Petrology & Petrography of Igneous Rocks
(Geology and Geophysics 234)

Course Overview

Heat and material are redistributed throughout the Earth by the generation, migration, and crystallization of magma. The consequence of these processes include for example, formation and growth of the continents, destruction and recycling of oceanic lithosphere, contact and regional metamorphism, and development of economic mineralization. Clearly, if we are to develop a better understanding of how the Earth continues to evolve, we must have knowledge of the processes by which igneous rocks form.

The purpose of this class is to learn to "read" the Earth's history from information preserved in the mineralogy, composition and textures of igneous rocks. The course will focus on integrating detailed petrographic studies, major and trace element geochemistry, experimental petrology, and thermodynamics to develop models for the generation, migration, and crystallization of magma.  From such studies we will develop an appreciation for the global scale geochemical dynamics that regulate the redistribution of heat and material within the Earth.

Instructor

Dr. John P. Hogan, Office McNutt 330, Phone 341-4618

Office Hours

Monday 3:00-5:00 pm, Wednesday 2:00-4:00 pm, and by appointment.

Lecture

Tuesday & Thursday  10:30 am to 11:20 am  Room 308 McNutt Hall

Lecture Schedule

Text

Required-                       Petrology: Igneous, Sedimentary, and Metamorphic 2nd edition
                                      Harvey Blatt, Robert J. Tracy
                                      W.H. Freeman and Company

Strongly Recommended-  An Introduction to the Rock Forming Minerals 2nd edition
                                      W.A. Deer, R.A. Howie, and J. Zussman
                                      Longman Scientific and Technical Company.

Labs

Tuesday, 1:30 pm to 4:20 pm, Room 108 McNutt Hall

Lab Instructors

Purnima A. Shivdasan, Office McNutt 263

Office Hours:  Wednesday and Friday 10:30-12:30 pm, and by appointment

Joy Drake, Office McNutt B23

Office Hours Wednesday 12:30-2:00, Thursday 12:30-3:00, and by appointment.

Grading:
 

Exams
Dates
Percent of Total Grade
Exam One Tuesday, September 21st
10
Exam Two Thursday, October 28th
10
Lab Final Tuesday, December 7th
15
Lecture Final Thursday, December 16th
15
Lab & Homework Assignments Weekly
25
Field Trip October 22nd-24th
15
Class Participation
10
Total  
100

Satisfactory completion of all lab assignments is required for a passing grade in this course

Attendance

Developing an understanding of petrologic concepts is a cumulative process. Missing a class or lab will severely compromise your ability to understand future lectures, and the likelihood of successful completion of this course. Thus, perfect attendance in lecture and lab is mandatory. Only excused absences, those cleared with me ahead of time for extreme circumstances, will be tolerated. Two unexcused absences will result in dismissal from the course.

Home work & Labs

Home work problems and lab assignments will be due a week later at the beginning of class or lab. Late assignments will receive no credit.

Class Notes

The key to success in any class is taking good notes. You will need a three ring binder notebook to keep your class notes, labs, and copious handouts organized. I will be periodically collecting your class notebook for review. Your note books will be returned the following day.

Field Trip

There will be a class field trip to the Wichita Mountains, of southwestern Oklahoma on October 22nd -24th. We will leave early on the morning of October 22nd and return to Rolla in the evening of the 24th. We will camp out in the Wildlife Refuge. Logistics of eating will discussed in the future. A class field trip fee of $20.00 must be prepaid to the department prior to this trip. This fee will defray transportation costs. Additional costs (e.g. food) will be born by the participants. This field trip will examine rift-related mafic and felsic igneous rocks associated with the Cambrian breakup of the super continent Panatonia. Students will be responsible for keeping a detailed field notebook to include a description of the individual stops, sketches, measurements, and photos. Field notebooks will be due Tuesday, November 2nd at the beginning of class.