GEOG/GEOL 4241:

GEOG/GEOL 4241:

Principles of Geomorphology

Lecture: MWF 1-1:50 pm
Room: MUEN E126
Lab: T 2-4:50 pm

Instructor: John Pitlick
Office: Guggenheim 315
Office Hours: M 3-5 pm, Th 2-4 pm
E-mail: pitlick@colorado.edu

TA: Scott Anderson
Office: Guggenheim 314
Office Hours: TBD
E-mail: Scott.W.Anderson@Colorado.EDU

Presentations
    lecture 9/14/2011
    lecture 11/16/2011
    lecture 11/28/2011

On-line description of soil properties and processes
    http://www.eoearth.org/article/Soil

Assignments

Course Goals: This course emphasizes earth-surface processes and methods used to interpret the origin of landscapes. Surface processes involving the movement of water, ice and wind are constantly at work, shaping and re-shaping the Earth's topography. Living in Boulder we are particularly lucky because the surrounding areas offer excellent opportunities to study landforms created by glaciation, weathering, mass movement, stream-flow, and wind-- all within a few hours drive. To take advantage of these opportunities, we plan on taking a number of field trips to collect data to test theoretical models of erosion and sediment transport. The field trips and lab exercises will provide you with "hands-on" experience, and broad-based exposure to the techniques used in studying geomorphic processes.

Prerequisites: Any introductory course in physical geography or geology, and a basic understanding of math, physics and chemistry.

Text: Geomorphology: The Mechanics and Chemistry of Landscapes, by R.S. Anderson and S.P. Anderson

Lab: A 3-hour lab session will be held every Tuesday. Roughly half of the labs will involve field trips in which you will learn some of the basic techniques used in geomorphology. An all-day field trip to Arapaho Pass to view alpine and glacial landforms is scheduled for Saturday, Sept. 10; a half-day field trip to eastern Colorado may be scheduled later in the semester. A small notebook will be useful for field trips. When we don’t go in the field, we will complete map-based or computer-oriented exercises. You should bring pencils, calculator, engineers scale, and a protractor to each lab.

Grading: Your course grade will be determined as follows:

1st midterm      20 % (tentatively scheduled for Sept. 23)

2nd midterm      20 % (tentatively scheduled for Oct. 28)

Final exam        20 % (equal to a midterm; exam scheduled for Monday, Dec. 5)

Lab exercises    40 %

Exams will cover material from the lectures text, and readings. Test questions will be short answer and essay. Under certain circumstances, you may take an exam early (e.g. because of a religious holiday). However, you cannot take an exam late- if you miss an exam, you must first provide a legitimate excuse, such as a written note from a doctor; I will then give you a score equal to your grade on the other midterm. No make-up exams will be given, regardless of your personal situation (illness, death in the family, whatever). If you cannot explain your reason for missing an exam, you will receive a score of zero for that exam.

Fall 2011 Schedule

Dates	Topics	Reading
22 Aug	Introduction & Basic Principles	Chapter 1-3 (bits and pieces)
24-26 Aug	Glaciers I: Formation of Ice, Mechanics of Flow, Mass Balance	Chapter 8
29 Aug - 2 Sep	Glaciers II: Erosion, Transportation, and Deposition	Chapter 8, Field Trip, Sept. 10
7-9 Sep	Quaternary Record of Climate Change
12-21 Sep	Weathering and Soils	Chapter 7
23 Sep	Midterm Exam I
26 Sep - 7 Oct	Hillslope Processes	Chapter 10
10-14 Oct	Drainage Basins	Chapter 11
17-26 Oct	Rivers I: Flow and Sediment Transport	Chapter 12, 14
28 Oct	Midterm Exam II
31 Oct - 4 Nov	Rivers II: Channel Morphology	Chapter 12, 13
7 - 11 Nov	Fluvial Adjustments to Environmental Change	Reading
14-18 Nov	Eolian Processes, Field trip to Platteville (Tues, Nov. 15)	Chapter 15
21-25 Nov	Thanksgiving Break
28 Nov -2 Dec	Denudation and Uplift	Chapter 3 + Reading
5 Dec	Final Exam, 1 pm -1:50 pm

Lab Exercises and Field Trips (more or less in this order):

1. Review of topographic maps, cross sections, calculations, etc.
2. Glacial mass balance; erosion and deposition

3. Glacial and periglacial processes, field trip, Saturday, Sept. 10

4. Hillslope measurements

5. Computer exercise: analysis of hillslope profiles

6. Debris flows

7. Drainage network analysis

8. Channel morphology and sediment movement

9. Hydraulic geometry

10. Magnitude/Frequency analysis

11. Eolian deposits (sand dunes) of eastern Colorado

12. Cenozoic erosion surface/geomorphic history of the Front Range

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. For more information, 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

EXAMPLES OF TEST QUESTIONS FROM A PREVIOUS EXAM

Below are some questions illustrating the format of one of my exams.

GEOG/GEOL 4241 FALL 1995 NAME: ______________________________

You have 1 hour for this test. Spend time on questions that are worth the most. Think about the question before writing anything and then give a short, concise answer; drawn-out discussions will not earn you points. If you write out a formula, be sure to define any terms. Good luck.

1. Give a concise, one sentence, definition for each of the following terms (4 pts. each):

a) sublimation

c) leaching

d) a 2 to 1 clay

e) cation exchange

2. Explain why a change in equilibrium line altitude (ELA) due to a change in climate may have a greater effect on ice sheets than valley glaciers. Assume the change in ELA is the same for both (10 pts.):

3. Glen's law is written as strain rate = coefficient x shear stress ^ n

where is the ________________________________ , t is the _______________________________ , a is a coefficient, and n is an exponent with a mean value of about ______ . For this value of n, a doubling of t would cause a(n) ______ -fold increase in (8 pts.).

a) explain with reference to eqn. 1 why the value of t at the base of most glaciers is ~100 kPa (4 pts.):

b) explain with reference to eqn. 1 why crevasses seldom propagate to depths of more than 30m (4 pts.):

4. Polar glaciers differ from temperate glaciers in a number of respects. As briefly as you can, contrast the differences between (a) processes of ice formation, including the role of water; (b) physical properties of the ice; (c) mechanisms of movement; and (d) debris entrainment in polar vs. temperate glaciers (16 pts.):