GEOLOGY 101-T (Telecourse)
COURSE OVERVIEW
This natural science lab course will provide you with a basic introduction to the ever-changing geology of planet Earth, by incorporating the Annenberg/CPB video series, Earth Revealed. As with all telecourses, this 13 hour (26 ½ hour segments) video series is a key element to your learning. The other components are your textbook reading and lab exercises. The lab portion of the course will provide you with hands on experience in examining geologic data and theory. We will be discussing the major components of geology, including minerals and rocks, geologic time, plate tectonics, seismicity, volcanism and the evolution of oceanic and continental crust. We'll also investigate the agents of earth change such as erosion, mass wasting, water, and wind, and explore shoreline and glacial systems
COURSE OUTLINE
The course is divided into five topic areas, in keeping with the ordered sequence of videotapes. Note that the textbook chapter readings are sequenced according to this outline. However, the lab exercises follow a more typical geology course sequence, which is consistent with the textbook order. Please see the following pages for a detailed outline of the course sequence.
LABORATORY EXERCISES
Attendance on campus for the Tuesday evening lab sessions is MANDATORY.
GEOLOGY 101-T COURSE OUTLINE
- INTRODUCTION: this material will be covered for Test # 1
Video Program 1: Down to Earth (introduces the vast field of geology)
Text Chapter 1: An Introduction to Physical Geology
Video Program 2: The Restless Planet (the origin of our solar system & the evolving Earth)
Text Chapter 20: History of the Universe, Solar System & the Planets
Video Program 3: Earth's Interior (seismic waves, gravity, heat flow and magnetism provide information about the Earth's interior)
Text Chapter 9: Earthquakes
Text Chapter 10: The Interior of the Earth
Video Program 4: The Sea Floor (sea-floor features, mid-ocean ridges & fracture zones, trenches, and continental margins)
Text Chapter 11: The Sea Floor
- PLATE TECTONICS/MOUNTAIN BUILDING: this material will be covered for Test # 2
Video Program 5: The Birth of a Theory (continental drift, sea-floor spreading, and plate tectonic theory)
Text Chapter 12: Plate Tectonics: A Unifying Theory
Video Program 6: Plate Dynamics (theory and concepts about the movements of Earth's plates)
Text Chapter 12: Plate Tectonics: A Unifying Theory
Video Program 7: Mountain Building
Text Chapter 13: Deformation, Mountain Building and the Evolution of Continents
Video Program 8: Earth's Structures (how bedrock responds to tectonic forces)
Text Chapter 13: Deformation, Mountain Building and the Evolution of Continents
Video Program 9: Earthquakes (nature and consequence of earthquakes, the factors causing earthquakes, their location and characteristics)
Text Chapter 9: Earthquakes
- GEOLOGIC TIME AND LIFE: this material will be covered for Test # 2
Video Program 10: Geologic Time (vastness of time over which geologic processes have been at work)
Text Chapter 8: Geologic Time
Video Program 11: Evolution Through Time (the development of life on Earth)
Text Chapter 8: Geologic Time
- MINERALS, ROCKS and the ROCK CYCLE: this material will be covered for Test # 3
Video Program 12: Minerals: The Materials of the Earth (the origins, classification and uses of minerals)
Text Chapter 2: Minerals
Video Program 13: Volcanism (how volcanoes form, and the importance of volcanic activity to Earth's geology and climate)
Text Chapter 4: Volcanism
Video Program 14: Intrusive Igneous Rocks (rock-forming processes of magmas that do not reach the Earth's surface)
Text Chapter 4: Igneous Rocks and Intrusive Igneous Activity
Video Program 15: Weathering and Soils (how minerals and rocks change when subjected to the physical and chemical conditions at the Earth's surface)
Text Chapter 5: Weathering, Erosion, and Soil
Video Program 17: Sedimentary Rocks; the Key to Past Environments (the importance of sedimentary rocks in understanding Earth's history)
Text Chapter 6: Sedimentary Rocks
Video Program 18: Metamorphic Rocks (causative factors of metamorphism and the kinds of rocks produced)
Text Chapter 7: Metamorphic Rocks
- LANDFORMS and LANDFORM PROCESSES: this material will be covered for Test # 4
Video Program 16: Mass Wasting (causes, types, and effects of mass wasting)
Text Chapter 14: Mass Wasting
Video Program 19: Running Water I: Rivers, Erosion, and Deposition (the role of running water in sculpting the Earth's surface; tectonic and hydrologic cycles)
Text Chapter 15: Running Water
Video Program 20: Running Water II: Landform Evolution (the roles human activity can play in flood danger, and the processes by which streams and valleys are shaped and landscapes formed)
Text Chapter 15: Running Water
Video Program 21: Ground Water (how ground water is distributed, and its importance to human life)
Text Chapter 16: Groundwater
Video Program 22: Wind, Dust, and Deserts (formation and location of deserts and their geologic features)
Text Chapter 18: The Work of Wind and Deserts
Video Program 23: Glaciers (the properties of glaciers and assesses their importance in shaping the Earth's surface)
Text Chapter 17: Glaciers and Glaciation
Video Program 24: Waves, Beaches, and Coasts (the importance of waves in affecting coastal landforms)
Text Chapter 19: Shorelines and Shoreline Processes
Video Program 25: Living With Earth: Loma Prieta (optional viewing)
Video Program 26: Living With Earth: Preserving a Legacy (optional viewing)
