Geology 51- 315/515: Sedimentary Petrology

Spring 2021 (1 Credit)

Office hours: 10:30-11:30 Wednesday, and make an appointment by email.

Schedule: Tuesday 9:10-12:20 Harrington Hall 313.

Important Dates:
First Lecture: Monday, February 1
Last day to add without instructor signature: Feb. 5
Last Day to Add with Instructor’s Signature: Feb. 26
Early Alert: March 2-8
Last day to drop without Late Drop Appeal: March17
(here is a link to the Registrar's Drop-Add form)
Spring Break: March 21-28
Campus Research Day (Celebration of Scholarship): April 30
Last day of semester: Friday, May 14
Graduation: Saturday, May 15

Things to consider before dropping a course. Information on repeating a course.

Covid-19 Pandemic Requirements: All faculty, staff, students, and guests to the University are required to wear a face covering while inside University buildings, including classrooms.

Grade scale: 93% and up = A; 90-92 = A-; 87-89 = B+; 83-86 = B; 80-82 = B-; 77-79 = C+; 73-76 = C; 69-72 =C-; 66-68 = D+; 63-65 = D; 60-62 = D-; <60% = F

Meaning of letter grades:

A = Awesome, outstanding, understands almost all of the required material and completed all assignments, did not miss class. Was engaged, focused, and actively worked. Reads textbook and other materials, and studies outside class.
B = Better, strong understanding of material. Was engaged and worked, reads textbook and studies outside class.
C = Good, understands most of material, but may not have been an active participant.
D = Danger, only understands a little more than half the material. Possibly missed classes, may not have been engaged, and probably didn't complete assignments. Texting, Snapchat? Not engaged in class?
F = Failure to understand about less than half of the required material. May have missed classes, may not have been engaged. Texting? Facebook? Snapchat? TikTok? Other priorities?

Graduate credit: Students enrolled in 515 (graduate credit) must meet with Dr. Hiatt to plan, develop and complete an additional research project. This project will involve a higher level of synthesis than is required of undergraduate students in this course.

Equipment required: Hand lens and laboratory notebook (a bound sketchbook with blank pages (8.5 x 11 inches) works best).

Recommended text: Tucker, M.E., 2001, Sedimentary Petrology (third edition), Blackwell Science, Oxford, 262 p., ISBN: 0632057351. (check online for other purchasing options. It can be found used for $40 to $65)

The recommended textbook should look like one of these and can be found online.

Course Objectives: The purpose of this course is to give you a broad understanding of how sedimentary rocks form and how they evolve as they undergo burial. This starts with understanding sediment composition and how this can be used to infer source area characteristics. We will study how, beginning soon after deposition, sediments become lithified. This includes both chemical and physical transformations that lead to major changes in the original petrophysical (porosity and permeability) characteristics of sediments and sedimentary rocks as lithification and diagenesis occur.

Learning Outcomes: Students will recognize how sediments become sedimentary rocks, how porosity forms and evolves and how they can interpret the diagenetic evolution of ancient sedimentary rocks. Students will study and learn the role weathering and sediments play in the global climate system, as well as how energy and other resources come from sedimentary rocks. All of these outcomes will be assessed by based on their observations, interpretations, and reflections in the course notebook that they create.

Course Format: This course meets in-person in Harrington Hall 313, and each class period will consist of approximately 30 minutes of introductory lecture, demonstration, and discussion, and about 2.5 hours of laboratory time. The laboratories will involve study of sediment samples, rocks hand samples, and microscope slides. You should keep a lab notebook in which you can take notes and include sketches of the macroscopic and microscopic observations that you make. You will be required to hand in your notebook at the end of the semester.

What is a university education? A university is not like high school, a community college, or a technical school. The purpose of a university is to: 1) discover and develop new knowledge (in science and the arts), and 2) to bring knowledge to society through teaching. You will often hear your experience at UW Oshkosh described as a liberal arts education, which is a term that attempts to encapsulate the university experience, but is, in fact, only part of the larger university experience in science. At a university, you should learn how to problem solve, to think critically, explore fields and areas of interest, learn about cultures, and society -- in addition to learning general aspects and specifics of a range of fundamental topics and specifics within your major. At a university you are given many opportunities to learn from experts in various fields of study, and to explore the world of knowledge -- take advantage of these opportunities!

Attendance: Attendance is required. Please feel free to ask questions at any time; however, disruptive behavior, including talking during lecture & text messaging, is not acceptable and will result in a lower course grade (see also grades section above). Repeated instances of rude, disruptive, or disrespectful behavior will result in a course grade of F and disciplinary action. If you have a valid excuse and must miss a class, contact me BEFORE the class date.

Special Accommodations: Reasonable accommodations will be made for students with disabilities. Please contact Disability Services (424-3100 (voice) or 424-1319 (TTY)) or visit their web site at http://www.uwosh.edu/dean/disabilities.htm for the University’s accommodation request form and documentation requirements. Information related to an individual’s accommodation request will be kept confidential.

Academic Integrity: The Wisconsin Administrative Code states: “Students are responsible for the honest completion and representation of their work, for the appropriate citation of sources, and for respect of others academic endeavors.” (§ UWS 14.01) Plagiarism and other forms of academic misconduct are serious offenses with severe penalties. See the University of Wisconsin Oshkosh Academic Misconduct Code for definitions of academic misconduct and details about procedures, sanctions, and other relevant information. Specific questions about the provisions in the Student Discipline Code should be directed to the Dean of Students Office. If you do not understand this statement, please see me as soon as possible.

Here is a list of resources to review writing, grammar, math, chemistry, geology, biology, and other sciences.

Geology 315 Schedule:

* Refers to chapters in: Tucker, M.E., 2001, Sedimentary Petrology (third edition), Blackwell Science, Oxford, 262 p., ISBN: 0632057351.

Additional Resources
(at Polk Library)

• Tucker, Maurice E., 2001, Sedimentary petrology: an introduction to the origin of sedimentary rocks: Blackwell Science, London. QE471 .T827 2001.Scoffin, T.P., 1987, An introduction to carbonate sediments and rocks: Chapman & Hall, New York, 274 p.
  
• Pettijohn, F.J., Potter, P.E., and Siever, R., 1987, Sand and sandstone: Springer-Verlag, Berlin QE471 .P457 1987.
  
• Scholle, Peter A. and Schluger, Paul R., (eds.), 1979, Aspects of diagenesis: Society of Economic Paleontologists and Mineralogists Special Publication 26. QE471 .A73.
  
• Walker, Roger G. and James, Noel P., (eds.), 1992, Facies models: response to sea level change: Geological Association of Canada. QE651 .F26 1992.
  
  

Additional Stuff:

1. Students are advised to see the following URL for disclosures about essential consumer protection items required by the Students Right to Know Act of 1990: https://uwosh.edu/financialaid/consumer-information/."
   
   
2. We explore, we discover interconnections, sedimenatry rocks determine whether humans are sustainable, and we are on a quest, but this is not a "University Studies Program" course!