Geology 330: Sedimentary Geology
Fall 2007

Lecture: Mon.Wed/Fri: 11:00 - 12:00 (Carnegie 419); Lab: Fri: 1:30 - 4:30 in Carnegie 212 (11:30 - 4:30 for some field trips); Please note MANDATORY week-end trip

Instructor: Dennis Hubbard - 405 Carnegie; tel: 8346;dennis.hubbard@oberlin.edu

Office hours: TBA once we know your schedules

Course Overview: Sedimentary systems record important information on environmental processes – present and past. The sedimentary record also influences other systems, ranging from hydrologic flow to patterns of biotic diversity. The goal of this course is to build an understanding of how to “read” sediments and sedimentary rocks from the scale of single grains to depositional basins. We will diverge from the “skills” and “environments-of-deposition” organization of traditional sedimentology courses. Instead, we will examine a more limited set of environments using projects and student-defined lectures with the goal of identifying the most important and unifying principles that can be used to understand any sedimentary system regardless of origin.

The course will require a good grasp of basic geologic principles to understand how sedimentary systems are assembled and preserved.. The Prerequisites (GEOL 120 and a 200-level geology course) will, therefore, be strictly enforced. Labs are an important part of the course and commonly involve field trips that cannot be made up. Also note that the one week-end field trip is required. If you anticipate significant scheduling problems with either Friday labs or the one week-end field trip, then you should probably not consider this course (see me).

Text: Sedimentary Geology (second edition) by Donald R. Prothro and Fred Schwab. There will be assigned readings from time to time, but the real value of the book will be as a reference resource, especially during projects and exams.
- I have not put it in the book store as most students end up shopping on-line. Possible sites are:
BarnesandNoble.com
Half.com
Amazon.com
- A copy has been placed on reserve in the Science Library
- Used versions are available, but make sure you purchase the SECOND EDITION. The earlier version will be missing important materials
Photo: Essex Inlet, Massachusetts, showing well-developed flood- and ebb tidal deltas at low tide.

ELECTRONIC SYLLABUS: The following is a working schedule and is subject to modification and correction based on our progress in class. No dates will be changed for activities that might conflifor the first couple of weeks. Because we will be settin g the topics together after the Kentucky trip, I have only scheduled the first couple of weeks.

NOTE: I suggest that Macintosh users utilize Safari as Internet Explorer is quirly on System 10. If you are using a PC, and still have trouble accessing movies, it's a draconian Bill Gates trick that makes it tough to install a suitable Shockwave player into Internet Explorer. If you encounter a message that asks you to choose a) Download, b) Plug-In, or c) Application, just choose to save it to the desktop and then play it with Quicktime.... or find a Mac.
Honor Code: There will be three exams in this class. Unless otherwise instructed (in writing) you are not allowed to use notes, references, etc. while taking the tests. Many exercises in Lab will be collaborative and the extent to which you can consult with classmates should be indicated at the beginning of the exercise. If this is not explained in the handout, please ask for clarification. Unless otherwise instructed, each student is expected to hand in his/her own assignment; it should reflect your own understanding of the work, and not be copied from your partner(s). Each assignment requires that the Honor code be written out and signed.

Course Project: There will be a final course project that will culminate in 1) a paper in the format of a research journal, and 2) a class presentation as either a poster or a Powerpoint presentation (ca 20 min). You may choose the topic and focus of your project, but it must include a combination of literature-based research and the examination of actual data and/or rocks. If you want to work on local rocks, we can arrange for a collecting trip, Otherwise, we will need to be able to get samples and data ahead of time for the area/topic of your choice for it to be allowed – so plan early.
Grading:
Exam 1: 20%
Exam 2: 20%
Final Exam: 20%
Lab: 25%
Project: 10%
Participation: 5%
Day Date Topic Readings/Activity (click here for eres)
We 5 Sept Sediments up close and personal (small scale) P&S: pp. 2-25
Fr-Sept 7
Lab 01-FIELD TRIP to Old WOman Creek Gorge; measure & characterize section
Mo
10 Sept
 Seds & Sed Structures for minimalists READ Ch4 for the first time; the goal is to come away with a sense of what Sed Structures are and what they can tell us
We
12 Sept
 There are channels, and there are channels P&S pp. 139-144; 159-168;189-196.
Fr-14 Sept
Lab 02 - Required FIELD TRIP to Ky/W Va (leave at 11; rtn Sunday)
Mo 17 Sept General Controls of Sedimentation

