UMN since 2005

Courses taught:

• Intro Geology at UO (2000)• Advanced Hydrogeology at UO (2000)• Seminar on heat and fluid flow at UMN (2005)• Hydrofield camp at UMN (2005)• Hydrogeology at UMN (2005)

Course Web Site:www.geo.umn.edu/courses/1001/1001_saar

Contains:

• Syllabus• Announcements• Class Schedule

- lecture outlines- reading assignments- quiz dates

• Quiz Info + Grades- study gudes- answer keys- grades

• Links

you are responsible to check the website regularly for updated information, quiz grades and answers, announcements, etc

I will try and post lecture outlines by the day before class but at the latest themorning of class so that you can print them out and bring them to the lecture.

Lab 35%

3 best of 4 in-lecture quizzes 45% (3x15%)

Comprehensive Final Quiz 20%

Course Grades

Quizzes will be short (25 minute) closed-book exams that cover material from lecture, text, and material posted on the website.

The quizzes will be a combination of multiple choice, and true/false questions. 

Only the best 3 of the 4 in-lecture quizzes will count towards your grade. Do not skip the first in-lecture quiz because this almost always comes back to haunt people!

THE COMPREHENSIVE FINAL QUIZ CANNOT BE DROPPED.

Extra-credits and make-up assignments

Each in-lecture quiz (quizzes 1 - 4) will include about 1 or 2 extra credit questions. Beyond this there will not be any extra credits or make-up assignments for any individual student as that would be unfair to fellow students.

The only exceptions to this rule are due to documented illnesses or athletic commitments where an official notification from the athletic department is presented BEFORE the student is missing the quiz.

More About Grades

• Grades will follow the university’s system incorporating (+) and (-) letter grades.

• If you take the course on an S-N basis, an 'S' will be equivalent to a 'C-'

Title: Geology – An introduction toPhysical Geology

Authors: Chernicoff and WhitneyEditions: 4th (Prentice Hall)

3rd is OK (Houghton Mifflin)

Available at Book Store in Coffman MemorialUnion and at the Book Store on the corner

of 15th and University

Text

Available only at the University Bookstore in Coffman Memorial Union in the same area as the lecture texts. You must pick up the lab manual, which costs $14, before

the first lab.

Labs do NOT meet until Monday, January 23!

Lab Manual

Earth and Its EnvironmentsGoals:

A good understanding of how the Earth’s major geologic processes work and how they interact with society

Show that there is solid comprehensible evidence to support our explanations

An understanding of how science and the scientific method works

Some Topics That Will be Covered

• Origin of the Elements, Solar System, and Earth

• Plate Tectonics• Geologic Time• Volcanoes and Earthquakes• Composition and Structure of Deep Interior• Water (Rivers, Oceans, Glaciers, &

Groundwater)• Ice Ages and Climate Change

[go to course web site]

Why Study Earth Sciences?

[E1]

Why Study Geology?Protect Ourselves

Why Study Geology?

Improve Planet’s Standard of Living

Why Study Geology?

CuriosityUnderstand Our Surroundings

Geology: What is it?

• Study of the Earth• Surface Processes• Ocean floor• Interior of the Earth

• Present Day and History of Earth

Earth has evolved throughout its 4.5 billion year history

Our Changing Planet• The planet has been transformed in its long

history

• All the Earth’s components, atmosphere, hydrosphere, the solid earth and the biosphere have changed with time and are changing now

• The planets characteristics and composition of various parts have changed with time

Some major global changes with time

The physical geology of the Earth is modified through time by processes driven by two sources of ENERGY

What Drives Geological Processes?

1. Internal Energy of the Earth

Formation of Solar Systemand the Earth

2. External Energy from the Sun

The Earth’s Four Connected Systemsincludes humans and theirproducts (technology)

Fast and Slow Rates fast slow

• Atmosphere cloud form. ice ages

• Hydrosphere flash flood deep ocean

circulation

• Biosphere lifetime of growth ofgrass forest

• Geosphere earthquake mountain

formation

Indonesian City ofBanda Aceh

Before thetsunami and …

… after thetsunami ofDec. 26, 2004

Indonesian City ofBanda Aceh

Before thetsunami and …

… after thetsunami ofDec. 26, 2004

The tsunami of Dec. 26, 2004 1/6

The tsunami of Dec. 26, 2004 2/6

The tsunami of Dec. 26, 2004 3/6

The tsunami of Dec. 26, 2004 4/6

The tsunami of Dec. 26, 2004 5/6

The tsunami of Dec. 26, 2004 6/6