Geology Courses Research Articles

Teaching Historical Geology in the Grand Canyon

The Geology Department at Northern Arizona University has conducted field trips into the Grand Canyon as a scheduled part of the historical geology course since 1935. The authors believe that this is an invaluable experience for beginning students and wish to encourage other teachers of historical geology to take advantage of this world famous natural laboratory. Recognizing that the logistical problems might discourage such planning or pose difficulties for those teachers who may be aware of them, we have written this article to aid them in planning a Grand Canyon field trip.

Computer simulation in introductory geology

Computer simulations of geologic processes are part of the regular laboratory fare in beginning geology courses at Syracuse University. Three programs used regularly are: (1) META, which accepts as input the modal analysis of a sedimentary rock, then calculates mineral assemblages that would result at specified grades of metamorphism, (2) LAKES, with which the student can follow changes in vertical thermal structure of a lake as weather conditions are varied through time, and (3) OIL, a competitive drilling game designed to teaching principles of petroleum migration and entrapment while developing skill in working with structure contour maps. All three programs have proved highly successful as teaching tools. Equally important, they are enjoyed by most students.

Interactive CRT display of bouguer gravity models in computer-assisted instruction in geology

The objective of this study was to develop computer-assisted instruction (CAI) methods suitable for introductory and intermediate-level geology courses. This report is devoted to a description of two computer programs which provide for interactive communication between student and computer by means of a typewriter terminal and cathode ray tube (CRT). Both programs are designed for simulation experiments involving the gravitative response of bodies in the earth's crust, such as ore deposits, fault blocks, and roots of mountain ranges. Both programs provide for two-dimensional representation of buried bodies. The gravitative response of a body is obtained with the Hubbert-Talwani line integration methods of computing Bouguer gravity. In one program (CAIG), the buried body is represented by polygons, and in the other program (GRID), the buried body is created from a series of rectangular cells. Both programs provide a great deal of flexibility. The student user is guided by a series of instructions and “prompts” that are printed out on the typewriter terminal. The student is led through a series of steps in which he must make interpretations and decisions. Insofar as practical, the results of his choices are displayed as cross sections and graphs on the CRT screen. The results of the project are mixed. The experience of most users who have cooperated in testing the efficacy of the program has been favorable, in that they found the approach stimulating and thought-provoking. On the other hand, the computing-service costs of operating the programs are sufficiently high that they are probably economic only with small classes in which students are closely supervised. The use of the programs is sufficiently complicated that it is essential that an instructor be present who is familiar with their operation.

The use of interactive computing in teaching geology and geophysics

In both geology and solid-earth geophysics first-degree courses we employ interactive computing to teach programming, statistics, and a variety of geological and geophysical procedures and concepts. BASIC is used on a system which offers teletype output or simple graphical display. As an example, details (procedure, annotated BASIC programs and graphical output) of a teaching package to determine the direction of magnetisation of a body are given. Graphical display is shown from packages to simulate (1) a trace fossil Chondrites, and (2) the development of flute mark profiles. The use of interactive computer packages, especially with graphical display, has greatly improved our teaching and the students' understanding of concepts and processes. Further teaching packages are now being written, for data analysis and reduction, and for geological modeling.

An introduction to engineering geology : 2F, 1T, 6R. GROUND ENGNG, V8, 2, MAR. 1975, P31-P34

The functions of the engineering geologist are discussed with reference to the needs of the construction industry, and the methods of education and training which are available to meet these requirements. The development of professional engineering geology in the U.K. is briefly reviewed, and the requirements are described of an engineering organization. An exceptionally broad experience in geological and engineering matters are required of the engineering geologist whose quality is basically measured by that of his geological ability. Entry to professional engineering geology is best directed from a first degree course in geology or the earth sciences. The opportunities available at undergraduate level in Great Britain are reviewed, as well as three Master's degree courses. Research opportunities, in-career courses, and graduate training courses are discussed. The practice of engineering geology is reviewed; the science is used in the prediction of geological site conditions and in the planning and design of site investigation. The employment of engineering geologists continuously on site during construction is discussed and the primary functions of such a geologist during construction are listed. It is important for the engineering geologist to be closely associated with construction so that design predictions can be tested and appropriate adjustments made during construction. The role of engineering geology in contracting and during operation are also reviewed.

