GEOL& 208: Geology of The Pacific Northwest

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Class Program

Geology

Credits

Weekly Contact Hours

Course ID

091602

Meets Degree Requirements For

Natural Science with Lab

Description

Learn Pacific Northwest geology and geologic history by studying rocks, sediments, landforms, fossils, geologic maps and geologic structures. Examine how plate tectonics, volcanoes, faulting, folding, rock formations, geologic time, mountain building, terrain accretion, earthquakes, glaciers, rivers and floods have created our land and resources. May require field trip(s). Includes laboratory.

Grading Basis

Graded

Course Learning Outcomes

Apply relative geologic age determination principles to sequencing the geologic history of stratified rock, intrusive rock, and geologic structures in real field sites, pictures, or diagrams.

Recognize unconformities by named type in real field sites, pictures, or diagrams and explain the importance of unconformities to geologic history.

In words recite the geologic history of the Pacific Northwest, and on a map point out where and in what form the geologic evidence can be found, from Archean basement and Proterozoic Belt Supergroup to Pleistocene ice ages and present-day geologic activity.

Identify from hand samples at least 10 of the most common mineral and rock types.

Describe the origin of most common rock types, explain how a rock reveals its origin, and from examination of a rock deduce the origin of the rock.

Determine from stratigraphy and structure and list sequentially a relative geologic age sequence.

Correlate key aspects of Pacific Northwest geology with plate tectonic theory.

Correlate geologic features with how they are portrayed on a map, including recognition of basic fault and fold types.

Recognize and describe field evidence of continental glaciation and glacial lake outburst flooding.

Recognize and describe field evidence of geologic uplift and erosion, including landslides.

Define the word theory in scientific terms and distinguish it from the colloquial use of the word. Show awareness, in discussing a theory, of how a theory in science is an idea that has been repeatedly tested and verified, successfully predicted and explained many phenomena, and provided new insights into how nature works, as no other explanation has been able to do so successfully.

Recognize, identify, name and describe the origin of types of rock encountered in the real world, at actual geologic sites.

Recognize and name different types of volcanoes and describe how each type originates.

Explain how accreted terranes form in terms of plate tectonic theory. Name several key terranes or groups of terranes in the Pacific Northwest, state when they accreted in geologic time, and describe the names, geometry and sense of motion of the tectonic plates involved.

Use facts or observations to distinguish a valid hypothesis from an invalid one, demonstrated in lab work or written assignments.

Core Topics

the geologic time scale
relative and absolute geologic time
the rock cycle
identifying and understanding the origins of common rocks and minerals
plate tectonics
plate subduction
orogeny (mountain-building episodes)
terrane accretion
basic types of faults and folds
major faults in the Pacific Northwest, active and inactive
association of active faults with earthquakes
earthquake hazard zones in the Pacific Northwest relative to location and plate boundaries
tsunami, and history of tsunami on PNW coast
major folds, grabens, and metamorphic core complexes in the Pacific Northwest
continental and alpine glaciers
glacial erosional features
glacial depositional features
glaciation history of the Pacific Northwest
Channeled Scablands and glacial Lake Missoula outburst floods
geologic history of the Pacific Northwest over the course of geologic time
fossils of the Pacific Northwest
the Cretaceous-Tertiary boundary in the Pacific Northwest
volcanoes (types of volcanoes, types of eruptions, volcanic arcs at subduction zones, flood basalts)
basic geologic structures (faults, folds, grabens, metamorphic core complexes)
reading geologic maps and geologic map keys
reading geologic cross-sections
drawing geologic cross-sections (optional)
drawing geologic maps (optional)
paleomagnetism (optional)