GEO 103 LAB, Section 3 Understanding the Earth Fall 2017

Tuesday 4:00 pm-5:50 pm Woodward, Room 328

TA: Roger Hart Email: roger_hart@my.uri.edu
Office: Woodward 331 Office hours: Tuesday & Thursdays 6:00-7:30pm; or appointment

Students: When emailing, please put your name and lab section # in the subject line.

Materials:
 Geo 103: Understanding the Earth Laboratory Manual is available at iCopy in the Kingston Emporium
on Fortin Road. Textbook is required.
 Bring a pencil!
 Phones and other electronics are to be put away during class time.

Course Description & Objectives:

In this lab, you will discuss processes operating within and upon the surface of the earth. You will look
at the relationship of plate tectonics to volcanism, earthquakes, and mountain building. You will also observe
the modification of landscapes by rivers, glaciers, wind, and waves. Furthermore, you will develop an
understanding of the environmental implications of geologic processes.
This lab is designed to provide you with hands on experience for some of the concepts discussed in
lecture. By the end of the semester you should be familiar with the following topics: basic map reading and
measuring techniques, minerals, rocks and their sources, plate tectonics and catastrophic change on the earth.
Above all, I hope you leave this course with an understanding and appreciation for the complexity of the earth
and its systems.

Attendance Policy:
Attendance in lab is mandatory and you must come to your assigned lab section. Labs cannot be made
up without an excused absence (such as medical emergencies, illness, or death in the immediate family).
Athletic events or other university events that you are participating in are excusable if you let me know 24
hours in advance and have documentation verifying the event. You will be expected to make up any work that
you miss.
It is important to be on time for lab. The weekly quiz will be given and completed within the first 10
minutes of class. If you arrive late, you will only be given the remainder of the 10 minutes for your quiz. If you
arrive more than 10 minutes late, you will not be permitted to take the quiz at all and cannot make it up. Be
prepared to stay for the full lab period. If you finish your lab early, you are allowed to leave after I do a quick
check of your work.

Course Work:
 Labs will be due at the beginning of lab period the following week, unless otherwise indicated. Turning
in a lab within 24 hours after the beginning of the lab period will result in a 20% deduction on your
lab grade (turn it into my mailbox in Woodward room 317). Turning it in after 24 hours will earn you
a zero for that lab.
 Some labs will require additional work or class time outside of the scheduled lab period.
 Homework is due the following week, unless otherwise indicated. The same late policy applies for
homework as for lab assignments.
 Quizzes will cover material from the previous week’s lab.

Field trips are mandatory. Please dress weather- and activity-appropriately.

Grading:
Your lab grade accounts for 25% of your GEO 103 grade. Your grade will be determined based on the
following:
Quizzes 25%
Labs/Participation 35%
Homework 15%
Final Project (Lab 10) 15%
Attendance 10%

Students with Disabilities:

Any student with a documented disability is welcome to contact me as early in the semester as possible
so that we may arrange reasonable accommodations. As part of this process, please be in touch with URI’s
Office of Disability Services, located in Room 330 of the Memorial Union, 401-874-2098.

Academic Honesty
Be honest, do your own work, and always cite your sources. You are responsible for knowing what URI’s
academic honesty policy is and abiding by it. See the University Student Handbook chapter 1 (1:4)
(http://www.uri.edu/judicial/Student%20Handbook/ch1.html) if you have questions.

Lab Schedule (Subject to change):

Lab Date HW
# Lab Title Assigned Lab Due due
1 Mapping and Topography Sept 12 Sept 19
Sept 26
Mineral Properties and Identification
2 Sept 19 Sept 26 Sept 26
3 Volcanoes, Igneous Settings, and Igneous Rock Identification Sept 26 Oct 3 Oct 3
4 Newton Avenue- FIELD TRIP Oct 3 Oct 3 ----
5 Sediments and Stratigraphy Oct 10 Oct 17 Oct 17
6 Sedimentary Rocks Oct 17 Oct 24 ----
7 Glacial/Costal Geology of Southern RI- FIELD TRIP Oct 24 Oct 24
8 Metamorphism and Simple Deformation Oct 31 Nov 7 ----
9 Geologic Structure Nov 7 Nov 21 ----
NO LABS THE WEEK OF VETERAN’S DAY NOV.11 HOLIDAY
10 Geologic Time Nov 21 Nov 28 ----
11 Geology Project Nov 28 Dec 5 ----
12 Hydrogeology Dec 5 Dec 5 ----