The first geological lecture course at the university of London, 1831

Summary The first professors at the newly-established London University (later University College London) were appointed in 1827, but a chair in geology was not created there until 1841. In the intervening years, teaching in geology and palaeontology was included in other natural science courses. Early in 1831, John Phillips, keeper of the Yorkshire Museum at York, was prompted to give a formal course of geological lectures and subsequently he was informally offered the professorship, which he declined.

THE GEOLOGICAL LECTURE-COURSES GIVEN IN YORKSHIRE BY WILLIAM SMITH AND JOHN PHILLIPS, 1824–1825

( Read at Hull, 9 th November, 1974) I. Introduction At the beginning of the nineteenth century, most of the British universities had provision for instruction in geology by way of lectures, which were either delivered by a professor of geology or included in the chemistry or natural philosophy course. On the other hand, formal teaching in this rapidly developing subject was then only rarely available to the general public. In 1805, Humphry Davy gave lectures on geology or “a chemical history of the earth” at the Royal Institution, London, “to very crowded audiences” (Paris, 1831, p. 131) and in 1811 he delivered a very successful and highly remunerative course for the Dublin Society ( ibid., p. 218). His London series was continued by W. T. Brande, who published his lectures of 1816 as Outlines of Geology (London, 1817). In the provinces, the local philosophical societies served an important role in enabling wider audiences to gain some knowledge of geology and other sciences such as chemistry, botany, and astronomy. The oldest of these societies, that at Manchester (founded 1781), adopted the practice of renting its hall to visiting lecturers and even to its own members, and the first geological course there appears to have been by Dr. Samuel Hibbert in 1827 (Nicholson, 1924, p. 148). At Newcastle-upon-Tyne (founded 1793), the Rev. William Turner, who had held the appointment of Lecturer at the associated Philosophical Institution since 1802, gave a course of twenty lectures on “the Mineral Kingdom” in 1814; and in the previous ...

Secondary-School Summer Geology Course

Secondary-School Summer Geology Course

The Portable Computer as a Teaching Aid: Examples from a Geobiology Course

Quantitative approaches and computers are being increasingly used in all subdisciplines of geology. Mathematics requirements have been increased for geology majors; however, undergraduate courses in geology have not always kept pace with the quantitative approach. The use of a portable computer (or programmable calculator) in the class-room and laboratory can be of considerable help in presenting quantitative approaches. Programs have been written to demonstrate the following concepts in a geobiology course at Indiana University: logistic equation, predator-prey relationships, effect of selection pressure on gene frequency, joint effect of mutation and selection on gene frequency, genetic drift, growth of planktonic foraminifera tests, feeding patterns of deposit feeders, and the growth of reefs. Each program has a plotter print-out giving the student a graphic representation of these concepts.

Land Use Projects and Small Group Seminars for Environmental Geology Courses

Land Use Projects and Small Group Seminars for Environmental Geology Courses

Demonstration of the Use of an On‐line Terminal for Teaching Geophysical Data Processing Techniques

Summary In the Geology and Geological Geophysics courses at Reading University we teach a number of geophysical techniques which are widely used for oil and mineral exploration. Typical techniques are gravity surveying (gives deep geological structure from variations in density between rock strata), magnetic surveying (gives deep structure from the variation in magnetization) and seismic reflection surveying. The interpretation of the data from these surveys requires the use of numerical Fourier transform techniques. The demonstration, which shows how we teach these techniques using a suite of simple BASIC programs is divided into (a) the problems of obtaining the Fourier transform and (b) the geophysical uses of the Fourier Transform. arabic Method of obtaining the Fourier series of a set of periodic data. arabic The relationship of the Fourier series to the Fourier transform of non‐periodic data. arabic The effects of taking insufficient samples of the data (aliaising) and an insufficient length of data...

