EENS 2120 |
Spring Semester 2015 |
Petrology |
Instructor: Stephen A. Nelson |
Room 208 Blessey Hall |
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email: snelson@tulane.edu | Office Hours - MWF 1:00 - 3:00 PM |
Laboratory Instructor: Heng Hu email: hhu1@tulane.edu
I. COURSE GOALS & OBJECTIVES Since Rocks are the basic building blocks of the Earth, this course is designed to give the student a fundamental background in rocks, necessary to understand the Earth. The student will learn the principles behind rock forming processes and will learn to examine rocks in hand specimen and thin section, both as a means of identifying and describing the rocks and as a means of extracting clues to formulate hypotheses about how the rocks formed in nature. II. TEXTBOOKS
Earth Materials by Hefferan and O'Brien (H&O) An Introduction to the Rock Forming Minerals, 2nd Ed., by Deer, Howie & Zussman (DHZ)
Petrography, 2nd Edition by H. Williams, F.J. Turner, and C.M.
Gilbert: (WTG) |
III. COURSE GRADING The course grade will be determined on the basis of the number of points scored out of a possible 1000 points. These points will be apportioned as follows: |
Homework and Labs 15% Lab Midterm 15% Lecture Midterm 20% Lab Final 20% Lecture Final 25% Field Trip Participation 5%
Field Trip: The Field Trip is scheduled for April 9 -12 (Thursday
through Sunday). Make plans now so you won't have any excuses for not
attending. (No excuses will be accepted.) |
IV. WEB PAGE
A Web site has been developed for this course. It includes course materials, including a copy of this syllabus, lecture notes, announcements from the instructor, and Internet links. The site can be found on the internet at: http://www.tulane.edu/~sanelson/eens212/ Be sure to check this web page regularly throughout the course for important announcements and updates. In addition PDF versions of the actual lectures will be posted on the Blackboard site for this course as they become available. |
Date |
Topic |
Readings |
Jan 13 | Lecture: Textures & Structures of Igneous Rocks | H&O p. 181-197, 227-263 |
Lab I: Textures of Igneous Rocks in Hand Specimen | H&O p. 185-197 | |
Jan 15 | Lecture: Textures & Structures of
Igneous Rocks & General Classification of Igneous Rocks |
H&O p. 197-211 |
Lab II: Textures of Igneous Rocks in Thin Section | WTG p. 53-67 | |
Jan 20 | Lecture: Simple 1 & 2 Component Phase Diagrams | H&O p. 50-65 Lecture Notes |
Lab III: Calculation of Norm & Classification of Igneous Rocks | Handout | |
Jan 22 | Lecture: Ternary Phase Diagrams | Lecture Notes |
Lab IV: Minerals in Igneous Rocks | Handout | |
Jan 27 | Lecture: Ternary Phase Diagrams (cont.) | Lecture Notes |
Lab V: Ternary Phase Diagrams | Handout | |
Jan 29 | Lecture: The Interior of Earth and Formation of Magmas | H&O Ch. 1 & p. 212-216 |
Lab V: Ternary Phase Diagrams (Cont.) | Handout | |
Feb 3 | Lecture: Magmatic Differentiation | H&O 216-227 |
Lab VI: Basalts & Gabbros in Hand Specimen & Thin Section | WTG p. 94-135 | |
Feb 5 | Lecture: Magmatic Differentiation | H&O 216-227 |
Lab VII: Variation Diagrams in Petrology | Handout | |
Feb 10 | Lecture: Igneous Rocks of the Oceanic Lithosphere | H&O p. 264-268 |
