GEOS 302(S) Sedimentology (W)
The composition and architecture of sediments and sedimentary rocks preserve information about the rocks that were eroded to form them, the fluids and forces that transported them, the mechanisms by which they were deposited, and the processes by which they were lithified. This course will provide an introduction to the principles of sedimentology, including sedimentary petrology, fluid mechanics, bedform analysis, and facies architecture.
Format: lecture/discussion, three hours per week; laboratory, three hours per week; two half- day and one all-day field trip. Evaluation will be based on laboratory work, writing assignments, an hour exam, and a final exam. Ten written critiques (each 350-400 words) of specific assigned papers from the sedimentological literature are designed to teach clear written expression and careful analytical reading. Papers will be thoroughly edited for style, grammar and syntax. Students will improve their writing by integrating editorial comments into successive papers. Each student will compile his/her papers as a growing body of work, and each new paper will be read and edited in the context of the previous submissions.
Prerequisites: Geosciences 202 (may be taken concurrently with permission of instructor). Enrollment limit: 16 (expected:12).
Hour: COX