GEOG 1011   LANDSCAPES and WATER

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FALL 2009 INSTRUCTOR: John Pitlick pitlick@colorado.edu OFFICE: Guggenheim 315 OFFICE HRS: MW 4-6 PM TEACHING ASSISTANTS: Meredith Gartner meredith.gartner@colorado.edu Erich Mueller erich.mueller@colorado.edu

This course will introduce you to the sciences of hydrology and geomorphology, which are two branches of physical Geography dealing with earth surface processes.  You can think about the course and the individual topics as a sort-of competition between deep-seated geologic processes which build mountains and landforms, and near-surface processes, such as landslides, floods, and glaciation, which wear them down.  We will start by discussing basic geologic processes such as plate tectonics, volcanoes, and earthquakes.  These processes not only create unique landforms, but they present significant hazards to people in some areas.  For the remainder of the semester we will look at how the Earth’s surface is modified by hydrologic and geomorphic processes, such as weathering, soil erosion, landslides, flooding, and glaciation.  I try to incorporate material of local interest, but just so we don't get too provincial, I also discuss topics relevant to other areas.  Finally, I will provide you with information about the importance of natural resources (soil and water conservation), and discuss some of the consequences of environmental degradation (deforestation, river regulation, and climate change).

Text (required): R.W Christopherson, Geosystems, 7th ed., Prentice Hall, Upper Saddle River, NJ (2 copies will be placed on reserve in the Earth Sciences library; assigned readings will be placed on reserve in Norlin).

Lab manual (required): J. Pitlick and J. Clayton, 2002, Lab Manual to Accompany Environmental Systems, Pearson Custom Publishing, Boston, MA (obtain from either bookstore).

Lab: Each person attends a 2-hour lab session each week.  The lab is mandatory and once you sign up for a section, please stick with it.  If you cannot make it to your regularly scheduled lab (say, because of a dentist appointment) please discuss this with your TA beforehand, not afterwards.  No labs will be held the first week (Aug. 24-28), or during the Thanksgiving break (Nov. 23-27).  Most labs consist of hands-on exercises that you will complete before the next week’s lab.  We have scheduled three mandatory field trips, and two labs that utilize information from the internet.

Grading:  Your course grade will be based on

a) 2 highest out of 3 midterm tests (40%); tests are scheduled for Sept.. 16, Oct. 14, and Nov. 11;

b) comprehensive final exam (30%); scheduled for Mon., Dec 14, 4:30-7:00 PM;

c) 11 highest out of 12 lab exercises, and lab quizzes (30%).

Midterm and final exams cover material from lecture, text, and readings.  Test questions are multiple choice; some questions test your ability to connect concepts, other questions test your knowledge of basic facts.  These tests aren't necessarily easy, but I curve the scores accordingly.  NOTE:  You are allowed to drop one of the midterm exams.  However, I do not give make-up exams.  If you miss a midterm exam for any reason (sickness, family emergency, etc.), you will receive a score of zero for that exam, and that will count as your lowest score.  I suggest you hold this option in reserve- treat all of the exams as if each counted- then, if a real emergency arises, or you just don’t do very well on a test, you still have the option to drop one score.  The final exam is mandatory and it will cover everything.  Note the date and time of the final exam!  I cannot accommodate people who would like to take the final exam early.

The key to success in this course is class attendance.  I often present information that isn’t discussed in the textbook, and missing more than a couple lectures can cost you more than 20 pts. on an exam.  However, I recognize that situations may arise that make it difficult to focus on coursework.  If this happens, or if you are having problems with assignments, lectures or exams, please schedule an appointment with me or one of the TAs to talk about it.  We can accommodate problems to a certain extent, but you must let us know about them as soon as you can so that we can make adjustments.

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GEOG 1011 OUTLINE and SCHEDULE

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Dates	Topics	Reading
8/24-28	Introduction to Earth Structure and Plate Tectonics	Ch 11
8/31-9/4	Plate Tectonics and Mountain Building	Ch 11
9/7	Labor Day Holiday (no class)
9/9	Faulting and Earthquakes (processes, hazards)	Ch 12, pp. 366-385
9/11-14	Volcanism (processes, hazards)	Ch 12, pp. 386-397
	Yellowstone Caldera	(reading assignment 1)
9/16	1st EXAM
9/18-21	Weathering (mechanical, chemical, biological)	Ch 13, pp. 404-412
9/23-28	Soils (formation, distribution, and conservation)	Ch 18
	Soil Degradation	(reading assignment 2)
9/30-10/12	Mass Wasting	Ch 13, pp. 416-426
10/14	2nd EXAM
10/16-19	Hydrology I (water resources, water balance)	Ch 9
10/21-30	Hydrology II (ground water, surface water, flooding)	Ch 9; Ch 14, pp. 456-465
	Water Resources	(reading assignment 3)
11/1-9	Fluvial Processes I (flow in rivers, sediment transport)	Ch 14
11/11	3rd EXAM
11/13-20	Fluvial Processes II (channel patterns, river regulation)	Ch 14
11/23-27	Thanksgiving Break
11/30-12/11	Glacial Processes and Climate Change	Ch 17
	Tectonics and climate change	(reading assignment 4)
12/12	Final Exam (Scheduled for Mon., Dec. 14 at 4:30 PM)




