[Petwksp] Hmmm

[Mutti, Larry (MUTTI)]

I'd hope that my students could characterize these rocks in terms of
approximate modal mineralogy and most probable tectonic setting.  I think
very few would be able to specify the elemental or oxide proportions with
any accuracy, though I imagine they would all know where to find this
information.
It is my experience that familiarity and confidence with virtually all
geologic info is acquired incrementally and by repetition and reinforcement.
I daresay few of the students of his geophys class, a year or two out, would
be able to catalog the densities, seismic propagation velocities, or bulk
physical properties of all of these rocks.  We remember what we use, and we
remember better that information we use consistently.
I delight in being able to reinforce in my Mineralogy and Petrology courses
the material that my colleagues present in Structure, Historical Geo,
Sedimentology, etc.  That is part of my job.  While there are things I would
LIKE for them to know ahead of time, I know from my own experience that
students migrating from my own Min course to my Petrography and then
Petrology courses normally don't remember all of the things I'd hope they
did.  That may be partly the fault of my teaching, but I think it is much
more a function of the increasing sophistication of thought of students
through time.

-Larry Mutti 
Dept. of Geology
Juniata College
Huntingdon, PA 16652
mutti at juniata.edu
(814) 641-3601- 



> From: Dexter Perkins <dexter_perkins at und.nodak.edu>
> Date: Fri, 27 Jan 2006 12:04:01 -0600
> To: Teaching Petrology List <Petwksp at serc.carleton.edu>
> Subject: [Petwksp] Hmmm
> 
> Petrofolks, my geophysics colleague says we are doing crummy job
> teaching petrology because he gave the following question -- just as
> written -- to his students and the most correct answers he got was 3 -
> 5!  Can you comment on this result?  What would you expect of your
> students a year, mostly 2 years, after they completed petrology?
> 
> What are the general compositions  of the following rocks and what are
> the tectonic settings (plutonic, volcanic, oceanic, continental) for
> their occurrence?
> 
>     Phonolite *
> 
>     Anorthosite *
> 
>     Andesite *
> 
>     Kimberlite *
> 
>     Granite *
> 
>     Spilite *   
> 
>     Tholeiitic basalt *
> 
>     Alkaline-olivine basalt *
> 
> -- 
> Dr. Dexter Perkins
> Dept. of Geology
> Box 8358, University of North Dakota
> Grand Forks, ND 58202
> 701-777-2991 w; 701-746-1634 h
> 
> _______________________________________________
> Petwksp mailing list
> Petwksp at serc.carleton.edu
> http://serc.carleton.edu/mailman/listinfo/petwksp