Welcome
Welcome to Physical Geology Lab. During this course, you will learn to identify minerals and rocks, and learn to interpret the Earth’s surface and history by observing the lay of the land through topographic maps, satellite, aerial and land-level photographs, and geologic maps.
The lab is designed to be entirely on-line, and great effort has been made to supply you with enough visual and factual information to make the labs meaningful. If there is access to a textbook or to the Internet, you are encouraged to pursue additional information that may help you fully appreciate the Earth upon which you reside.
The 14 labs are organized in such a way that most of them build upon each other. The study of minerals leads into the study of rocks. Igneous rocks leads to sedimentary rocks, which leads into metamorphic rocks. Topographic maps are introduced and subsequent chapters build upon ways to utilize the information observed on those maps. The interpretation of topographic maps leads to geologic maps and the additional data they provide to the study of Earth’s crust. Where appropriate, Google Earth latitude and longitude coordinates are provided to facilitate further inquiry.
Most labs will have more than requirement for submission. Please make sure to follow the directions in the Assessing Your Learning section of each Lab so that you ensure you have submitted all appropriate responses.
The labs provided are:
Lab 1 – Minerals:Lab 1 – Minerals: Photographs provide the opportunity to observe and virtually test minerals, allowing you to identify minerals of unknown identity. Lab 2 – Igneous Rocks:Lab 2 – Igneous Rocks: Photographs provide the opportunity to observe rock textures and compositions, and subsequently identify igneous rocks of unknown identity. Lab 3 – Sedimentary Rocks:Lab 3 – Sedimentary Rocks: Photographs provide the opportunity to observe rock textures and compositions, to perform virtual tests, and subsequently to identify sedimentary rocks of unknown identity. Lab 4 – Metamorphic Rocks:Lab 4 – Metamorphic Rocks: Photographs provide the opportunity to observe rock textures and compositions, to perform virtual tests, and subsequently to identify metamorphic rocks of unknown identity. Lab 5 – Relative Time:Lab 5 – Relative Time: Exercises require you to put geologic events into chronologic order, and allow you to mimic the tasks facing geologists trying to interpret the rock record and Earth’s history. Lab 6 – Plate Tectonics:Lab 6 – Plate Tectonics: Plotting recent Earthquakes and volcanoes allows you to put these events into the context of plate tectonic processes.
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GLG103 Labs
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Lab 7 – Topographic Maps:Lab 7 – Topographic Maps: Study a diagrammatic way of depicting Earth’s surficial irregularities (topography), and the ways in which these maps may be used to interpret geology. Lab 8 – Reflective midterm exerciseLab 8 – Reflective midterm exercise Lab 9 – Streams: Lab 9 – Streams: Use topographic maps and satellite photographs to visualize and interpret stream geology. Introduced in this lab is the generation of a profile view of topography. Lab 10 – Groundwater: Lab 10 – Groundwater: Use topographic maps and satellite photographs to visualize and interpret groundwater geology. Introduced in this lab is the generation of a contour map of the water table, using data generated from observations of the intersection of the water table with the Earth’s surface. Lab 11 – Glaciers:Lab 11 – Glaciers: Use topographic maps, satellite and land-based photographs to visualize and interpret glacial geology. Lab 12 – Deserts and Sand: Lab 12 – Deserts and Sand: Use topographic maps, and satellite and land-based photographs to visualize and interpret desert geology. Introduced in this lab is the relationship of sand (composition and texture) to the environment in which it is deposited. You will learn to recognize sand characteristics of dunes, beaches and streams. Lab 13 – Shorelines: Lab 13 – Shorelines: Use topographic maps and satellite photographs to visualize and interpret shoreline geology. Additional sand studies are related to the shoreline rocks and dynamics. Lab 14 – Geologic Structures 1:Lab 14 – Geologic Structures 1: Geologic maps are introduced, often coupled with topographic maps. Geologic maps, depicting in color the rocks exposed at Earth’s surface, are an important tool in the inference and interpretation of subsurface rock attitude and its influence on topography. Lab 15 – Geologic Structures 2:Lab 15 – Geologic Structures 2: Further opportunities are included to make observations on geologic maps to interpret rock attitude and its influence on topography. This view of Earth is enhanced by coupling satellite photography to the map areas. Also introduced in this lab is the generation of a geologic profile view of Earth’s upper crust. Lab 16 – Reflective final exerciseLab 16 – Reflective final exercise
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