SURFICIAL PROCESSES GEOL – 120
SPRING - 2013
This course is designed for the student with some background in geology who is interested in processes that operate at the Earth’s surface and the landscapes these processes carve. During the course of the semester we will learn about the basic forces that drive surface processes, climatic variations through the Quaternary and their role in shaping landscapes, the movement of water at and immediately below the surface, the actions of winds, waves, and glaciers and the landsforms they produce. We will explore the delicate balance that exists between surface landforms and the processes that alter them. General learning objectives are as follows:
Learning Objectives:
1. to understand the general nature of processes that operate at the Earth’s surface and the landscapes they produce,
2. to recognize and describe landforms and features in various landscapes from surface observations and from printed and electronic media,
3. to be able to construct accurate maps of land surface structures using a TOTAL surveying station, GPS and general mapping skills,
4. to effectively utilize topographic maps, aerial photographs and map software to solve geomorphic problems.
Instructor: Dr. Kevin Cornwell
1010 Placer Hall
916.278.6667
My office hours are Monday 12:00 to 1:00 pm, Tuesday from 12:00 to 1:00 pm and by appointment.
SacCT 9.1
Online material for this course, such as homework assignments, lab materials and supplemental reading material will be available through SacCT. You can log in to SacCT 9.1. In order to access the course website you will need a saclink account. If you do not have one you can get one by going to https://www.saclink.csus.edu/saclink/ clicking on register and following the instructions.
Grades
Your course grade will be determined by your performance on three essay exams (20% each), graded lab projects (30% total) and a research poster and presentation (10% total).
Turn things in on time. Late assignments will not receive full credit and no late assignments will be accepted after the assignments have been graded and handed back.
Exams
Probable exam dates will be March 5, April 16 and May 21th (10:15 to 12:15 am - Finals week). If you must miss an exam please make prior arrangements with me or, if ill, call and let me know the problem. You won’t be able to make-up an exam without an excused absence.
Lab Projects
You must also be signed up for the Lab section which meets Thursday afternoons from 12:30 to 3:20 pm. Several of our lab exercises will take place outdoors so watch the weather and plan accordingly. Most of the labs will involve collecting data to evaluate specific surface processes, learning how to use mapping and stream gaging equipment, using Google Earth to measure and document landforms and landscapes.
Field Trip
We will take a field trip off campus. The date for this trip is tentatively set for April 13th (Saturday). We’ll spend the day traveling up into the coastal range near Rumsey to Cache Valley where you’ll study an active landslide and measure stream discharge conditions in Cache Creek. This will be a working field trip and it will take the place of one of your labs. We will talk much more in depth on this trip but clear your calendar for this time now.
Research Poster
Will be discussed during the first few weeks of class in more detail. This year your poster will describe a geomorphic process in a specific area and an assessment of how that process produced the landforms and landscape that exist there. Insights will be gleaned from literature and from data sets that you locate and manage. The poster will be due by early May. An oral presentation of the content of your poster will be arranged during the last two weeks of the semester and presented during lab sessions.
Textbook for the course will be - Process Geomorphology, 5th edition by Ritter, Kochel and Miller (ISBN-13: 978-1577664611). There may also be several outside readings required for class discussion. These readings will either be placed in the Reference Room in the CSUS library or posted on the SacCT 9.1 webpage.