Physical Geology Teaching Objectives

Georgia Perimeter College

Introduction to Geology

1. Demonstrate an understanding of the concepts of catastrophism and uniformitarianism.

2. Demonstrate an understanding of the nature of scientific inquiry.

3. Demonstrate an understanding of the theory or hypothesis (nebular hypothesis) for the origin of the solar system and Earth.

4. Demonstrate an understanding of the rock cycle and the interrelationship of various types of rocks.

Minerals and Matter

1. Demonstrate an understanding of the difference between rocks and minerals.

2. Demonstrate an understanding of the three basic subatomic particles, atomic mass, atomic number, and ions.

3. Demonstrate an understanding of the physical properties that are useful in identifying minerals.

4. Demonstrate an understanding of the composition of the Earth's crust.

5. Demonstrate an understanding of the structure of the silicon-oxygen tetrahedron.

6. Demonstrate an understanding of the characteristics of the common silicate minerals.

7. Demonstrate an understanding of the chemical classification of minerals (such as silicates, carbonates, etc.)

Igneous Rocks

1. Demonstrate an understanding of the difference between magma and lava, intrusive rocks and extrusive rocks, plutonic rocks and volcanic rocks.

2. Demonstrate an understanding of how the rate of cooling influences the size of crystals in igneous rocks.

3. Demonstrate an understanding of the different igneous rock textures (aphanitic, phaneritic, porphyritic, pegmatitic, vesicular, glass, and pyroclastic) and their origins.

4. Demonstrate an understanding of the contributions of N. L. Bowen to the understanding of igneous rocks and the significance of Bowen's Reaction Series to melting and crystallization.

5. Demonstrate an understanding of the various compositional groups of magma (sialic/felsic, intermediate, mafic, ultramafic) and how they relate to igneous rocks.

6. Demonstrate an understanding of the various types of intrusive igneous bodies (dike, sill, laccolith, stock, batholith), including their approximate sizes and geometrical relationship to surrounding rocks (concordant, discordant).

7. Demonstrate an understanding of the relationship between igneous rocks and plate tectonic setting.

Volcanoes

1. Demonstrate an understanding of the factors that determine the nature of an igneous eruption.

2. Recognize the categories of materials that may be emitted during a volcanic eruption.

3. Compare and contrast the three basic types of volcanoes (shield, composite, and cinder cone) as to size, shape, eruptive style, and plate tectonic setting.

4. Classify well known volcanoes according to their basic or general type.

5. Demonstrate an understanding of the relationship between the geographic distribution of volcanic activity and the plate tectonic model.

Weathering and Soils

1. Demonstrate an understanding of the difference between weathering and erosion.

2. Demonstrate an understanding of the difference between chemical and physical/mechanical weathering.

3. Demonstrate an understanding of the different types of physical or mechanical weathering.

4. Demonstrate an understanding of the different types of chemical weathering.

5. Demonstrate an understanding of the products resulting from the chemical weathering of igneous rocks.

6. Demonstrate an understanding of the concept of the soil profile and factors influencing soil formation.

7. Demonstrate an understanding of the factors that influence the type and rate of rock weathering.

Sedimentary Rocks

1. Demonstrate an understanding of the origin of sedimentary rocks.

2. Demonstrate an understanding of the various environments in which sediment is deposited.

3. Demonstrate an understanding of the various sedimentary textures.

4. Demonstrate an understanding of the importance of sedimentary rocks in the study of Earth history.

5. Demonstrate an understanding of the basic groups of sedimentary rocks.

6. Demonstrate an understanding of principle characteristics of the common sedimentary rocks.

Metamorphic Rocks

1. Demonstrate an understanding of the agents (or causes) of metamorphism and their effects.

2. Demonstrate an understanding of the origin of various metamorphic textures.

3. Demonstrate an understanding of the relationship between metamorphism and plate tectonics.

4. Demonstrate an understanding of the progressive stages that metamorphic rocks undergo with increasing grade of metamorphism.

Mass Wasting

1. Demonstrate an understanding of the causes of mass wasting, and situations in which mass wasting is likely to happen.

2. Demonstrate an understanding of the various types of slow mass wasting processes (creep, solifluction).

3. Demonstrate an understanding of the various types of rapid mass wasting processes (rock fall, slide, flow, slump).

Streams

1. Demonstrate an understanding of the hydrologic cycle.

2. Demonstrate an understanding of erosion and transportation of sediment by streams, including types of load (bed load, suspended load, dissolved load), and the concepts of stream capacity, and stream competence.

