ENVIRONMENTAL GEOLOGY OF YOUR HOME

We will be spending the semester taking about hazards like floods and pollution as well as resources such as drinking water and diamonds.  But how does all this affect you?   Instead of taking a final exam, you will find out which hazards and resources are in your backyard and under your home.  You will research and write paper discussing the environmental geology of the area in which you live.  The purpose is for the student to apply the concepts discussed in the lecture and the lab to an area with which you are familiar.  The subject area is the area around your home.  Specific requirements are listed below.

PROJECT REQUIREMENTS

Date due  XXXXX.

Format  The paper will be graded based on content, so the primary requirement is that the points listed in the outline are all covered.  The report must be typed for ease of reading; all students have free access to the on-campus computer labs and should use the computers to type their reports.

Outline  The paper should follow this outline and, at a minimum, cover the following points.  Listed items should be discussed (even if only to say they are not a concern); 'etc.' indicates that additional items may be appropriate.  The instructor’s web page includes links to web sites that will be helpful for collecting information.

1.	Introduction  (You will present this in class.)
i.	Location of study area - county, tier, range, and section of your home
ii.	Description of study area - past and present land use, overall topography, etc.
iii.	General overview of findings - a paragraph summarizing the most important findings from 2, 3, 4, 5, & 6.
2.	Natural Resources - must include a discussion of:  bedrock & surficial geology, water resources (where does your water come from) and, if present, soils, rock & mineral resources and energy resources) & include a discussion of how these are currently used and have been used in the past.
3.	Natural Hazards - must include a discussion of flooding, landslides, earthquakes, radon gas (whether or not they are present) & include a discussion of how these are currently being dealt with.
4.	Human-Induced Hazards - pollution and possible pollution sources (must include: the closest LUST and enviromapper sites and where your waste water and trash go) and the impact of mining (closest mine, surface or underground)  & a discussion of how these are currently being dealt with.
5.	Plans for Future Use - what they are (if any), what they should be (based on what you know)
6.	Summary - the impact this report has had on you.
7.	References - You must reference all findings (textbook, maps, books, local officials, etc.); they should be in alphabetical order and in the format recommended in the IVCC Style Book (http://www.ivcc.edu/stylebook/).
8.	Figures - maps and diagrams are extremely useful for explaining points; the minimum requirement is a copy of the topographic map showing the study area with important features labeled (I will help you with this in lab)

Grading The project is worth 100 points as indicated on the grading sheet.  Grammar, punctuation, and spelling are worth 10% of your grade as a deduction from your final grade.

Presentation to Class  You will present the key findings to the class.  Please pick the three or four most interesting and important things you discovered and the implications.  You may use PowerPoint.  You must use visual materials from your report.

SPECIAL NOTES

References: I do not expect you to be all knowing; the information in your reports will be the result of research and observation.  When you obtain information from a source, you must reference that source!!!  If you make an observation, indicate that you observed it.

Visuals: You should include pictures and maps to illustrate you findings.  These visuals should be used within your report by calling out from the text to the map or picture to show the reader what you are talking about.

Conclusions:  To receive full credit, you must make conclusions based on your observations.  This is key to receiving maximum credit.  This project is intended to allow you to apply what you learn in the class and, at the same time, show me that you understand the material and can use it to interpret the area where you live.  I expect to see indications that the material you include in the report means something to you.

GRADE	TOTAL SCORE           /100

Introduction:  Location of study area - county, township, range, and section.

		Description of study area - past and present land use, overall topography, etc.
		General overview of findings - a paragraph summarizing the most important aspects of the projects.

	incorrect,		some correct, incomplete		correct, incomplete,			correct, complete,		exceeds 
	no references		missing references			some references			and fully referenced		requirements
0	1	2	3	4	5	6	7	8	9	10	11

Factual information: present and correct: information is correct, referenced, understood

Natural Resources - must include a discussion of:  bedrock & surficial geology, water resources (where does your water come from) and, if present, soils, rock & mineral resources and energy resources) & include a discussion of how these are currently used and have been used in the past.

	incorrect,		some correct, incomplete		correct, incomplete,			correct, complete,		exceeds 
	no references		missing references			some references			and fully referenced		requirements
0	1	2	3	4	5	6	7	8	9	10	11

Natural Hazards - must include a discussion of flooding, landslides, earthquakes, radon gas (whether or not they are present) & include a discussion of how these are currently being dealt with.

	incorrect,		some correct, incomplete		correct, incomplete,			correct, complete,		exceeds 
	no references		missing references			some references			and fully referenced		requirements
0	1	2	3	4	5	6	7	8	9	10	11

Human-Induced Hazards - pollution and possible pollution sources (must include: the closest LUST and enviromapper sites and where your waste water and trash go) and the impact of mining (closest mine, surface or underground)  & a discussion of how these are currently being dealt with.

