GEO 143 The Geology of Pacific Northwest Rocks and Minerals

Lecture Hours: 3
Lab Hours: 3
Credits: 4

Focuses on the description and identification of the principal rock-forming and economically valuable minerals, and the most important igneous, sedimentary, and metamorphic rocks of the Pacific Northwest. Covers natural processes that form rocks and minerals; relationships of rock types to environments of formation, including plate tectonic settings; classification and laboratory identification of minerals and rocks; important uses of minerals and rocks in society; the rock cycle; and the geologic time scale.

Prerequisite: Placement into WR 115 (or higher), or completion of WR 090 (or higher) with a grade of C or better; or consent of instructor.
Student Learning Outcomes:

Describe the science of Geology, including its foundational principles and theories of Earth’s formation and plate tectonics.
Name the criteria that define a mineral and distinguish the physical properties that vary among minerals.
Identify minerals of the Pacific Northwest in hand samples by use of laboratory and field tests.
Explain how minerals are classified and assign common minerals to their mineral groups.
Define an ore and explain the processes that form them.
Recognize the important uses of minerals and rocks in modern society.
Define rocks, including the three major types, and explain the rock cycle.
Identify igneous rocks in hand samples and explain the formation of volcanic and plutonic rocks, including identification of important volcanic centers in Oregon and Washington.
Explain the changes that silicate magmas undergo during crystallization including Bowen’s Reaction Series.
Identify sedimentary rocks in hand samples and describe the sedimentary processes that formed them. Recognize the importance of stratigraphy and fossils in Oregon’s geologic history.
Identify metamorphic rocks in hand samples and explain the various processes of metamorphism, including their relationship to the mountains in the Pacific Northwest.
Recognize the importance and types of rocks used as decorative and construction materials in Oregon’s city and state buildings.

Statewide General Education Outcomes:

Gather, comprehend, and communicate scientific and technical information in order to explore ideas, models, and solutions and generate further questions.
Apply scientific and technical modes of inquiry, individually, and collaboratively, to critically evaluate existing or alternative explanations, solve problems, and make evidence-based decisions in an ethical manner.
Assess the strengths and weaknesses of scientific studies and critically examine the influence of scientific and technical knowledge on human society and the environment.

Content Outline
Required Text: Tarbuck, E.J. & Lutgens, F.K., illustrated by Tasa, D., Essentials of Geology, Pearson Prentice Hall, ISBN 0-13-602007-0 or ISBN 978-0-13-602007-3 (11th Edition, 2009) or ISBN 0-13-149751 (12th Edition, 2014) or ISBN 0-13-4446623 (13th Edition, 2017) and GEO 142 Lab Book, through Chemeketa Press 

Introduction to Geology
Minerals and Mineral Properties
Classification of Minerals
The Rock Forming Minerals
Economic Minerals and Ore Deposits
Rocks, the Rock Cycle and Plate Tectonics
Igneous Rocks and Intrusive Processes
Volcanic Igneous Rocks and Processes
Sedimentary Rocks and Processes
Sedimentary Processes and Environments
Metamorphic Rocks and Rock Alteration Processes
Significance and Uses of Rocks and Minerals in Today’s Society