Lab VIII: Andesites & Diorites in Hand Specimen & Thin Section | WTG p. 137-158 | |
Feb 12 | Lecture: Igneous Rocks of the Oceanic Lithosphere | H&O p. 264-268 |
Lab IX: Trace Elements in Igneous Processes | Handout | |
Feb. 17 |
Mardi Gras - No Class | |
Feb 19 | Lecture: Igneous Rocks of Convergent Margins | H&O p. 268-278 |
Lab X: Siliceous Rocks in Hand Specimen & Thin Section | WTG p.159-192 | |
Feb 24 | Lecture: Igneous Rocks of Convergent Margins (cont.) and Igneous Rocks of the Continental Lithosphere | H&O p. 268-278 H&O p. 278-294 |
Lab XI: Projected Phase Diagrams | Handout | |
Feb 26 | Lecture: Igneous Rocks of the Continental Lithosphere (cont.) | H&O p. 278-294 |
Lab XII: Ultrabasic & Alkaline Rocks in Hand Specimen & Thin Section | WTG p. 193-258 | |
Feb 27 | Lecture: Pyroclastic Rocks | Lecture Notes H&O p. 249-262 |
Lab XIII: Isotopes in Igneous Processes | Handout | |
Mar 3 | Lecture: Types of Metamorphism | H&O Ch. 15 |
Lab XIV: Pyroclastic Rocks | WTG p.260-274 | |
Mar 5 | lECTURE MIDTERM EXAM | |
No Lab | ||
Mar 10 | Lecture: Metamorphic Rock Textures | H&O Ch. 16 & 17 |
Lab - LABORATORY MIDTERM EXAM | ||
Mar 12 | Lecture: Triangular Plots in Metamorphic Petrology | Lecture Notes H&O p. 526-530 |
Lab: XV: Metamorphic Minerals & Textures | WTG p. 438-453 | |
Mar 17 | Lecture: Metamorphic Mineral Assemblages | H&O Ch. 18 |
Lab XVI: Triangular Plots in Metamorphic Petrology | ||
Mar 19 | Lecture: Metamorphic Mineral Assemblages & Thermodynamics & Metamorphic Reactions | Lecture Notes |
Lab XVI: Triangular Plots in Metamorphic Petrology (cont.) | Handout | |
Mar 24 | Lecture: Thermodynamics & Metamorphic Reactions | H&O Ch. 18 Lecture Notes |
Lab XVII: Thermodynamics and Metamorphic Reactions | Lecture Notes Handout |
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Mar 26 | Lecture: Metamorphic Reactions | H&O Ch. 18 Lecture Notes |
Lab XVIII: Contact Metamorphic Rocks in Hand Specimen and Thin Section | WTG p. 476-499 | |
Mar 31 & Apr 2 |
Spring Break No Class |
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Apr 7 |
Lecture: Metamorphic Reactions | Lecture Notes |
Lab XIX: Low - Medium Grade Metamorphic Rocks in Hand Spec. | WTG p. 514-546 | |
Apr 9-12 | Field Trip to Southern Appalachians |
Handout |
Apr 14 | Lecture: Contact Metamorphism | H&O p. 450-452 Lecture Notes |
Lab XX: Low to Medium Grade Metamorphic Rocks in Thin Section | WTG p. 514-546 | |
Apr 16 | Lecture: Regional Metamorphism | H&O Ch. 16 & 18 |
Lab XXI: High Grade Metamorphic Rocks in Hand Specimen | WTG p. 547-571 | |
Apr 21 | Lecture: Regional Metamorphism | H&O Ch. 16 & 18 |
Lab XXII: High Grade Metamorphic Rocks in Thin Section | WTG p. 547-571 | |
Apr 23 | Lecture: Radiometric Age Dating of Igneous & Metamorphic Rocks | H&O 64-74 Lecture Notes |
Lab XXIII: Radiometric Age Dating of Igneous & Metamorphic Rocks | Handout | |
Apr 28 | Review and Ketchup day | |
May 6 | LECTURE FINAL EXAMINATION 1:00 P.M. to 5:00 P.M | |
May 9 | LAB FINAL EXAMINATION 8:00 A.M. to 12:00 P.M |
Learning Outcomes for this Course
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Obtain a PDF version of this Syllabus |