SHORELINE COMMUNITY COLLEGE
GEOLOGY 208
GEOLOGY OF THE PACIFIC NORTHWEST
Spring Quarter, 2004
Instructor: Linda M. Khandro, MAT
Contact: linda@lindakhandro.com
Text(s): Geology of the Pacific NW, 2nd Edition, Orr & Orr (required)
The Restless Northwest, Williams (recommended)Materials: 12” metric/English ruler, pencils and erasers, colored pencils (min 12),
10 x hand lens ($10-$15), field logbook or journal (about 5x7 size, hard cover)Overview of the Course:
This course will provide you with a basic introduction to the fascinating complex geology of the Pacific Northwest. We will use plate tectonics and the accretion of terranes as a principal process by which the varied rock bodies and topography of this region came about. Our study area encompasses the North American Cordillera, that broad band of mountains, plateaus, and coastline from the Pacific Ocean to the Rocky Mountains, while our field trips will allow us to focus in more detail on Washington State.Important Notes About This Course:
1. Our lecture topics and class exercises are not going to coincide with the field trips. This is unfortunate but unavoidable, due to many factors. In the event that the following schedule of topics and weeks has to change to accommodate advance information before a field trip, we will make that adjustment. We may well be re-writing this syllabus from the very first day and thenceforward!
2. Our material will focus on BC, and Washington. We will not have time to cover other chapters and states (Oregon, California, Idaho, northern Nevada) described in your text other than how they ‘fit’ within the larger Cordillera region.
3. We will be spending most of our time studying the “big picture” of the Cordilleran geologic history, and the “local picture” that includes recent events that have shaped the topography. We won’t spend as much time on detailed rock types, unless we’re in the field.Field Trips:
Understanding the geology of the Pacific Northwest is best done in the field. It’s not always possible however, to coordinate a field trip schedule that fits each person in the class. To hopefully optimize our field time, give everyone a chance of at least one overnight camping trip, and travel as often as possible in a SCC van rather than caravanning with private cars, the attached field trip schedule has been provided for you as an OUTLINE only. Our first class meeting will have time devoted to refining and confirming our field trips. I do require that you attend at least one over night trip, and two of the one-day trips. You can choose which trips to take based on your schedule, but attendance on this basis IS required.Assignments and Tests:
Assignments will consist of 10 randomly assigned class “lab” exercises and about 5 field reports from our field trips. Sample reports will be available before hand to provide examples of good reporting. A re-written version is not necessary, just the field notes, carefully taken at the time. Tests will consist of three quizzes approximately every three weeks. There will be no mid-term exam, but there will be a comprehensive final exam.Grades:
The following approved equivalency grading system will be used for this course
Percentage Point Grade Percentage Point Grade
95 - 100 4.0 70 1.5
90 3.5 65 1.0
85 3.0 61-63 0.8
80 2.5 60 0.7
75 2.0 0-59 0.0
Total possible = 450 points
Assignments (10 @ 20) = 200 points
Field Trip reports (5 @ 20 points) = 100
Quizzes (3 @ 50) = 150
Final Exam = 100SCC Policies:
Human Rights: All students shall be treated equally regardless of sex, race, beliefs or ability. Failure to respect the rights of other (including the right to a safe chemical environment) may lead to student dismissal from the course.
Absence and Make-ups: It is the student’s responsibility to acquire notes from missed lectures and labs.
Class Cancellation: Closure of SCC due to weather will be announced on KING, KIRO, and KOMO radio/television. PLEASE NOTE: We are Shoreline Community College, NOT the Shoreline School District.
Plagiarism/Cheating: Irrefutable evidence of cheating or plagiarism will result in a 0 grade for the course as school policy. In addition, students who provide information unethically are just as responsible as those who receive it and are subject to the same penalties.
Withdrawal: Withdrawal from any course must be done in an official manner in accordance with school policy. The last day a student may drop or change the credit status for classes is usually four weeks into the quarter. Check your student handbook for the exact date for this quarter.GEOLOGY 208
Tentative Class Schedule - Spring Quarter, 2004
(Please note, this schedule does NOT include field trips and is only meant as a rough guide to the sequence of topics. Thus the week #’s and dates are already meaningless! It will be refined by the 2nd week of class, but will always be subject to change with little notice.)Week# Date Areas of Study/Reading Assignments
1 3/29-4/2 No class Friday, 4/2
Review of the rock cycle: in-class exercises (# 1)
Review of plate tectonics, earth’s interior, sea floor
Review of geologic time: take-home exercise (#2)2 4/5-9 Review of geologic time: in-class exercise (#2)
Intro to topographic and geologic maps: In-class exercises (#4)
Intro to North America & the Pacific NW – the 5 Belts3. 4/12-16 Overview of the Pacific NW: in-class exercise (#5)
The Foreland Belt (Text pg 26)
4/17 Field Trip to either Mt. Rainier or Discovery Park4. 4/19-23 The Omineca & Intermontane Belts (Text Ch 2 to pg 35)
Metamorphic Core Complexes: in-class exercise (#6)
4/23-24 Field Trip to San Juan Islands5 4/26-30 The Coast & Insular Belts (Text Ch 3 to pg 59)
Geology of Vancouver & Seattle: in-class exercise (#7)6 5/3-7 The Cascades (Text Ch 4 to pg 102)
Mts. Rainier & St. Helens: take-home exercise (#8)7. 5/10-14 Klamath Mtns, Blue Mtns, Central Idaho, Basin & Range
5/14,15,16 Field Trip to Eastern Washington & North Cascades8 5/17-21 Columbia River Plateau (Text Ch 10 all)
Geologic Map of Washington: in-class and/or take-home exercise (#9)9 5/24-28 The Coast Province/Olympic Peninsula
(#10 exercise TBD)
5/30 Field Trip to Olympics or Mt. Rainier10 6/1-4 No class Mon May 31
Earthquakes in the Pacific NW11 6/7 Mon last day of class: review
6/9 8:00 - 10:00 am, Final Exam
