GEOL 102: Geology of Planet Earth Laboratory
Fall 2015
Instructor: Hannah Cohen
Office hours:
LO 1224 Tuesday 12-2pm, or by appointment
Phone:
Office/818-677-2039; Department Office/818-677-3541
Email:
hannah.cohen.401@my.csun.edu
Course objectives
This course complements the Geology 101 lecture; we will apply concepts learned in lecture to the lab
exercises. The concepts from Geology 101 lecture will not also be taught in this Geology 102 lab. Topics include
the geologic timescale, rock and mineral identification, plate tectonics, topographic maps, natural resources, and
natural hazards.
Required Textbook
Laboratory Manual for Introductory Geology, Third Edition, by Allan Ludman and Stephen Marshak.
You must purchase and bring the required lab manual to class every time. We will be using it.
Attendance and Coming Prepared for Lab
It is essential that you attend all labs, arrive on time, and stay until your group has completed the lab. If you are
more than 30 minutes late, you receive a 15-point deduction for the lab. In order to get credit for the lab, you
must be present when your group lab is submitted to the instructor. THERE ARE NO MAKE-UPS FOR
MISSED LABS.
You will need to go over the assigned readings prior to lab every week; they will be essential to your
success. Bring a notebook and a printed copy of the lab to each class. The labs will be posted on Moodle
every week, but printed copies will not be supplied in the classroom.
The last day to drop the course through SOLAR is September 11, 2015. The last day to drop with a hardcopy
form is September 18, 2015, 4 pm. NO DROPS ARE PERMITTED AFTER THIS DATE.
Lab reports and lab groups
You will usually work in a lab group of four to six people. Each group will turn in one lab report, for which you
will all get the same grade. However, you should bring your own copy and record the answers so that you have
it to study for the exams. Everyone must be a contributing member to their group. If there are problems, I
will resolve them to ensure fairness of grades.
Classroom etiquette
Phones (talking and texting) are a rude distraction during the lab. Please respect me and your classmates and
turn them off during lab. Engage with actual humans instead of your mobile devices. Treat each other and me
with courtesy—and have fun with the lab exercises and making new friends.
Academic Dishonesty
I will not tolerate any form of academic dishonesty. This includes, but is not limited to copying answers
during an exam, plagiarism, facilitating cheating by another student, and altering answers after I have graded
your work. If I find evidence of academic dishonesty, I will report it to the Office of the Vice President for
Student Affairs and recommend either a letter of admonishment or disciplinary action. If you are caught
cheating on an exam or assignment, you will receive a failing grade for the exam or assignment AND will receive
a full grade deduction the entire course.
Grading
This is a hybrid lab class; this means that some labs, as well as supplemental information for the class will be
online (Moodle). You must have access to a computer and the internet, and you must check Moodle and your
email regularly for updates and communications regarding this class. Attendance is mandatory for the in class
labs.
There will be several online quizzes and online labs, and one final exam. The final is cumulative. There are no
make ups on this exam. The instructor will evaluate individual cases where documentation of a serious
emergency or illness is provided.
Each lab report is worth 20 points. The lowest score earned on ONE lab will be dropped. Take note that this
covers either the lowest lab grades or a missed lab, and is the only accepted leniency on missing a lab due to all
personal circumstances, seen or unforeseen.
Grading will be on the +/- CSUN system. NO GRADE OF INCOMPLETE WILL BE GIVEN FOR THIS COURSE.
Laboratory Topics and Schedule.
This schedule is subject to change. Check Moodle often for revisions.
DATE
August 26
September 2
September 9
September 16
September 23
September 30
October 7
October 14
October 21
October 28
November 4
November 11
November 18
November 25
December 2
TOPIC
Introduction & syllabus.
Lab 1 – Read chapter 1 and complete the lab: Setting the Stage for Learning
About the Earth
HW: Read chapter 2 for lab 2
Labor Day Holiday: No lab meeting
Lab 2 – The Way the Earth Works: Examining Plate Tectonics
HW: Read chapter 3 for lab 3
Lab 3 – Minerals (& Mineral ID)
HW: Read chapters 4 & 6 for labs 4 & 6
Lab 4 – Minerals, Rocks, and the Rock Cycle
Lab 6 – Using Sedimentary Rocks to Interpret Earth History (Rock ID)
HW: read chapters 5&7 for labs 5&7
Lab 5 – Using Igneous Rocks to Interpret Earth History (Rock ID)
Lab 7 – Interpreting Metamorphic Rocks (Rock ID)
Quiz - Labs 1 through 7 (Will open immediately after class and end in 1 week)
HW: read chapter 17 for lab 17
Lab 17 – Interpreting Geologic History: What Happened and When Did it
Happen?
HW: Read chapters 9 & 15 for labs 9 & 15
Lab 9 – Working with Topographic Maps
Lab 15 – Geologic Structures, Maps, and Block Diagrams
HW: Chapters 10 & 12 for MOODLE labs 10 & 12
ONLINE LAB
Lab 10 – Landscapes Formed by Streams
Lab 12 – Groundwater as a Landscape Former and Resource
HW: Read chapters 13 & 14 for MOODLE labs 13 & 14
ONLINE LAB
Lab 13 – Processes and Landforms in Arid Environments
Lab 14 – Shoreline Landscapes
HW: Read chapter 16 for lab 16
Veteran’s Day Holiday: No lab meeting
Lab 16 – Earthquakes and Seismology
Thanksgiving Holiday: No lab meeting
Final exam.