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University of Colorado-Boulder Policies

If you qualify for accommodations because of a disability, please submit to me a letter from Disability Services so that your needs may be addressed.  Disability Services determines accommodations based on documented disabilities. Contact: 303-492-8671, Willard 322, http://www.Colorado.EDU/disabilityservices

Campus policy regarding religious observances requires that faculty make every effort to reasonably and fairly deal with all students who, because of religious obligations, have conflicts with scheduled exams, assignments or required attendance.  See full details at http://www.colorado.edu/policies/fac_relig.html

Students and faculty each have responsibility for maintaining an appropriate learning environment. Students who fail to adhere to such behavioral standards may be subject to discipline. Faculty have the responsibility to treat all students with dignity and respect, and to set reasonable limits on the manner in which opinions are expressed.  Professional courtesy and sensitivity are especially important with respect to individuals and topics dealing with differences of race, culture, religion, politics, sexual orientation, gender variance, and nationalities. See http://www.colorado.edu/policies/classbehavior.html

The University of Colorado policies on Discrimination and Harassment, including Sexual Harassment, apply to all students, staff and faculty.  Any student, staff or faculty member who believes s/he has been the subject of discrimination or harassment based upon race, color, national origin, sex, age, disability, religion, sexual orientation, or veteran status should contact the Office of Discrimination and Harassment at 303-492-2127 or the Office of Judicial Affairs at 303-492-5550.  Information to assist individuals regarding discrimination or harassment can be obtained at  http://www.colorado.edu/odh

All students of the University of Colorado at Boulder are responsible for knowing and adhering to the academic integrity policy.  Violations of this policy may include: cheating, plagiarism, aid of academic dishonesty, fabrication, and bribery.  All incidents of academic misconduct shall be reported to the Honor Code Council (honor@colorado.edu; 303-725-2273).  Students who are found to be in violation of the academic integrity policy will be subject to both academic sanctions from the faculty member and non-academic sanctions (including but not limited to probation, suspension, or expulsion).  Other information on the Honor Code can be found at http://www.colorado.edu/policies/honor.html




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EXAMPLES OF TEST QUESTIONS

EXAM 1


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1. Continental crust is typically much older than oceanic crust. This is because continental crust is ________________ than oceanic crust and therefore it is harder to ________________.

a) less dense .... subduct b) more dense .... fault c) more rigid .... fold d) more viscous .... bend

2. When the earth first formed many millions of years ago, there were probably no continents, only oceanic crust. So, you have to wonder.... how were the continents formed in the first place? The clue lies in places that exist today where you can find silica-rich (continental-like) rocks being created where two oceanic plates converge. This setting is called a (an) ______________ a) hot spot b) island arc c) suture

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 Questions 3-8 pertain to this diagram showing two lithospheric plates colliding.









3. Plate 1 would likely have the composition of a a) granite b) shale c) sandstone d) basalt

4. Do you care to comment on the scale I have drawn on the left? From my drawing it looks like the oceanic crust is ~ 100 km thick. Is this a realistic thickness for oceanic crust? a) yes b) no

5. Below about 700 km depth, how would plate 1 behave? a) elastically b) plastically c) like a large catfish d) it's misbehaved and should be spanked

6. A magma erupting at "d" would be rich in a) fossils b) iron c) magnesium d) silica

7. Where would you find this type of plate tectonic setting? a) west coast of Japan b) between India and Asia c) west coast of South America d) off the tip of South Africa

8. Volcanoes formed in this setting tend to be steeper than volcanoes formed at hot spots because a) they are built by very viscous lavas b) they are composed of ash c) they are mostly in the northern hemisphere d) they are produced by exfoliation

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 9. Earthquakes are often associated with volcanic activity. Most of these earthquakes are caused by a) landslides b) thrust faults c) pyroclastic flows d) movement of magma