	incorrect,		some correct, incomplete		correct, incomplete,			correct, complete,		exceeds 
	no references		missing references			some references			and fully referenced		requirements
0	1	2	3	4	5	6	7	8	9	10	11

Interpretation: information presented is interpreted using principles discussed in class, BASED ON WHAT YOU KNOW

	incorrect		some correct, incomplete		correct, incomplete			correct, complete		exceeds 
			shows little insight			shows some insight			insightful		requirements
0	1	2	3	4	5	6	7	8	9	10	11

Plans for Future Use: what they are (if any), what they should be, BASED ON WHAT YOU KNOW

	incorrect		some correct, incomplete		correct, incomplete,			correct, complete,		exceeds 
	no insight		shows little insight			shows some insight			insightful		requirements
0	1	2	3	4	5	6	7	8	9	10	11

Overall elements:

Depth of information presented: more than a cursory examination of the topic, research provided interesting information beyond that of the textbook.  Exploration means that you have looked into all of the areas relevant to your project area.

	explores one or 		explores a few of			explores most			explores all		exceeds 
	two topics		the required areas			required areas			required areas		requirements
0	1	2	3	4	5	6	7	8	9	10	11

Visual elements: visuals that support the presentation and are clear and easy to understand (pictures, maps, representative rock column are required); visuals must be called out from the text.

none			some present, no call outs		some present, called out		all present, called out	exceed
present			do not support material		provide some support		fully support material	requirements
0	1	2	3	4	5	6	7	8	9	10	11

References present: all facts must be referenced and must support the information presented; references must be called out from the text.

none			some present, no call outs		some present, called out		all present, called out	exceeds 
present			do not support material		provide some support		fully support material	requirements
0	1	2	3	4	5	6	7	8	9	10	11

Presentation: your most important findings.  (Presented in class)

	incomplete,		incomplete			complete,			complete,		exceeds 
	no visuals		few visuals			some visuals			good visuals		requirements
0	1	2	3	4	5	6	7	8	9	10	11

Topographic Maps

Map name:	
Scale: 	
Date: 	
Contour interval: 	
Map adjacent to the northeast: 	
Map adjacent to the south: 	
Highest elevation: 	
Lowest elevation: 	
Total relief: 	
Location of your home
PLSS: 	¼ of the	¼ of the	¼ in section	 in T	N, R	E
Longitude: 	West, 	North
UTM: 	m East, 	m North

Description of the overall topography:

	

Bedrock & Surficial Geology
Use the maps provided to determine the surficial unit and bedrock present under your home.  Use the Handbook of Illinois Stratigraphy for a description of the bedrock formation.

The unconsolidated materials under my house consist of the:
(Include the formation name, thickness, and a brief description of the materials). 

	

	

The bedrock under my house is the:
(Include the formation name, thickness and rock type(s) present.  You may wish to include the top two or three formations if they include important resources.)

	

	

Sources

	

Hazard Record

Hazard	

Type of Hazard	  natural	  human-induced

Location of Hazard	  map attached	  photos attached

	

Description of Hazard	  photos attached

	

How the hazard is currently being dealt with

	

How the hazard should be dealt with (& why)

	

Sources

	

Resource Record

Resource	

Type of Resource	  water	  mineral	  rock	  energy

Location of Resource	  map attached	  photos attached

	

Description of Resource	  photos attached

	

How the resource is currently being used & how it was used in the past

	

How the resource should be used (& why)

	

Sources

	

 

Semester schedule 	
Week	Topic	Project Activity	Project-related lab submissions	
1	Introduction	Introduce project
Describe location & topography of study area	Topographic maps	
2	Minerals & Rocks			
3	Structure & Plate Tectonics			
4	Exam 1
Natural Hazards	Geologic maps	Describe surfical & bedrock geology of study area	
5	Earthquakes & Volcanoes			
6	Rivers & Flooding			
7	Slopes			
8	Coastal Hazards	Identifying & living with hazards	Natural hazards worksheets for earthquakes, slopes, floods, & radon gas (minimum)	
9	Exam 2
Water Resources			
10	Water Resources	Where does your water come from?		
11	Water pollution & Waste management	Where do your sewage and trash go?
Identifying human-induced hazards	Human-induced hazards worksheets for waste water, garbage, nearest LUST, and nearest Enviromapper site (minimum), and, if present, mining and other hazards.	
12	Mineral resources			
13	Energy Resources	Identifying resources	Local resources worksheet for water supply (minimum), and, if present energy, mineral, or rock resources.	
14	Planning	Planning with geology		
15	Project reviews	Project review		
16	Project presentations			

Project Activities include examining and discussing the resources that can and should be used to collect information required for the report.  These activities include an exploration of maps and web sites as well as brainstorming of other resources (such as local authorities & residents, historical societies, and libraries)