Structural Geology
Fall 2008
Syllabus
Geology and Geophysics 303: Structural Geology
Fall Semester, 2008, 3.0 Units
Lectures: MW 10:30-11:20
Lab: W 1:30-4:20
http://www.soest.hawaii.edu/martel/Stevem.html
Instructor: Steve Martel, POST 805, 956-7797, smartel@hawaii.edu
Office Hours: After class or by arrangement*
Texts: Basic Methods of Structural Geology, by Marshak and Mitra (MM)
Class Themes
The crust of the earth is deformed at many scales, locations, and times; this deformation
produces identifiable structures in the crust such as fractures and folds. An appreciation of earth
structures has both enormous practical value and profound intellectual implications for how we
view this planet. This class deals with ways to recognize and characterize major structures in the
earth's crust and ways to gain insight into how these structures form. The course develops skills
in three-dimensional thinking that are essential for understanding crustal structures. It also
explores techniques for determining the sequence in which structures form. Geometric and timesequence
information is integrated with fundamental material from course pre-requisites in
mathematics and physics to introduce students to how the earth's crust can be viewed as a
mechanical system. The class will focus on macroscopic structures but will also introduce
students to some of the fascinating structures that form at the microscopic scale. The course has
a laboratory and includes a field trip to the Big Island.
Our ability to understand geologic structures depends in large part on how we perceive them.
Few geologic structures form by trivially simple processes, but depending on how we view
geologic structures, they can appear horribly complicated or amenable to understanding;
perspective is critically important. One key thread throughout the class will be ways of viewing
the geometry, mathematics, and physics of geologic structures such that the underlying essential
forms emerge clearly.
A second key thread is the usefulness of integrated knowledge. We can think of unrelated
pieces of knowledge as unconnected nodes of a net. A cut-up net is not very useful for catching
fish. However, if the nodes of a net are connected, a net is a wonderful device for catching fish.
It is also light, strong, and flexible. The outstanding feature of a net that makes it so useful then
is the connection of the nodes. Similarly, concepts are vastly more powerful when they are
connected rather than isolated. The knowledge connection process is not easy to master, but it is
a key part of thinking, problem recognition, and problem solution. For these reasons, integrating
pieces of knowledge can be very satisfying. Links are forged here between disciplines (e.g.,
structural geology, mathematics, and physics) and between observations made at different scales,
but the fundamental focus is on the connection process rather than the particular concepts that
are linked.
Mathematical equations show how physical quantities and physical concepts relate formally.
Equations are derived in this class to get insight into these relationships and to illuminate the
principles behind the equations. Don't view equations just as something one "plugs into". This
is the 21st century, and we will use mathematics and computers in quantitative analyses.
The notes for this class are in outline form, not in the form of a finished book. They allow
students to concentrate on the main themes in class rather than on frantically scribbling down
everything that is said or written. Also, in some ways the outlines highlight key points better
than a book; key points don't get lost in a jumble of words. The notes will be most useful,
however, if students annotate the notes as they use them.
Week |
Day |
Date |
Lecture Subject |
Reading |
Lab Topic |
Reading |
1 |
M
W
|
8/25/08
8/27/08
|
1 Intro/Course Philosophy
2 Eqns. of lines & planes
|
Notes
MW Ch. 1
|
Strike & dip
Trend & plunge
1 Poles to planes
|
MM Ch.1
MM p. 105
|
2 |
M
W
|
9/1/08
9/3/08
|
Holiday (Labor Day)