The Use of On-Line Computing in Teaching Geology and Geophysics

On-line, conversational computing has been used in our undergraduate geology and geological geophysics degree courses and found to be a powerful teaching tool. Students are able to interact with the computer through an on-line terminal. Programs can be written, run and corrected immediately by the student, thus giving strong reinforcement of their learning processes. Using the computer, real sets of data can be studied and processed, rather than the small, artificial sets necessary with a desk calculator. In the geology course the on-line terminals have been used in a “Quantitative Methods” course. Here BASIC programming and an introduction to statistics is taught. Terminals have been employed to work examples and to give insight into the use of statistical tools. In the geological geophysics degree course on-line computing is used in a number of ways. An example is given where the transcendental equation for the Love wave phase velocity dispersion curve is solved, for a simple model. Consideration of suc...

A Hybrid Man-Machine Teaching Method: Progress and Some Statistical Tests

FORTRAN IV computer programs described by the author in 1966 have been translated to run on IBM 360 and 370 machines and used to assist in teaching a first-year course in introductory general geology to non-specialists without the use of traditional lecturing. Some preliminary statistical results are consistent with the hypothesis that this method is better than the classical lecturing method.

Experience in teaching an introductory course of mathematical geology

Experience in teaching an introductory course of mathematical geology

Teaching of snow and ice hydrology in the United States

Only five courses in snow and ice hydrology are taught on the North American continent. These courses are offered at the University of Arizona, Colorado State, and Utah State universities in the United States, and at the University of Guelph and New Brunswick in Canada.Various other aspects of snow and ice are discussed in: 21 courses in glaciology or glacial geology at 14 universities; 3 courses in snow and ice physics at 2 universities; in 1 course in glacial climatology, snow and avalanches, permafrost, and snowpack management.

Interdisciplinary Honors Program in Introductory Geology and Biology

The development of an interdisciplinary honors seminar section which is open to students currently enrolled in regular introductory courses in geology and biology has permitted students to delve more deeply into subjects of special interest to them than is ordinarily possible in a regular course. The students still get the basic material needed for continuing in the two fields because they do all the work of the regular courses. The standards for admission into the honors group are the same as for other honors programs of the University of Wisconsin. Evolution was selected from a list of potential interdisciplinary subject areas as the first topic because of the exceptionally large range of sub-topics this subject provides for the students. The instructors gave the first two seminars, demonstrating the relationship of the subject to each field. Student presentations lasted about thirty minutes, following which all participated in discussion. The student's topic generally emphasized the subject he was enro...

The Need for Flexibility in Introductory Geology Courses

The Need for Flexibility in Introductory Geology Courses

Introduction To Concepts of Two-Dimensional Strain and Their Application With the Use of Card-Deck Models

In the first course in structural geology it is important to introduce the fundamental concepts of strain, but there are difficulties in doing so from a predominantly analytical point of view. The use of card-deck models in illustrating two-dimensional strain can serve as a bridge between the visual, but qualitative, and the mathematical aspects. By homogeneously shearing a card deck on which a circle has been drawn, the geometrical properties of the strained state can be systematically investigated, including such features as the principal axes of strain, lines of no finite longitudinal strain, the first strain invariant, the rotational component of strain, and the reciprocal strain ellipse. With both circles and ellipses, in various combinations and orientations, it is possible to examine the geometry of superimposed strains. By various graphical plots the progressive development of the finite strain ellipse can be followed, and the idea of the infinitesimal strain ellipse introduced. Many geological st...

A Plea for Changes in Undergraduate Structural Geology Courses

A Plea for Changes in Undergraduate Structural Geology Courses

Predicting the Effect of ESCP on Introductory College Geology Courses

The Test of Science Knowledge (TOSK) and a college physical geology examination were administered to students enrolled in: (1) college physical geology, (2) ninth-grade Earth Science Curriculum Project (ESCP), (3) ninth-grade non-ESCP earth science, and (4) ninth-grade general science. The two high schools cooperating in this study send approximately 90 percent of their graduates to college, and consequently provide a measure of the earth science ability of future college geology students. TOSK tests basic scientific knowledge and is considered to be a predictor of academic success. Performance on TOSK and grades in college physical geology and secondary earth science courses are closely related. The average TOSK score for ninth-grade ESCP students was 83 compared to 90.2 for college students, indicating that the earth science ability-level of these ninth-grade students is already close to that of our present college students. However, the TOSK result for non-ESCP earth science students was 71.8, consider...