Valerie Reynolds

Colby College

This exercise is the first lab in a junior-level undergraduate Topics in Geochemistry course for geology majors.

Students are required to have had mineralogy. They may or may not have had crystalline petrology. They also may or may not have had prior experience reading primary literature.

This exercise is provided as the first lab in the course. Students spend one lab period completing the exercise, then take time outside of class to read a manuscript, answer a list of guide questions, and compile a summary. In the following lab, time is allocated to discussion of the paper using the guide questions to initiate discussion points.

Students learn how distribution coefficients are calculated, the conditions that influence partitioning behavior, and how to apply this knowledge when reading primary literature.

Students learn how to read scientific literature with a critical mindset so they can evaluate the merit of the interpretation presented in the paper.

Students learn to use a global database, the Geochemical Earth Reference Model. Students also work together outside of class to discuss the assigned reading, facilitating inter-student relationships.

In this activity, students learn how to calculate distribution coefficients, the factors that influence partitioning behavior, and how to apply this knowledge when reading primary literature. The exercise utilizes the Geochemical Earth Reference Model database to familiarize students with the specific elements and minerals discussed in the assigned journal article. Students summarize the journal article individually, and discuss the article as a class. The exercise is appropriate for undergraduate-level geochemistry and petrology courses. Students learn critical writing, reading, and discussion skills.

Students are graded on the exercise, their summary, which typically includes their answers to the guide questions, and their contribution to class discussion. Determining the level of student understanding is typically achieved during the class discussion.

Geochemical Earth Reference Module (GERM)