Geochemistry 430/530
Instructor: Adam Kent adam.kent@geo.oregonstate.edu 71205
Prerequisites: GEO 315; CH 121 and CH 122 or CH 221 and CH 222
Course home page http://www.science.oregonstate.edu/~kentad/teaching_530.htm
Course structure
Three lectures (Monday, Wednesday, Friday 0900-0950)
Friday lectures may also be used for problem sets (red in syllabus)
Textbook
Proscribed:
Principles and Applications of Geochemistry 2nd Ed., G. Faure, Prentice Hall
Additional information sources:
1. Geochemistry, Bill White’s (Cornell University) free online textbook.
http://www.geo.cornell.edu/geology/classes/geo455/Chapters.HTML
2. The Geochemistry of Natural Waters: Surface and Groundwater Environments 3rd
Ed., J.I. Drever, Prentice Hall
3. An introduction to geochemical modeling, F. Albarede, Cambridge University
Press
4. Principles of Isotope Geology 2nd Ed., G. Faure, Wiley
5. Using Geochemical Data, H. Rollinson, Longman Scientific and Technical
6. Principles of Environmental Geochemistry, G. N. Eby, Thompson Brooks/Cole.
7. Handbook of Geochemistry. Comprehensive Online Geochemistry Sourcebook
from Elsevier Science. Online at OSU library January 1, 2005.
8. Academic Journals (mostly available online and/or in print at the OSU library)
a. Geochimica Et Cosmochimca Acta
b. Earth and Planetary Science Letters
c. Nature
d. Science
e. Contributions to Mineralogy and Petrology
f. Chemical Geology
g. Journal of Applied Geochemistry
h. Economic Geology
i. Geophysics, Geochemistry, Geosystems (G3)
j. Organic Geochemistry
k. Yadda yadda yadda (Y3)
Office Hours
10.30-11.45 Monday
10.30-11.45 Wednesday
Term Projects
TBA
Grading
~25 % Homework
~15 % Term project
~15 % Mid-term exam
~35 % Final exam
Syllabus
Subject to change. Most lecture notes will be available on Blackboard prior (or
sometimes after) the lecture.
Week
1
Lecture
1
2
3
Subject
Introduction
Chemical Bonding
Ionic Substitutions
Reading
Faure 1, 5, 6
Faure 9,10
Faure 8
2
4
5
6
Acids, bases and Salts
Thermodynamics
Mineral stability
Faure 9 & 10
Faure 11
Faure 12
7
8
MLK Day
Rates of Geochemical processes
Geochronolgy
Faure 15
Faure 16
4
9
10
11
Radiogenic isotopes
Stable Isotopes
Isotope calculations
TBA
Faure 301
5
12
13
14
The Universe & the Solar System
Differentiation of the Earth
Mid Term
Faure 2,3
Faure 4
6
15
16
17
Mixing etc.
Analytical Geochemistry
Lab Tour
Faure 18
TBA
7
18
19
20
Geochemical weathering
Geochem of natural waters
Tod Jarvis lecture
Faure 19
Faure 20
8
21
22
23
Geochemistry of the oceans
Disposal of Nuclear Waste
Reactor Tour
Faure 20
Faure 24
9
24
25
26
Pb and human health
Atmospheric Geochemistry
Calculations
Faure 25
Faure 23
10
27
28
29
Geochemical Cycles I
Geochemical Cycles II
The great debate
Faure 22
Faure 22
3
Course Policies
Cell phones should not be used during lectures. Set them to buzz mode if you don’t want
to turn them off. Attendance is strongly recommended. If you choose not to come to
classes I will feel no obligation to help you learn the material in any other fashion. Late
homework and other reports will not be accepted.
Learning Outcomes
GEO 430 students will be expected to:
1. Acquire specialized language relevant to Geochemistry
2. Analyze and integrate information on concepts relevant to Geochemistry
3. Retain key information on key concepts relevant to Geochemistry
4. Communicate verbally, and through writing, key concepts relevant to
Geochemistry
5. Use knowledge acquired from assigned reading and lecture material to analyze
and solve problems presented in tests and exercises.
6. Integrate knowledge obtained from a range of sources to understand key concepts
relevant to the Geochemistry of Earth materials.
GEO 512 students will be expected to:
1. Acquire specialized language relevant to Geochemistry
2. Analyze and integrate information on concepts, including advanced concepts,
relevant to Geochemistry
3. Retain key information on key concepts, including advanced concepts, relevant to
Geochemistry
4. Communicate verbally, and through writing, key concepts, including advanced
concepts, relevant to Geochemistry
5. Use knowledge acquired from assigned reading and lecture material to analyze
and solve problems presented in tests and exercises, including advanced
problems, and to apply these skills to their own research where applicable.
6. Integrate knowledge obtained from a range of sources to understand key concepts,
including advanced concepts, the geochemistry of Earth materials.
7. Demonstrate their ability to obtain, analyze and synthesize information relevant to
Geochemistry from a range of external sources, including the scientific literature.
Following OSU guidelines GEO 530 students will be required to present work that is
significantly more rigorous in both depth of study and methodology than students
enrolled for the GEO 430, and evaluations for GEO 530 students will be made at a
significantly higher standard than for GEO 430.
University Policies:
Please note: "Students with documented disabilities who may need accommodations,
who have any emergency medical information the instructor should know, or who need
special arrangements in the event of evacuation, should make an appointment with the
instructor as early as possible, no later that the first week of the term. In order to arrange
alternative testing, the student should make the request at least one week in advance of
the test. Students seeking accommodations should be registered with the Office of
Services for Students with Disabilities."
The Department of Geosciences follows the university rules on civility and honesty.
These can be found at osu.orst.edu/instruct/cssa556/CIVHON556.
Cheating or plagiarism by students is subject to the disciplinary process outlined in the
Student Conduct Regulations. Students are expected to be honest and ethical in their
academic work. Academic dishonesty is defined as an intentional act of deception in one
of the following areas:
 Cheating- use or attempted use of unauthorized materials, information or study
aids
 Fabrication- falsification or invention of any information
 Assisting- helping another commit an act of academic dishonesty
 Tampering- altering or interfering with evaluation instruments and documents
 Plagiarism- representing the words or ideas of another person as one's own
Behaviors disruptive to the learning environment will not be tolerated and will be
referred to the Office of Student Conduct for disciplinary action.
“The goal of Oregon State University is to provide students with the knowledge, skill and
wisdom they need to contribute to society. Our rules are formulated to guarantee each
student's freedom to learn and to protect the fundamental rights of others. People must
treat each other with dignity and respect in order for scholarship to thrive. Behaviors that
are disruptive to teaching and learning will not be tolerated, and will be referred to the
Student Conduct Program for disciplinary action. Behaviors that create a hostile,
offensive or intimidating environment based on gender, race, ethnicity, color, religion,
age, disability, marital status or sexual orientation will be referred to the Affirmative
Action Office.”