3 Orthographic projections
|
MM Ch. 3
|
Orthographic
2 Projections
|
MM Ch.3
|
3 |
M
W
|
9/8/08
9/10/08
|
4 Maps (Geol. & contour)
5 Geologic map patterns
|
MM Ch. 2,9
Append 3, 1
MM Ch. 2
|
3 pt problems
X-sections 1
|
MM Ch.3 |
4 |
M
W
|
9/15/08
9/17/08
|
6 Scalars, Vectors,Tensors
7 Vectors,Tensors,Matrices
|
Notes
Notes
|
X-sections 2
True dip
4 Apparent dip
|
MM Ch.3
MM Ch.9
Notes
|
5 |
M
W
|
9/22/08
9/24/08
|
8 Spherical Projections I
9 Spherical Projections II
|
MM Ch.5
MM Ch.6
|
Stereonets I
Lines & planes
5 Dip/apparent dip
|
MM Ch.5
Notes
|
6 |
M
W
|
9/29/08
10/1/08
|
10 Coord. transformations I
11 Coord. transformations II
|
Notes
Notes
|
Stereonets II
6 Rotations
|
MM Ch. 6
MM Ch. 7.1
|
7 |
M
W
|
10/6/08
10/8/08
|
12 Kinematics I
13 Kinematics II
|
MW Ch. 7
MW Ch. 7
|
X-sections 3
X-products
7 Line-plane int.
|
MM Ch.13.9 |
8 |
M
W
|
10/13/08
10/15/08
|
14 Finite strain
15 Eigenvalues
|
MW Ch. 7
MW Ch. 7
|
8 Midterm Exam
|
|
9 |
M
W
|
10/20/08
10/22/08
|
16 Stress I
17 Stress II
|
Notes
Notes
|
9 Strain/fabrics
|
MM Ch.
11.4,
15
|
10 |
M
W
|
10/27/08
10/29/08
|
18 Stress III
19 Stress IV
|
Notes
Notes
|
10 Stress
|
Notes
|
11 |
M
W
|
11/3/08
11/5/08
|
20 Rheology; elasticity
21 Stress around a hole 1
|
Notes
Notes
|
11 Elasticity |
Notes
|
12 |
M
W
|
11/10/08
11/12/08
|
Open
22 Stress around a hole 2
|
Notes
|
12 Photoelasticity
|
Notes
|
13 |
M
W
|
11/17/08
11/19/08
|
23 Dislocations
24 Joints and fractures
|
MM Ch.
12.1-12.3
MM Ch. 11.3
|
13 Dikes in gelatin
|
Notes
|
14 |
M
W
|
11/24/08
11/26/08
|
25 Faults I
26 Faults II
|
MM Ch. 11.3
MM Ch. 11.3
|
14 Faulting
|
MM Ch.4.6
MM Ch. 11.3
|
15 |
M
W
|
12/1/08
12/3/08
|
27 Folds I
28 Folds II
|
MM Ch. 11.2
MM Ch. 16.4
|
15 Folding
|
MM Ch.13
MM Ch.16.4
|
16 |
M
W
|
12/8/08
12/10/08
|
29 Open
30 Open
|
Notes
Notes
|
16 LAB FINAL |
|
17 |
M |
12/17/04 |
FINAL EXAM 9:45-11:45 |
|
|
|
Laboratory Items
The course involves a substantial amount of graphical work. Good drafting equipment and good
paper are essential. Good quality materials, although somewhat expensive, are durable and make
the work easier to do, much less time-consuming, and will yield pleasing results in the hands of
diligent students. This equipment can be purchased from a drafting or art supply store.
Examples can be found, for example, at http://www.reuels.com/reuels/index2.html
Required Equipment (Bring to each lab)
0.5 mm mechanical pencil or drafting pencils with a pencil pointer
Soft rubber eraser (“Jet” erasers are good)
Pad of engineering paper (the green ones with light green gridlines)
Pad of 8.5”x11” Clearprint tracing paper (preferably with light blue “fadeout” grid lines).
Clearprint is excellent paper. Other brands of tracing paper have yielded poor results.
Clipboard
Protractor (preferably 6” [15 cm] in diameter)
6” pencil compass
30-cm metric triangle scale with scales of 1:10(0), 1:20(0), and 1:50(0)
(Note: this is NOT an engineer’s scale!)
30° and 45° acrylic triangles (diagonal edges ~11.5” long are best)
Drafting tape
Recommended Equipment
French curve
Nice-to-have (but not required) equipment
Technical drawing pen (e.g., Rapidograph 000) if you like to ink in your work
Good black drafting ink
Grading
The lecture and laboratory material is tightly integrated in this course. The course requires
students to “learn by doing”, so the laboratory exercises (which also constitute “homework”) are
heavily weighted.
Final for lecture 25%
Final for Lab 20%
Lecture midterm 15%
Laboratories/homework 30%
Class participation 10%
TOTAL 100%
Students are encouraged to work together on the homework; note that "working together" is not
the same as "copying". Neatness, clarity of expression, and completeness are essential in order
for full credit on the exams, laboratories, and homework. Exams are open note.
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