Fall 2020

Sedimentology and Stratigraphy

Listed in: Geology, as GEOL-311

Formerly listed as: GEOL-34

Faculty

David S. Jones (Section 01)

Description

From the muddy Mississippi River delta to the clear waters of the Bahamas, from the bottom of the Greenland ice sheet to the shifting dunes of the Namib sand sea, sediment is continually being produced, transported, and deposited on the planet’s surface. These processes are fundamentally linked to global climate and tectonics. Sedimentary rocks are therefore archives of environmental, climatic, and tectonic changes through Earth history. In this class, students will learn how to interpret the sedimentary rock record, on scales ranging from individual grains to kilometers-thick sequences of strata. Students will develop an understanding of sedimentary processes in modern environments and learn how to interpret the sedimentary rock record.

GEOL 311 will be conducted remotely, using a combination of synchronous and asynchronous activities. In lab, students will participate in virtual field trips, do hands-on work with rock specimens, practice techniques of image interpretation, and learn to manipulate sedimentary data sets. Students will be guided through the course by close, regular interaction with the instructor as would be true in a classroom setting. We will draw inspiration for our remote studies from the success of the Mars Curiosity Rover, which is essentially a tool to do sedimentology on another planet!  Three hours of lecture and three hours of laboratory each week.

Requisite: GEOL 111. Recommended requisite: GEOL 112. Fall semester. Professor Jones.

GEOL 311 - L/D

Section 01
M 12:40 PM - 01:30 PM ONLI ONLI
W 12:40 PM - 01:30 PM ONLI ONLI
F 12:40 PM - 01:30 PM ONLI ONLI

GEOL 311L - LAB

Section 01
Tu 01:30 PM - 04:30 PM ONLI ONLI

Offerings

Other years: Offered in Spring 2008, Spring 2009, Spring 2012, Spring 2013, Spring 2014, Fall 2015, Spring 2017, Spring 2019, Fall 2020, Fall 2022, Fall 2024