Introduction to Geology

Exercise 5: Science, Policy, and Public Opinion

Your assignment is to research the questions below, and be prepared to argue either side of each issue. The class will be divided into groups, one for each issue, and each issue group will be divided in half: one half will argue in the affirmative, the other in the negative. You will not know which argument you will be making until you arrive in class, so research both sides of the issues! At the beginning of class, you will be given time to prepare your statements. We will then stage a debate for each issue, in which groups respond to questions posed by a moderator

 

Lab 7: Rivers

This exercise will provide some hands-on experience with methods used for predicting flood frequency and magnitude. We will be using the US Geological Survey (USGS) website to retrieve historical stream gauge data of the sort used to predict the likelihood of flood events of particular magnitudes during a given time interval. Such predictions are the basis for numerous engineering, restoration and development projects in and around rivers.

We will retrieve data for a river in Oregon, use a spreadsheet to analyze the data, and assess the probability of occurrence of floods of particular magnitudes (in terms of discharge), or the likely magnitudes of events of a given recurrence interval. We will then repeat the exercise for the Taunton River in southeastern Massachusetts.

Lab 6: Geological Mapping

In this lab exercise on mapping, you’ll have the chance to get a fairly realistic picture of how geologists go about making a geological map. Think of the lab room as a land area of 10 km2 with no topographic relief. Assume that the land surface is the tabletops, but that there’s enough local relief for you to see bedrock outcrops (i.e. the rocks on the tables).

 

Exercise 4: Reading Geological Maps

This laboratory exercise will consist of a set of hypothetical geologic examples to familiarize you with the thought process you'll need to use in interpreting simple problems.

Exercise 3: Stereonets

This exercise is designed to familiarize you with the basic structure and use of a stereonet, which we use to draw our projections. In this exercise we will actually use equal-area projections rather than true stereographic projections, because they are easier to draw while being just as useful for most purposes

 

Lab 5: Earthquakes Parts 1 and 2

The purpose of today’s lab is to explore the relationship between the velocity of seismic waves and the properties of the materials they travel through (Temperature, pressure, stiffness, density…). We will focus on seismic shear-waves (S-waves), which are elastic vibrations in the direction perpendicular to their direction of propagation.

Lab 4: Plate Tectonics

Lab on plate tectonics. 

 

You have been assigned to one of four scientific specialties and to one of four plates or plate groupings.

The scientific specialties are:

  1. Seismology
  2. Volcanology
  3. Geomorphology
  4. Geochronology

The plates or plate groupings are:

  1. North American Plate
  2. Pacific Plate
  3. African Plate
  4. Eurasian Plate

Each scientific specialty group has been provided a world map showing data relevant to locating plate boundaries and understanding plate boundary processes. Each student will be provided two blank maps. You will mark these as described below and turn them in at the end of the exercise.

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