dr. Alessandro Grippo, Ph.D. - Spring 2009 classes

SPRING session 2009

Professor: Dr. Alessandro Grippo, Ph.D.

Last Updated • May 28, 2009

This class is a 4-units, general education class that includes both lecture and lab; an introduction to the basic principles of geology and plate tectonics is followed by a more detailed study of sedimentary rocks and the principles of stratigraphy, sedimentology, and paleontology. Knowledge of these principles will help the students understand how Earth history can be deciphered from the rock and fossil record. The main physical, chemical and biological changes that occurred in the 4.6 billion years of existence of our planet will be outlined.

If you already have a basic knowledge of geology (for instance, you already took Geology 1 or Geology 4) you might find yourself at a slight advantage. Nonetheless, you will see throughout the class that all materials will be explained thoroughly and the class is fully accessible to anyone with a genuine curiosity and desire to learn. You also need to be aware that this class will require continuous and constant attention and that, in order to succeed, you will need to dedicate a considerable amount of time to study and work on its materials.

4311 - GEOL 5, HISTORICAL GEOLOGY lecture and lab
Class Hours:
Tuesday (lecture), 6.45-9.50, Drescher Hall, room 128
Thursday (lab), 6.45-9.50, Drescher Hall, room 128

Required Textbooks:
Lecture Textbook: S. M. Stanley, Earth System History, 2^nd edition (2005), W. H. Freeman and Company, New York
Lecture Textbook: J. W. Schopf, Cradle of Life, 1^st edition (1999), Princeton University Press, Princeton and Oxford
Lab Manual:H. L. Levin and M. S. Smith, Laboratory Studies in Earth History, 9^th edition

About these textbooks, please note:
It is fine to buy a used copy of both Lecture Textbooks. For the main textbook (Earth System History), a new, third edition (2009) has been recently published, but during this semester we will still use the second edition. The bookstore will probably not have a copy of the second textbook (Cradle of Life) right away. It can be bought either on Amazon (links are provided by clicking on the book titles above) or at the UCLA bookstore.

For what concerns the lab manual, DO NOT buy a used copy for any reason; questions and exercises on the lab manual require that pages are teared off and turned in to the instructor for grading after a lab. Many students who bought used copies in the past, either from the bookstore or from other students, found out after a week or two that they had incomplete manuals in their hands, with several missing pages.

I will only accept lab work from the current edition of the lab manual (9^th edition). I will not accept lab work neither from older editions (even if brand new: questions are different, and/or not in the same order or page), nor from used copies of the new edition.
I will not accept lab work on notebook pages. So, for the lab manual, just buy a brand new copy of the 9^th edition.

Exams:
All exams include lecture, lab and home assignments materials.
The final exam will be partially cumulative: it will include a small section on older materials covered in previous tests and a larger section on new materials covered after the second test.

Exam dates are as follows:
exam 1 - Tuesday, March 17, 2009: study guide (available since March 13, 2009)
exam 2 - Tuesday, April 28, 2009: study guide (available since April 18, 2009)
exam 3 - Thursday, June 11, 2009: (cumulative final exam): study guide (available since May 28, 2009; revised on June 1, 2009)

Please, refer to the class syllabus for further information and/or details

GEOL 35 - FIELD STUDIES: CALIFORNIA

Last Updated • Appril 3, 2009

This class is a general education, hands-on class that will allow you to see and experience in person some prominent geologic features of southern California. There are no prerequisites, there are no exams, there is no homework. All you have to do is come to a series of introductory class meetings, then come in the field and write a short report on the geologic features you studied and saw in person.

If you want to have an idea of what we do in the field, check out the images from the Spring 2007 trip to Mono Lake and the Owens Valley and from the Spring 2008 trips to Wheeler Gorge and the Carrizo Plain and to the Mojave Desert and the Mitchell Caverns.

2264 - GEOL 35, FIELD STUDIES: CALIFORNIA
Class Hours: Friday, 3.00 - 6.00, Drescher Hall 128
Meetings Attendance and one 3-days Field-Trip are mandatory

Please note that only registered students can participate in field trips.
Persons not enrolled in the class can not come along.
Pets are also not allowed on the field trip.

Textbook:
no textbook is required, but a good introduction to California geology can be found in:
D. R. Harden, California Geology, 2^nd edition (2004), Pearson Prentice Hall

Class Meetings:
1 - Friday, Feburary 20, 2009 (mandatory)
2 - Friday, February 27, 2009 (mandatory)
3 - Friday, March 13, 2009 (mandatory)
4 - Friday, April 3, 2009 (mandatory)
5 - Friday, May 8, 2009 - final meeting (post-trip, mandatory; oral presentation required)

Field Trip:
April 24-26, 2009:
The field trip will take the students in the only rift zone of the United States. A rift zone is an area where two plates are separating. What we are going to see and study will give you some hints about what is going on in a rift zone. The field trip will take us to the Salton Trough, a desert area located in Riverside and Imperial counties, south of Palm Springs.

We will most likely do free camping in the desert. We will stay at a primitive location, with no facilities or services of any sort available; bring everything you need for two nights and three days in the desert. We will have the possibility to go back to civilization in case of emergency.

Tents, sleeping bags, and more can be rented at Adventure 16 (one location is in West Los Angeles, not far from the College). Prices are available online.
REI also has a nice selection of camping gear that you can buy or rent. Check for rental availability online (no prices published). REI's closest stores are in Santa Monica (Santa Monica Boulevard and 4^th Street), Manhattan Beach and Northridge.

Remember that absolutely no alcohol is permitted during the field trip and that, as for Santa Monica College and Bureau of Land Management policies, smoking is also not permitted (unless you are in your car).
More information about the trip will be provided during the first meeting.

We will leave the Santa Monica College parking lot at 8.00 AM sharp on Friday, April 24, 2009
and return to Santa Monica College parking lot in the late afternoon / evening of Sunday, April 26, 2009

Field Trip Map

Meeting Point Details

Costs:
The College would cover insurance for the field trips participants (that means that, again, only registered students can come along).
There are no lodging expenses. If you do not have camping gear, it can be rented at REI or Adventure 16 for relatively low prices, or you can share a space with a fellow student.

ALL other costs (transportation, food, field trip fees at state and/or national parks, etc.) will have to be paid for by the students. In particular, transportation will be by private vehicles, so you may want to consider car pooling. Some roads are not paved but no four-wheel drive vehicles are necessary.

Again, absolutely no alcohol is permitted during the field trip.