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Course Focus:
The major goals of this course are to give you the knowledge and
understanding of concepts that will allow you to unravel the information
that minerals hold about earth processes and earth history. Although
this course is critical to the geology major because it lays the
foundation to interpreting rocks, it is of merit as a stand alone
course because the concepts you will learn have environmental
and industrial applications.
The course will be divided into three main parts: crystallography
(symmetry of crystals; emphasis on hand specimen identification);
optical mineralogy (how to use the petrographic microscope to
identify minerals); and systematic mineralogy (discussion of the
structure and composition of specific groups of rock-forming minerals).
We will also be learning a bit about crystal chemistry, thermodynamics,
phase equilibria, and X-ray diffraction. The course is designed
to prepare you for igneous and metamorphic petrology and to provide
you with the tools to become competent in hand specimen and thin
section mineral identification.
Text: Introduction
to Mineralogy by William D. Nesse
Nesse, W., 2000, Introduction to Mineralogy, New York,
Oxford University Press, 442p.
The text is a wonderful resource. Please bring
it to lab. I suggest that you read the chapters for the optical
mineralogy section of course AFTER the lectures.
Laboratory: The lab portion
of this class is critical because the assignments will give you
the opportunity to learn the material discussed in class with
practical "hands on" experience. I expect you to spend
the full allotted time in lab (unless you complete the assignment
before the end of lab).
Exams: I have scheduled two "midterm" exams and a final exam for the lecture portion of the course. In addition, you will have an exam on hand sample identification. The exams will consist primarily of short essay and short answer questions (with emphasis on the first).
Homework Assignments: I will give occasional homework assignments to give you a chance to "practice" something that we have learned in lecture, but will not cover in lab.
Research Paper and Presentation: Each student will pick a topic of interest related to mineralogy. You might be interested in learning more about a specific mineral, the effects of mining on water quality, the health effects of mineral dust, dating rocks using the ion microprobe and mineral chemistry, what minerals tells us about the earth's interior, etc. The possibilities are endless! As the course progresses, I will give some further examples of topics and web links to help you get started. Each student will give a 5 minute oral presentation on his or her research topic during the last week of class.
Quizzes: I will give occasional announced quizzes.
Grading Policies: The final course grade will be calculated with the following weights:
| Laboratory Exercises |
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| Hand Sample Exam |
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| Exams I, II and Final |
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| Research Paper and presentation |
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| Homework Assigments and quizzes |
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Office Hours: I do not have formal office hours for this class but have a number of time slots available throughout the week for student consultation. Please sign-up to see me for any reason in the unshaded 1/2 hour time slots on the calender outside of my office, Room 118, Scovel Hall.
Student Conduct: Students are expected to observe the rules of academic conduct outlined in Scott's Key.
Penalty for Late Assignments: Assignments will receive a deduction of 10% for each
day that they are late. I will not accept assignments more than
4 days late.