GEOL 3340: Geology for Engineers

Fall 2010

Instructor: Dr. Larry A. Standlee

Office Number: Room 142 Geosciences

Office Telephone Number: 817-272-2970

Email Address:

Office Hours: Mon & Wed 1-3pm; other times by appointment only

Section Information: Geol 3340 – Section 001

Time and Place of Class Meetings: Mon/Wed 5-6:20pm, Room 004 UH

Description of Course Content: This course is an introduction to geological materials and earth processes important in the fields of civil engineering and environmental science. It includes the processes forming rocks and minerals; the mechanics and deformation of rock bodies; earthquake processes, hazards, and prediction; weathering and erosion processes; characteristics of soils and hazards related to different soils; land subsidence and gravity-driven mass movements; basic groundwater hydrology, geochemistry, and contamination processes; and river systems, oceans, and coasts. The lab portion of the course will include the study of geological materials and an introduction to the use of Geographic Information Systems (GIS) software to collect, store, analyze, and display geologic and geographic data. Obtaining data over the Internet will also be covered during the lab exercises.

Student Learning Outcomes: The successful student will have a basic familiarity with geological materials and processes and will be able to work proficiently with geological data using the ArcGIS software package.

Requirements: The only prerequisite for the course is a proficiency with basic computer operations.

The course will consist of lecture sessions and lab exercises, most of which will be done online in room 004 UH, with three of the hands-on rock and minerals labs being done in room 243 in the Geosciences building. All labs will be conducted during the regular class hours, although most of the labs are due one week from being assigned and can be completed outside regular class hours.

Required Textbooks and Other Course Materials: Two textbooks are required: (1) Geology for Engineers & Environmental Scientists, 3rd edition, 2006, by Alan E. Kehew, published by Pearson Prentice Hall, New Jersey, ISBN 0-13-145730-6. (2) Getting to Know ArcGIS Desktop, 2nd edition (Updated for ArcGIS 9.3), 2008, by Tim Ormsby et al., published by ESRI Press, Redlands, California, ISBN 978-1-58948-210-4. Order online at http://gis.esri.com/esripress/display/index.cfm

Descriptions of major assignments and examinations with due dates: The lab exercises will usually be due one week after they are assigned, with the exception of the three hands-on labs which must be completed during the lab sessions. See the tentative schedule at the end of this syllabus for when each lab exercise is assigned. There will be two lecture-based exams, one half way through the semester (week 8) and the other during Finals Week. See the schedule at the end of this syllabus for the exact dates of the exams.

Grading Policy: The final course grade will come from two sources – two lecture exams worth 30% each (total of 60% of final grade) and a number of lab exercises worth a total of 40%. There are no extra-credit assignments or opportunities in this class. Makeups of the exams will only be given at the discretion of the Instructor – they are not required by the University. You must have a well-documented excuse before you will be allowed to make up a missed exam.

Attendance Policy: Regular attendance is required and will be periodically checked by a number of pop quizzes throughout the semester. Pop quiz grades may affect your final grade.

Drop Policy: Students may drop or swap (adding and dropping a class concurrently) classes through self-service in MyMav from the beginning of the registration period through the late registration period. After the late registration period, students must see their academic advisor to drop a class or withdraw. Undeclared students must see an advisor in the University Advising Center. Drops can continue through a point two-thirds of the way through the term or session. It is the student's responsibility to officially withdraw if they do not plan to attend after registering. Students will not be automatically dropped for non-attendance. Repayment of certain types of financial aid administered through the University may be required as the result of dropping classes or withdrawing. Contact the Financial Aid Office for more information. The last day to drop a class is Friday, November 5. You will automatically receive a grade of W.

Americans with Disabilities Act: The University of Texas at Arlington is on record as being committed to both the spirit and letter of all federal equal opportunity legislation, including the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA). All instructors at UT Arlington are required by law to provide "reasonable accommodations" to students with disabilities, so as not to discriminate on the basis of that disability. Any student requiring an accommodation for this course must provide the instructor with official documentation in the form of a letter certified by the staff in the Office for Students with Disabilities, University Hall 102. Only those students who have officially documented a need for an accommodation will have their request honored. Information regarding diagnostic criteria and policies for obtaining disability-based academic accommodations can be found at www.uta.edu/disability or by calling the Office for Students with Disabilities at (817) 272-3364.

Academic Integrity: It is the philosophy of The University of Texas at Arlington that academic dishonesty is a completely unacceptable mode of conduct and will not be tolerated in any form. All persons involved in academic dishonesty will be disciplined in accordance with University regulations and procedures. Discipline may include suspension or expulsion from the University. According to the UT System Regents’ Rule 50101, §2.2, "Scholastic dishonesty includes but is not limited to cheating, plagiarism, collusion, the submission for credit of any work or materials that are attributable in whole or in part to another person, taking an examination for another person, any act designed to give unfair advantage to a student or the attempt to commit such acts."

