Quiz One (9:30-9:35 AM)
UNIVERSITY OF SOUTH ALABAMA
GY 111: Physical Geology
Lecture 2: Introduction to Plate Tectonics
Instructor: Dr. Douglas W. Haywick
Last Time
1. Introductions and class policy
2. What do geologists do
3. Why you should consider geology
So what exactly do geologists do?
 Mining and mineral
exploration
 Fossil fuel exploration
 Engineering geology
 Environmental geology
 Hydrology
 Volcanology
 Seismology
 Remote sensing/GIS
 Teaching
 Landfill design
 Military Planning
 Urban Planning
 Hazards mitigation
 Planetary geology
 Hydrology
 Planetary geology
 Predicting future events
 Police & legal work
 State/Federal government
Is a career in the geosciences for you?
1998 Physical Sciences Employment within the United States
Biologists
118,000
Chemists
97,000
Geologists
46,000
Physicists
20,000
1998 Average Physical Sciences Salaries within the United States (BS degrees)
Chemists
$29,300
Geologists
$27,900
Biologists
$22,900
Physicists
N/A*
Reference: Holbrook, John, 1998, Career Potential in the sciences, PALAIOS, Volume 13, No. 2
The ever important jobs to graduates ratio*
Biology: 1: 5.6
Physics 1: 4.7
Chemistry 1: 2.5
Geology 1: 1.9
* The lower the better
Holbrook drop dead replacement rate
Time to replace all jobs in the event that all physical scientists
suddenly died
Geology
17.2 years
Chemistry
10.3 years
Physics
5 years
Biology
5 semesters
Reference: Holbrook, John, 1998, Career Potential in the sciences, PALAIOS, Volume 13, No. 2
Today’s Agenda
1) Alfred Wegener and “Drifting Continents”
2) The Plate Tectonic Revolution
3) Plate Tectonics Mechanisms
Web notes 2
The Earth
Today’s Homework
1) Download and read web notes 2
2) Start organizing your notes
Next Time
3) The Rock Cycle (web notes 3)
GY 111: Physical Geology
Lecture 2: Introduction to Plate Tectonics
Instructor: Dr. Doug Haywick
dhaywick@southalabama.edu
This is a free open access lecture, but not for commercial purposes.
For personal use only.