geol 108 - crises of a planet...2012/09/03 · department of earth sciences plate tectonics | 15...

GEOL 108 - Crises of a Planet Lab 1 - Plate Tectonics

Sept. 3 - 7, 2012

Department of Earth Sciences

Department of Earth Sciences ABOUT ME | 2

ABOUT ME •  Name: Benjamin Gross •  Website: http://dornsife.usc.edu/mbg •  Phone: 213-740-6743 •  Email: [email protected] •  Office hours (ZHS 300): 12:30-2:30, by

appointment

Department of Earth Sciences SYLLABUS | 3

SYLLABUS •  Available on Blackboard

•  Grading −  Lab is worth 25% of your overall course grade −  11 labs - lowest x 5 points each = 50 pts max −  11 quizzes - lowest x 10 points each = 100 pts

max

− Which means quizzes are worth 2/3 of the lab and exercises are 1/3…. or quizzes are worth 17% of your overall grade and exercises 8%.


LAB PREP •  Lab exercises available on Blackboard − Print it out, read it, and bring it with you −  If you neglect to bring it you will lose 2 points

− Note: you are welcome to work with a partner on the exercises but all answers must be your own. Simply copying your partner’s work will be considered cheating.

•  Bring pencil, calculator, and your printed lab exercise every week


LAB ATTENDANCE •  Attendance in your assigned section is mandatory − Email me ASAP if you must miss a lab so we

can place you in an alternate section −  Legit excuses include serious illness or official

university event and require a note

− Poor excuses include non-required events, volunteer work, or sleeping in

•  Unexcused absence will result in a grade of 0 for both the exercise and quiz


LAB EXERCISES •  All exercises must be completed during a

scheduled lab period

•  Graded on effort and completion

•  Show your completed lab to me, I will briefly review it, and return it

•  Use your lab to study for next week’s quiz


LAB QUIZZES •  Quizzes will cover material from the previous week

•  Begin promptly at the start of class

•  If you are late and miss the quiz you get a 0

•  Expect quizzes to take 10-15 minutes

•  Combination of formats, but primarily short answer


TERM PAPER •  3 pages of text, double spaced, 11 or 12 point font

•  Topic is “science behind, and/or the political and social implications and impacts of a current natural disaster”

•  Due Nov. 27th

•  Details will be forthcoming


LAB ETIQUETTE •  No food or drink in lab

•  Leave the room if you must use your phone

•  During a quiz, phone ≠ calculator

•  Be nice

•  Pretend to love rocks

Department of Earth Sciences PLATE TECTONICS | 10

LAB 1 - TECTONICS - KEY CONCEPTS •  Types of plate boundaries and their locations

•  Hot spot volcanism: definition and direction of plate movement

•  Methods of determining plate velocity


PLATE TECTONICS •  Movement of lithospheric plates over the asthenosphere. •  Plates make contact at plate boundaries •  Divergent, convergent, or transform boundary •  Active vs. passive continental margin


SUPERCONTINENT FORMATION •  Plates move over time, occasionally forming

supercontinents

h#p://www.ucmp.berkeley.edu/geology/anim1.html


PLATE MOVEMENT BY GPS


ESTIMATING PLATE MOTION •  Estimating sea-floor spreading rates (v=distance/time)

− Distance: measured between edges of continents −  Time: Age of oceanic crust closest to continent


HOT SPOT VOLCANISM

•  Volcanic islands form over hot spots •  Hot spots do not move, the plate moves above it •  Use the distance between islands and difference in rock

ages to calculate plate speed

For an anima;on of hot spot volcanism go to h#p://www.wwnorton.com/college/geo/anima;ons/hot_spot_volcanoes.htm

geol 108 - crises of a planet...2012/09/03 · department of earth sciences plate tectonics | 15...

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