3. Demonstrate an understanding of stream deposition and erosion, and the features that form as a result of these processes.

4. Demonstrate an understanding of the concepts of base level, discharge and gradient.

5. Demonstrate an understanding of the causes and types of floods and methods of flood control.

6. Demonstrate an understanding of the concept of the drainage basin.

Groundwater

1. Demonstrate an understanding of the concepts of porosity and permeability.

2. Demonstrate an understanding of the concept of the water table and the various factors which affect it.

3. Demonstrate an understanding of the character and behavior of groundwater in various settings.

4. Demonstrate an understanding of environmental problems related to groundwater.

5. Demonstrate an understanding of the origin and major features of karst topography (sinkholes, caves, disappearing streams, solution valleys).

Structural Geology

1. Demonstrate an understanding of the basic type of stresses to which rocks may be subjected.

2. Demonstrate an understanding of the basic types of behavior that rocks may exhibit when subjected to stress.

3. Identify the various types of folds (anticlines, synclines, monoclines, basins, domes).

4. Identify the different types of faults (normal, reverse, thrust, strike-slip), and demonstrate an understanding of the type of stress that produce them.

5. Demonstrate an understanding of strike and dip.

Earthquakes

1. Demonstrate an understanding of the seismograph and seismograms.

2. Demonstrate an understanding of the basic types of earthquake waves.

3. Demonstrate an understanding of the difference between the focus and epicenter of an earthquake.

4. Demonstrate an understanding of the world-wide distribution pattern of earthquake activity and its relation to plate tectonics.

5. Demonstrate an understanding of scales used to measure earthquakes.

6. Demonstrate an understanding of how earthquake epicenters are located.

7. Demonstrate an understanding of the destruction caused by earthquake activity, including tsunami.

8. Demonstrate an understanding of the major historical earthquakes in the U.S.

Earth’s Interior

1. Demonstrate an understanding of the shadow zone and its relationship to the existence of the core, and the liquid nature of the outer core.

2. Demonstrate an understanding of Earth's basic internal structure and composition, including crust, mantle, outer core, inner core, asthenosphere and lithosphere.

3. Demonstrate an understanding of discontinuities within the Earth.

4. Demonstrate an understanding of how the Earth's magnetic field is generated.

5. Demonstrate an understanding of the importance of meteorites to our understanding of the interior of the Earth.

Plate Tectonics

1. Demonstrate an understanding of the basic types of plate boundaries (divergent, convergent, transform), and their relative motions, with major worldwide examples.

2. Demonstrate an understanding of the mechanisms that drive plate motion.

3. Demonstrate an understanding of the features produced by mantle plumes or hot spots, with major worldwide examples.

4. Demonstrate an understanding of the lines of evidence that support plate tectonic theory.

5. Demonstrate an understanding of the tectonic processes and features associated with divergent plate boundaries, including oceanic ridge spreading centers and rift valleys, with major worldwide examples.

6. Demonstrate an understanding of the tectonic processes and features associated with convergent plate boundaries, including subduction zones, deep-ocean trenches, volcanic island arcs, continental volcanic arcs, continental collision, orogenesis, and emplacement of plutons, with major worldwide examples.

7. Demonstrate an understanding of the tectonic processes and features associated with transform plate boundaries, with major worldwide examples.

8. Demonstrate an understanding of the opening and closing of ocean basins (tectonic cycle).

9. Demonstrate an understanding of the concept of isostasy and isostatic adjustment.

Sea Floor and Shorelines

1. Demonstrate an understanding of the characteristics of the seafloor, including the continental margins (continental shelf, continental slope, continental rise).

2. Demonstrate an understanding of the characteristics and behavior of ocean waves (crest, trough, wavelength, wave height, wave period, wave refraction) and the factors which produce waves.

3. Demonstrate an understanding of the characteristics and causes of tides, and the monthly tidal cycle.

4. Demonstrate an understanding of shoreline features and processes acting along the shoreline (erosion, deposition, beach drift and longshore currents).

5. Demonstrate an understanding of how shoreline processes affect people, and how people affect the shoreline.

May 2006