Learning pseudosections with Perplex

Dave Hirsch
,
Western WA Univ Geology
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Summary

This is a set of five assignments that build upon each other to teach students how to use Perplex to make pseudosections.

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Context

Audience

I use this assignment for a good portion of my Advanced Metamorphic Petrology course (graduate students/seniors).

Skills and concepts that students must have mastered

Students should understand the concept of a solution model, types of metamorphic reactions, and basic thermodynamics.

How the activity is situated in the course

I assign these, one per week, for five consecutive weeks. We spend part of a lab session in the computer lab each week getting started on that week's assignment.

Goals

Content/concepts goals for this activity

Goals include understanding the use of thermodynamic databases, learning to use Perplex, understanding pseudosections and how to use Perplex to make them.

Higher order thinking skills goals for this activity

During this activity students learn how to develop computer representations of metamorphic rocks.

Other skills goals for this activity

Students also learn to use the command-line (Mac/Unix/PC) to run computer programs.

Description of the activity/assignment

This is a set of five exercises that teach the basic skills of using Perplex and the possible types of understanding one can gain from the use of internally-consistent thermodynamic databases. The exercises culminate in the creation of a pseudosection for a particular rock.

Determining whether students have met the goals

Students are evaluated by checking that turned-in homework has the correct figures, reactions, etc.

More information about assessment tools and techniques.

Teaching materials and tips

Other Materials

Supporting references/URLs

Current versions of Perplex (it is updated often) can be found here:
http://www.perplex.ethz.ch/perplex.html