Syllabus

COURSE DESCRIPTION:

Sedimentology is the study of sedimentary deposits, which are those bodies of solid material that accumulate at or near the surface of the earth under low temperatures and pressures. Besides being either the host and/or source of a large number of economically important materials, these deposits yield important information about conditions at the earth's surface through time and the evolution of life. Stratigraphy is concerned with establishing the order in which strata are deposited, local and worldwide correlation of strata, and the construction of the geologic column.

In Sedimentation & Stratigraphy Laboratory we will consider various topics directly related to the practice of sedimentology and stratigraphy. These topics will include size analysis, identification of sedimentary rocks, and techniques used to plot sedimentological data and to correlate stratigraphic sections. The laboratory will complement the lecture portion of the course and will generally cover information not formally presented in the lecture part of the course.

GENERAL COURSE INFORMATION:

Attendance is mandatory for all exams. Except in the case of personal illness or an unanticipated family crisis, both of which must be substantiated, the student must seek prior approval from the instructor for an exam absence. Any unexcused absence will result in a grade of zero being recorded for the missed exam. Ski trips, hunting trips, extended weekends, two exams on the same day, etc. are NOT legitimate excuses. Any special pleadings must be done before the day of the exam, not after. The exam dates are listed below, so plan your life accordingly.

The student's attention is called to the definitions and regulations regarding cheating and plagiarism. The instructor shall assign a grade of zero to any portion of an exam on which he determines cheating has occurred. This decision is not subject to negotiation. Appeal procedures are described in the Undergraduate Catalog.

TEXT:

Boggs, S. 2001. Principles of Sedimentology and Stratigraphy, 3rd Ed. Merrill Publishing Co., Columbus, Ohio.

There is no required text for the laboratory part of the course course. The instructor will provide the appropriate handouts for each of the laboratory exercises. On occasion, you will need graph paper, rulers and other drawing tools. It might be useful to have these with you when you come to each laboratory.

GRADING POLICY:

Your lecture grade will be determined as follows:

        3 Hour Exams @ 20% = 60%

        Final Exam = 40%

There is no opportunity to do work for extra credit. Your course grade is solely determined by your performance on the exams. The tentative dates for the Hour Exams are February 28, April 4 and May 2. The Final Exam will cover the entire course.

Your laboratory grade will be based on your performance on the laboratory exercises (80%) and a laboratory final exam (20%). The exercises will be graded on a 10 point basis (10 = 100, 9 = 90, etc.). The laboratory exercises are listed on the next page. For each exercise the instructor will assign a due date. For every 24 hour period after the due date the grade will be reduced by one point, i.e. if the laboratory would have received a 10, after 24 hrs - 9, after 48 hrs - 8, etc. There will be no exceptions with regards to the due date. Adequate time has been built into the schedule to permit completion of the work.

CONTACTING THE INSTRUCTOR:

The instructor's Office Hours are Monday from 11:30 AM to 1:30 PM and Wednesday from 11:30 AM to 12:30 PM. The instructor's office is Room 302b in the Olney building. Additional hours are available by appointment. If you have problems, or want to make an appointment, you can reach me either by telephone, 978-934-3907 (I have voice mail) or better yet by e-mail, Nelson_Eby@uml.edu. I log on to my e-mail account when I come in each day and thus will get your message first thing in the morning.