Student Support Services Available: The University of Texas at Arlington provides a variety of resources and programs designed to help students develop academic skills, deal with personal situations, and better understand concepts and information related to their courses. These resources include tutoring, major-based learning centers, developmental education, advising and mentoring, personal counseling, and federally funded programs. For individualized referrals to resources for any reason, students may contact the Maverick Resource Hotline at 817-272-6107 or visit www.uta.edu/resources for more information.

Electronic Communication Policy: The University of Texas at Arlington has adopted the University “MavMail” address as the sole official means of communication with students. MavMail is used to remind students of important deadlines, advertise events and activities, and permit the University to conduct official transactions exclusively by electronic means. For example, important information concerning registration, financial aid, payment of bills, and graduation are now sent to students through the MavMail system. All students are assigned a MavMail account. Students are responsible for checking their MavMail regularly. Information about activating and using MavMail is available at http://www.uta.edu/oit/email/. There is no additional charge to students for using this account, and it remains active even after they graduate from UT Arlington.

To obtain your NetID or for logon assistance, visit https://webapps.uta.edu/oit/selfservice/ If you are unable to resolve your issue from the Self-Service website, contact the Helpdesk at

Final Review Week: A period of five class days prior to the first day of final examinations in the long sessions shall be designated as Final Review Week. The purpose of this week is to allow students sufficient time to prepare for final examinations. During this week, there shall be no scheduled activities such as required field trips or performances; and no instructor shall assign any themes, research problems or exercises of similar scope that have a completion date during or following this week unless specified in the class syllabus. During Final Review Week, an instructor shall not give any examinations constituting 10% or more of the final grade, except makeup tests and laboratory examinations. In addition, no instructor shall give any portion of the final examination during Final Review Week. Classes are held as scheduled during this week and lectures and presentations may be given.

Geol 3340 Tentative Course Schedule – Fall 2010

Wk Date Lecture Topics Lab Exercises

1 8/30 Introduction/Class procedures 9/1 Ch. 1: Introduction 2 9/6 Labor Day holiday – no class 9/8 Ch. 2: Earth and its Systems Lab #2: Plate tectonics 3 9/13 Ch. 3: Minerals 9/15 (In 243 GS) Lab #3: Minerals 4 9/20 Ch. 4: Igneous rocks & processes 9/22 (In 243 GS) Lab #4: Igneous rocks 5 9/27 Ch. 5: Sedimentary rocks & processes 9/29 (In 243 GS) Lab #5: Sed rocks 6 10/4 Ch. 7: Rock mechanics/Deformation 10/6 (In 004 UH) Lab #10: Earth’s crust 7 10/11 Ch. 8: Earthquakes 10/13 (In 004 UH) Lab #8: Earthquakes 8 10/18 Mid-term exam (In 004 UH) 10/20 (In 004 UH) Ex #1: ArcGIS

9 10/25 Ch. 9: Weathering/Erosion 10/27 (In 004 UH) Ex #2: ArcGIS 10 11/1 Ch. 10: Soils/Soils hazards/Land subsidence 11/3 (In 004 UH) Ex #3: ArcGIS 11 11/8 Ch. 11: Groundwater hydrology 11/10 (In 004 UH) Ex #4: ArcGIS 12 11/15 Ch. 12: Subsurface contamination/Remediation 11/17 (In 004 UH) Ex #5: ArcGIS 13 11/22 Ch. 13: Mass movements 11/24 (In 004 UH) Ex #6: ArcGIS 14 11/29 Ch. 14: Rivers 12/1 (In 004 UH) Miss. River exercise 15 12/6 Ch. 15: Oceans/Coasts 12/8 Wrapup/Review for Final Exam

12/13-17 Final exam – Exact time and date to be determined

Lab Exercise Schedule for GEOL 3340 - sec 001

Date Eng Geol Lab # Lab Name Geol 1425 Lab #

9/8 1 Plate Tectonics 2

9/15 2 Minerals 3

9/22 3 Igneous Rocks 4

9/29 4 Sedimentary Rocks 5

10/6 5 Earth’s Crust 10

10/13 6 Earthquakes 8

*Labs 1, 5, and 6 will be done in 004 University Hall – the lecture classroom.

Labs 2, 3, and 4 will be done in 243 Geosciences – the geology lab.

(Meet in room 243 GS at 5 pm for the hands-on geology labs)

Lab procedure:

Log on to a computer in either 004 UH or 243 GS and go to

https://earthsystems.uta.edu/Internet_Labs/

Click on “Access labs”

Select a lab (use the Geol 1425 lab numbers above)

Click on “section 001” – Geology for Engineers

Follow the instructions online and from the instructor to complete the lab.

Submit your work online and print the “confirmation page” before logging out – keep this page to show that you completed the lab exercise when required. For most of the labs you will have one week to complete it and submit it online. Any exceptions must be with the approval of the instructor.