Geography 1011 - Landscapes and Water

General: This course will introduce you to earth surface processes and resultant landforms by exploring the sciences of geology, hydrology, and geomorphology. The earth's surface is constantly being shaped by several interacting processes: mountain building occurs as tremendous forces within the earth fold, fault, erupt, and lift rocks many kilometers above sea level; the land we see today takes its form as erosional processes move soil and rock from mountains to rivers, and eventually, to the oceans. These processes include landslides, floods, glaciation, etc. Water, and the manner in which it interacts with the landscape, is primary to understanding the nature and evolution of the earth’s surface. The syllabus highlights the topics to be covered, as time permits. In the first few weeks, we will discuss basic geologic processes such as plate tectonics, volcanism, and earthquakes. These processes not only create unique landforms, but they present significant hazards to people living in certain areas. For the remainder of the semester we will look at how the land surface is modified by hydrologic and geomorphic processes such as weathering, soil erosion, landslides, flooding, and glaciation. I will try to incorporate material of local interest, but I will also discuss topics relevant to other areas. In the context of these topics, we will talk about the importance of natural resources (soil and water conservation), and discuss some of the consequences of environmental degradation (deforestation, river regulation, etc.).

Text (required):

R.W Christopherson, Geosystems, 6th ed., Prentice Hall, Upper Saddle River, NJ (2 copies on reserve in the Earth Sciences library; assigned readings will be on reserve in Norlin).

Lab manual (required):

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

Bob Marshall Wilderness from the Sawtooth Range, Montana

Lab: Each person attends a mandatory 2-hour lab session each week. You must attend lab and once you sign up for a section, please stick with it. If you can't make it to your regularly scheduled lab, work it out with your TA beforehand, not afterwards. No labs will be held during the first week (Jan. 14-18), Spring Break (Mar. 24-28), or the last week (Apr. 28-May 2). Monday lab (section 1011-015) must attend a different lab the second week (Jan. 21-25) due to MLK Jr. Day; this will be arranged in class. Lab activities are vital to understanding earth sciences and will bring together concepts learned in class, although lab material will not be on exams. A short quiz pertaining to each week’s lab will precede lab, so it is important to be prepared and read the lab material in the manual before class. We have scheduled three mandatory field trips, and two labs that utilize information from the internet. Lab schedules will be presented in lab.

Grading: Your course grade will be based on

a) 2 highest out of 3 midterm tests (40%); tests are scheduled for Feb. 11, Mar. 5, Apr. 7;

b) Comprehensive final exam (30%); scheduled for Saturday, May 3, 1:30-4:00 PM

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

Midterm and final exams cover material from lecture, text, and readings; although lecture material is of primary importance. Test questions are multiple choice. The exams will test how well you put together concepts in addition to important facts. If you miss a midterm exam, you'll get a score of zero for that exam, and that will count as your lowest score. This option saves us all a lot of time because we don't have to wrangle over why you couldn't make it to a test. Do not blow off an exam because you can drop the lowest score; this could easily come back to haunt you and the material will be on the final. There are no make-up exams, and no extra credit. The final is mandatory and it will cover everything.

If you are having trouble in this course, e.g. problems with exams, or personal problems that are affecting your ability to come to class or complete assignments, 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 pursue alternatives.

Mount Rainier from the crater of Mount St. Helens, Washington

Rocky Mountain Front, Montana

Dirty Devil River, Utah

GEOG 1011-01 Tenative Course Outline (be prepared for slight schedule modifications)
Dates	Topics	Reading
1/14-18	Introduction to Earth Structure and Plate Tectonics	Ch 11
1/21	Martin Luther King, Jr. Day (no class)
1/23-1/28	Plate Tectonics and Mountain Building	Ch 11
1/30	Plate Boudaries, Faulting and Earthquakes (processes, hazards)	Ch 12, pp. 361-384
2/1-2/8	Volcanism (processes, hazards)	Ch 12, pp. 384-395
	(Yellowstone Hot Spot)	(reading online)
2/11	1st EXAM
2/13-2/15	Weathering (mechanical, chemical, biological)	Ch 13, pp. 401-417
2/17-2/24	Soils (formation, distribution, and conservation)	Ch 18
2/27-3/3	Mass Wasting	Ch 13, pp. 418-425
3/5	2nd EXAM
3/7-3/9	Hydrology I (water resources, water balance)	Ch 9
3/12-3/17	Hydrology II (ground water, surface water, flooding)	Ch 9; Ch 14, pp. 459-465
	(Impacts of dams)	(reading online)
3/19-3/21	Fluvial Processes I (flow and sediment transport)	Ch 14
3/24-3/28	Spring Break (no class; no lab)
3/31-4/4	Fluvial Processes II (floodplains; sediment yield)	Ch 14
4/7	3rd EXAM
4/9-4/23	Glacial Processes and Climate Change	Ch 17
	(effect of Himalayas on climate: chicken or egg?)	(reading online)
4/25-4/30	Arid Environments, Eolian Processes, Coastal Processes?	Ch 15, Ch 16?
5/2	Review
5/3	Final Exam (Scheduled for Saturday, May 3^rd, 1:30-4 PM)

LAB SCHEDULE

Remember to plan for field trips; I will remind you in class. You will meet the bus for the Mesa Trail and Soils Field Trips by the turnaround between Norlin Library and the Rec Center. You will meet in class and walk to Boulder Creek for that field trip. In the event of very bad weather there may be rescheduling, but be prepared to bundle up and deal with the elements. As a consequence of lab scheduling, some field trips will go nearly to sunset.

Jan. 14-18	No lab this week
Jan. 22-25	Lab manual pg. #1 (Maps, Grids, Scale, & Contours)
Jan. 28-Feb. 1	Lab manual pg. #17 (Rock ID)
Feb. 4-8	Lab manual pg. # 27 (FIELD TRIP to Mesa Trail)
Feb. 11-15	Lab manual pg. #33 (Azimuth, Aspect, Gradient & Profile)
Feb. 18-22	Soil Internet Lab (go to website)
Feb. 25-29	Lab manual pg. # 45 (Soils FIELD TRIP)
March 3-7	Lab manual pg. #51 (mass wasting lab)
March 10-14	Lab manual pg. #59 (Hydrographs & Flood Frequency Analysis)
March 17-21	Hydrology Internet Lab (go to website)
March 24-28 (Spring Break)	NO CLASS
March 31-April 4	Lab manual pg. #73 (FIELD TRIP to Boulder Creek)
April 7-11	Lab manual pg. #81 (Stream Channels & Fluvial Landforms)
April 14-18	Lab manual pg. # 87 (Glacial Landforms)
April 21-May 2	No More Labs

Cabinet Mountains, Montana

Page Updated: 1/07/2008