Instructor: Roger G. Olson; Office: Science 018; Phone: x6295; E-mail: rogero

Office Hours: 9:00 - 10:30am M,  2:00 - 4:00pm TR, 3:00 - 5:00pm W, or by appointment
 

Norris W. Jones, Laboratory Manual for Physical Geology, McGraw-Hill, 3rd Ed., 2001

This course is a survey of physical geology from the perspective of human interaction with the environment. Topics covered in the two hours of weekly lecture include: Plate tectonics and its consequences: volcanoes, earthquakes, and mountain building; the rock cycle; weathering and erosion, mass wasting, stream landscapes and flooding, wind processes, shoreline erosion and deposition. The weekly two hour laboratory includes the study of typical rocks and minerals, topographic maps and survey systems, and an introduction to aerial photographic interpretation.

• Examinations: There will be three examinations, and each will count 25% of your final grade. Each will consist of both short answer (fill-in-the-blank or multiple choice or true/false) and essay questions. Each exam will have questions from both lectures and reading assignments.

 
• Quizzes: There will be a short (5-10 minute) quiz every Wednesday in the lab period The quiz will cover material on the reading and lectures from the previous week. Altogether the quizzes will count 15% toward your final grade. There will be NO make-up for any quiz. To compensate for any excusable absences, I will drop the lowest TWO quiz scores.

 
• Laboratory: We will do ten - twelve lab exercises selected from the lab manual you have purchased and using materials provided by the Geology department. For grading purposes, you will turn in answers to questions from both the lab manual and instruction sheets that I will provide. In total the labs will count 10% toward your final grade. The lab experience is very important, and it is essential that you attend. Make-ups for labs are given under only extreme circumstances.

 
• Attendance: You are required to attend classes as per college policy (see the catalog). You will do better in the course if attend all lectures and labs. I will take attendance at each class session and attendance will affect your grade in borderline situations as much as three percent in either direction. For example, if you miss frequently, I may deduct as much as three percent from your final course average. Let's say you have an 88.7% average (B+) in the course, then this grade adjustment would bring you down to 85.7% (B).