10. Which of the following methods are used by geologists to evaluate the risks of a volcanic eruption? a) sulphur dioxide emissions b) studying earthquake patterns c) dating & mapping of older deposits d) all of the above e) none of the above

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 EXAM 2
1. Earlier in this course we made a distinction between Silica-rich and Fe-Mg-rich igneous rocks, and the conditions under which they form. In general, igneous rocks rich in Fe and Mg a) form at low temperatures c) contain more impurities b) are rich in silica d) form at very high temperatures

2. If we ground up an igneous rock rich in Fe and Mg, and measured its pH, we would find that a) it has a high pH c) it is slightly acidic b) it has a low pH d) it doesn't have a pH

3. Pure rainwater a) has a pH of slightly less than 6 c) has a pH of 0.0 b) has a pH of 7 d) has a pH of about 7.5

4. Igneous rocks rich in Fe and Mg weather _____________________ rocks rich in silica ...... a) at about the same rate as b) more rapidly than c) more slowly than

5. ...... because a) they have coarse textures b) they contain minerals with high pH which react easily with near-surface waters c) they were formed at high temperatures, very different from the Earth's surface d) all of the above e) b & c only

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This diagram shows 3 different soil profiles. The shaded pattern is the B horizon.



6. Where in these profiles is illuviation occurring? a) at the ground surface c) in the B horizon b) above the B horizon d) below the B horizon

7. Compared to the other soils, Soil C might be found a) in an arid environment d) all of the above b) in an area undergoing rapid surface erosion e) none of the above c) in an area underlain by fine-grained parent material

8. Suppose the area around Soil A was cleared of vegetation, and the ground surface was eroded (stripped) to the top of the B horizon. This would < a) reduce the infiltration capacity, increasing runoff c) cause Nitrogen fixation b) increase the permeability, reducing runoff d) increase the pH of the soil

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The following diagrams show water budgets for Topeka, Kansas and Albany, New York.



9. From June through October, PET > AET at Topeka, KS. This means that a) plants are transpiring water at the maximum rate c) there is a significant soil moisture deficit b) there is an overabundance of PRECIP d) there is an excess of soil moisture

10. A soil formed near Topeka, KS would a) be highly leached c) retain bases and nutrients b) have a low pH d) be saturated much of the time

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EXAM 3
1. In Colorado, most of the runoff (annual volume of streamflow) is produced by a) snowmelt c) rainfall from thunderstorms b) rainfall from "upslope" storms d) groundwater flow

2. In Colorado, the largest floods (for a given drainage area) are produced by a) snowmelt c) rainfall from thunderstorms b) rainfall from "upslope" storms d) ice jams on rivers

3. The 1993 Mississippi River floods were caused primarily by a) levee failures c) rain falling on frozen soils b) excessive rainfall d) ice jams

4. There are over 75,000 dams in the US. When did the real boom in dam building occur? a) early part of this century c) soon after World War II b) during the Great Depression d) during the Kennedy/Johnson Administrations

5. What is the purpose of the Colorado River Compact? a) it apportions the annual flow in the Colorado River between upper- and lower-basin states b) it gives states in the lower Colorado River basin incentives (tax breaks) for conserving water c) it sets water quality standards for flows through the Grand Canyon d) it prevents cities such as Denver from diverting water from the Colorado River basin

6. What is the "problem" with the Colorado River Compact? a) it expires in the year 2000, and there is no clear idea as to how this will affect the economy b) it unfairly penalizes lower basin states for conserving water c) it sets lower water quality standards for the upper basin states than the lower basin states d) it is based on hydrologic data obtained during a period of anomalously high runoff

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This drawing shows two water wells penetrating two deposits. Don't assume anything about the permeability of the deposits based on the shading pattern or how the water table is shown.



19. Darcy's law expresses the rate of water flow as a function of a) hydraulic gradient, êH/êx b) permeability, K c) precipitation intensity, P d) a & b e) a, b, & c

20. If the two deposits had the same permeability, you would have to say that well # 1 is pumping at a lower rate than well #2 (T/F)

21. If the two wells were pumping at the same rate, you would have to say that deposit 1 is less permeable than deposit 2 (T/F)

22. The permeability of a sedimentary deposit usually increases as the a) size of the pores decreases b) size of the sediment increases c) slope of the ground increases d) atmospheric pressure increases

23. Groundwater withdrawal has caused up to 25 ft of subsidence in a) central California b) central Oregon c) eastern Colorado d) Iowa

24. (T/F) Groundwater is being pumped from certain parts of the High Plains aquifer at rates that are as much as 100 times higher than the recharge rate.