Structural Geology

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Lecture and lab

University with graduate programs, including doctoral programs

This is an upper level geology course that is required for our majors. Most are juniors and seniors, but there is often a sophomore or two in the class. Class size ranges from 12-20 students. Lectures are twice a week for 75 minutes (Tues/Thurs) and lab is once a week for 3 hours. Depending on class size, either one or two lab sections are offered.

This course covers topics from brittle failure (joints and faults) to the ductile behavior of rocks (folds). The course has a weekly lab and a few field trips. Two of the field trips require brief written field trip reports. Because many students who take this course are going to a field camp, we try to incorporate general field skills such as topographic map reading and note taking too.

Knowledge

• Develop a working understanding of the types of rock structures (Geometry)
• Develop a working understanding of the ways that rocks move during deformation (Kinematics)
• Develop an understanding of rocks as materials
• Develop an understanding of the forces and processes that drive rock deformation (Mechanics)
• Develop an understanding of the feedbacks between tectonics, climate, and erosion

Skills

• Develop the ability to read, analyze, and create geologic maps and cross sections
• Develop and improve field geology skills
• Improve ability to understand and integrate technical information
• Develop critical reasoning abilities

This course addresses many topics about how rocks break and deform, for which I try to emphasize applications to earthquakes, hydraulic fracturing, hydrocarbon extraction, and landscape evolution.

This course is a mashup of a traditional structural geology course that I inherited and my own attempts to add more applications to the topics covered in the course. My goals is to give students a solid grounding in how rocks behave under stress, the applications of these ideas, and enough field skills to prepare students for a summer field geology course.

Assessment is based on lab assignments, exams (take home, open note, closed friend), field trip reports, a longer lab focusing on cross sections, and the final project and poster presentation. All work is assessed individually except for part of the final project is done with a partner.

• 40% Labs and paper presentation
• 30% Exams (15% each)
• 10% Field Trips (includes notebook, exercises, and papers)
• 10% Cross section
• 10% Final project and poster

Structural Geology Syllabus (Microsoft Word 2007 (.docx) 19kB Feb19 13)

Structural Geology Schedule (Microsoft Word 2007 (.docx) 16kB Feb19 13)

None required. I will make a few books available in the classroom. I will encourage you to read sections from books to reinforce concepts, but you can choose if and which book you will purchase. The following are recommended texts:
Earth Structure, van der Pluijm and Marshak (what we used to use)
Structural Geology, Fossen
Structural Geology, Twiss and Moores
Structural Geology of Rocks and Regions, Davis, Reynolds, and Kluth