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

GEOL 108 - Crises of a PlanetLab 1 - Plate Tectonics

Sept. 3 - 7, 2012

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


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%.


SYLLABUS | 4

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


SYLLABUS | 5

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


SYLLABUS | 6

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


SYLLABUS | 7

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


SYLLABUS | 8

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


SYLLABUS | 9

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


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

http://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 animation of hot spot volcanism go to http://www.wwnorton.com/college/geo/animations/hot_spot_volcanoes.htm

http://www.wwnorton.com/college/geo/animations/hot_spot_volcanoes.htm



Documents

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