We 19 Sept Sand & Mud Classification P&S: Reread Ch 2; READ Chs 5 and 6
Fr 21 Sept Bedform Intro - flume demo P&S: Reread Ch 4 in more detail

Lab 03 - Siliciclastic Sediments & Sedimentary Rocks in hand sample and thin section
Mo 24 Sept Deriving bedform diagrams (in-class exercise) Hand in three bedform diagrams
We 26 Sept Sed. Transport (also discuss exercise) Hand in modified diagrams; P&S: Ch 3 (31-64)
Fr 28 Sept Kentucky Presentations: we will leave for the field shortly afterward (lunch @ 1st outcrop)

Lab 04 - FIELD TRIP to Cuyahoga National Park
Mo 1 Oct Beaches & Coasts - 1 P&S: Ch 9 (159-182)
We 3 Oct Beaches & Coasts - 2 Hubbard et al (1979) - in Seminar Room
Fr - 5 Oct Lab 05 - FIELD TRIP to Amherst Quarry & the Beach
Sun 7 Oct HELP SESSION @ 4:30: Take-Home Exam available
Mo 8 Oct Carbonate Environments P&S: Ch. 12 (236-262)
We 10 Oct Carbonate sediments and sedimentary rocks P&S: Ch. 11 (212-235)
Fr 12 Oct No Class - Exam due @ 11:00
Fr -12 Oct Lab 06 - Carbonate Sediments & Sedimentary Rocks (starts @ 12:30)
Mo 15 Sept Sea Level Change  
We 17 Sept Sequence Stratigraphy - A brief introduction

P&S: Ch. 15 (302-340)
Fr 19 Sept No Class or lab - Trade for required week-end trip

FALL BREAK: 20 - 28 October
Mo 29 Oct No Class - Trade for required week-end trip  
 We  31 Oct Sequence Straqtigraphy - 01 Review P&S: Ch 15 (302-340); Ch 17
Fr -2 Nov Lab 07 - Facies Identification & Architecture (11:00 – 2:30: pizza for lunch)
Mo 5 Nov Sequence Straqtigraphy - 02 Reading TBA
We 7 Nov Tectonics & Basin Development P&S: Ch. 19 (437-454); Inman and Nordstrom (seminar room)
Fr 9 Nov Numerical Modeling - Fuzzim Demonstration  
Fr - 9 Nov  Lab 08 - Mathematical modeling with the computer & "Fuzzim"(due on Monday)
Mo 12 Nov Physical Modeling – Delta Tank Lab 08 due
We 14 Nov Physical Modeling – Delta Tank
Fr - 16 Nov Lab 09 - Name That Basin
Sun 18 Nov Take-Home Exam available in your mailbox (due Thursday by 5 pm - NO EXCEPTIONS)
Mon 19 Nov Library Research Methods - Meet in Science Library
Wed 21 Nov No Class - EXAM due by end of the day (or before departure for Thanksgiving)
 22-25 Nov Thanksgiving Break
Mo 26 Nov Project Discussions  
We 28 Nov Post-Depositional Changes in Clastic Rocks Reading TBA
Fr 30 Nov Post-Depositional Changes in Carbonate Rocks Reading TBA
Fr - 30 Nov Lab 10 - "Jurassic Tank": Larghe-Scale Physical Modeling
Mo 3 Dec Grains to Basins - A Review  
We 5 Dec Topic TBA  
Fr 7 Dec Project "Consulting"  
Fr - 7 Dec Project "Consulting"
Mon 10 Dec Project Presentations
Wed 12 Dec Project Presentations; Course Evaluation
 Fri 14 Dec Papers Due
Mon 17 Dec FINAL EXAM @ 9:00 - 11:00 (we will discuss exam format in class)