Structure of the Course

Textbook:

Physical Geology, 9th Edition

by Plummer, McGeary, and Carlson

Exams:

5th week – 30% of course grade

11th week – 30% of course grade

final – 40% of course grade

covers last third of course

and a cumulative section

Office hours:

Tuesday & Thursday 2:00-4:00

Questions by email:

david.krantz@utoledo.edu (most efficient way)

** Fall break – no class Oct. 21 & 23 **

How to do well in this course

Read the textbook – chapters listed on syllabus

Come to class – and pay attention

Take good notes – get notes from a friend if you

are absent

Review concepts and terminology

Don’t try to cram the night before an exam

Time management

Start with the end in mind

How does geology benefit society?

• Avoiding geologic hazards

• Supplying things we need

• Protecting the environment

• Understanding our surroundings

Big Ideas in Geology:

The structure of planet Earth – Figure 1.7

The ‘spheres’ of Earth

Magnetosphere – magneto: magnetic field

Ionosphere – ionos: ions, charged particles

Atmosphere – atmos: vapor

Hydrosphere – hydro: water

Biosphere – bios: life

Interior of the planet:

Lithosphere – lithos: rock, rigid

Asthenosphere – astheno: weak

Mesosphere – meso: middle

How this planet works: plate tectonics

Figure 1.9 Map of tectonic plates

Plate boundaries: Divergent (mid-ocean ridges)

Convergent (trenches)

Transform (San Andreas fault)

Active processes at plate boundaries

Figure 1.11

What are the driving forces for plate tectonics?

Figure 1.6 Convection of heated wax

Figure 1.8

Convection within the mantle

Sources of energy on Earth

What are the ultimate sources of all energy

on the planet?

• The Sun

• Radioactive elements

What drives the movements of the tectonic

plates?

• Circulation of hot rock inside the Earth

• Driven by differences in density and heat

Deep time

The history of Earth, and life on Earth

with sidelines about our solar system and the universe

Geologic Time Scale and Life on Earth

Table 1.1

Relative time & numerical ages

Earth cycles

The rock cycle Figure 3.1

The hydrologic cycle Figure 10.1

The flow of nutrients, elements, and energy

Climate cycles – processes of global climate change

Geologic Hazards

The rock cycle

The hydrologic cycle

The flow of nutrients, elements, and energy

Climate cycles – processes of global climate change

Management of Natural Resources

Every American will consume 3.5 millions pounds of minerals, metals, and fuels in a lifetime

Map – distribution of coal Figure 21.11

Major oil fields in North America Figure 21.4

Materials that go into a pencil Figure 21.1

Science, and geology, in the news