EAS 225: Earth Surface Processes and Landforms Fall 2008 Room CEB 321
Instructor Dr. Duane Froese Office: ESB 1-19 duane.froese@ualberta.ca Ph. 492-1968 Course Webpage: http://courses.eas.ualberta.ca/eas225/ Office Hours and contact Tuesdays 2-3 pm or by appointment. I am in regular contact by email and this also provides a good means to contact the instructor. A note about email contact. If you send me a message via your hotmail or other account- I likely will not receive it- it will likely be caught in my spam filters. Please use your @ualberta account. Any email correspondence about the course will be sent to your ualberta account. If you don’t check this account I recommend setting up an auto forward to the account you do check. Course Overview The purpose of this course is to provide an introduction to Geomorphology- the study of earth’s landforms and the processes which produce and modify them. As you know from your introductory EAS course, the timescale of these processes varies widely, and while we will provide some overview of longer term processes (eg. >107 yrs), our focus will be on the last few million years. Through the term, we will introduce you to the late Cenozoic history of North America, and in particular, the Quaternary history of western Canada. As part of the latter, you will undertake a field study of the Big Bend section along the North Saskatchewan River. Important Dates: Sept 16/17/18: First field trip of the Edmonton area in your lab session NB You must be outside the Earth Science Building near the Tory Turtle on Saskatchewan Drive 10 min before departure (1:50 pm) and check in with your TA. You will return to the University by 5 pm. Sept 23/24/25: Big Bend Session 1 bus departs 1:50 pm Sept 30/Oct 1/2: Big Bend Session 2 bus departs 1:50 pm Oct 7/8/9: Big Bend Session 3 bus departs 1:50 pm In room labs begin on October 21/22/23 and continue through the end of term with the exception of Nov. 11-13 when there are no labs. October 30: Mid Term Exam Nov. 11: Fall Term Break- no class Nov. 13: Field Reports Due at start of class- no exceptions Final Exam Tuesday Dec 16 at 9 am in CEB 321 (time and location to be confirmed)
Text The course textbook is Trenhaile’s ‘Geomorphology: A Canadian Perspective, 3rd Edition’ Oxford University Press, 2007. I’ve picked this book mostly because it’s cheap and its focus is Canadian. I recommend its purchase though will only loosely follow the text and I would suggest you use the text to: (i) satisfy your curiosity about things geomorphologic! and (ii) supplement the course lectures. If you can find a used version of the 2004 2nd edition that should be fine as well. The new price is $83.45 in the University bookstore. I also recommend purchasing: Godfrey, J. (ed) Edmonton Beneath our Feet: A guide to the geology of the Edmonton region. Edmonton Geological Society, 150 p. $12.95 in the University bookstore. Grading Mid-term exam 20% Final exam Field Project 40% 20%
Lab assignments 20% Field and Lab Work This course is largely unique in that it has a significant fieldwork component in the second year. Throughout the term you will be in one of three lab sessions scheduled for Tuesday, Wednesday or Thursday (2-5 pm). The first lab (week of Sept. 16-18) will involve a short trip around the Edmonton area that will provide a background for the following three weeks of work at the Big Bend site. It’s important that you stay within your lab session and only change lab times with the consent of the instructor- seating on the bus is limited and must be coordinated to include your instructor and TA’s. Fieldwork and putting together of a geomorphic story is both challenging and rewarding. This is not a simple assignment. As you will quickly see there are a lot of text book examples, but very few in the real world. In short, there is no ‘right’ answer- but remember there are better answers than others and you’re expected to make observations and carry out a systematic description and interpretation of the site that makes use of your primary field observations. Practicalities of Fieldwork We are doing this fieldwork in September which, as most of you likely know, can mean almost anything in terms of weather. DRESS WARMLY! You will be outside for 2-3 hours each week- and this will only be cancelled in the event of significant snow (read: enough to make access to the site dangerous or preclude visibility). Expect to go out each week in your designated lab session. No make up dates are scheduled. The bus will be dropping us off each week and picking us up 2.5 hrs later. Be prepared for the fieldwork. Shoes are inadequate at the Big Bend site which involves working on steep terrain. Boots and more rugged clothing are required. Hard hats are available and you will be required to use them for some parts of the project. I also recommend that you bring rain gear and at least a couple layers of clothes that can be added or subtracted depending on the day. Bring the following:
1. Geology Field Note Book. Surveying books work ok- but “Rite-in-the-Rain” books are superior (but so is the price - upstairs east side of bookstore ~ $30 they’re not on the shelves with textbooks. Surveying books are cheaper, but lack the good paper. 2. Clipboard, handlens, safety glasses if you have them. 3. Pen, pencil, eraser 4. Camera if you have one (disposable work fine) 5. Reasonable foot wear (hiking/walking boots recommended– sneakers are inadequate) 6. Day pack 7. Cold and wet weather clothing (not optional!) – Gloves and a tocque should be in your day pack 8. Bottle of water or juice.
Specialized Support and Disability Services Students who require accommodations in this course due to a disability affecting mobility, vision, hearing, learning, or mental or physical health are advised to discuss their needs with Specialized Support and Disability Services, 2-800 Students' Union Building, 492-3381 (phone) or 492-7269 (TTY). Academic Integrity The University of Alberta is committed to the highest standards of academic integrity and honesty. Students are expected to be familiar with these standards regarding academic honesty and to uphold the policies of the University in this respect. Students are particularly urged to familiarize themselves with the provisions of the Code of Student Behaviour (online at www.ualberta.ca/secretariat/appeals.htm) and avoid any behaviour which could potentially result in suspicions of cheating, plagiarism, misrepresentation of facts and/or participation in an offence. Academic dishonesty is a serious offence and can result in suspension or expulsion from the University. (GFC 29 SEP 2003) Policy about course outlines can be found in Section 23.4(2) of the University Calendar. (GFC 29 SEP 2003)