GEOLOGY 3900 - IGNEOUS AND METAMORPHIC PETROLOGY

Course Outline for Spring, 2008

Professor: Alan Whittington whittingtona@missouri.edu

Lab instructor: Sarah Stephenson sksr5b@mizzou.edu

Lectures: MWF 9:00 - 9:50 room 207, Geology Building

Labs: T 1:00 - 2:50 room 207, Geology Building

Prerequisites: Mineralogy (GEOL 3400), CHEM 1320 (recommended)

Lecture Text: Winter, J.D., 2001, An Introduction to Igneous and Metamorphic Petrology
(Prentice Hall) ISBN 0132403420 - REQUIRED
Lab Text: Philpotts, A.R., 1989. Petrography of Igneous and Metamorphic Rocks
(Waveland Press) ISBN 1577662954 - REQUIRED
Writing Text: Alley, 1996, The Craft of Scientific Writing (Springer-Verlag, 3rd edition) –
ISBN 0387947663 - REQUIRED
Also see list of useful library books on reserve

Grading: A-B-C-D-F ± scale

20% Midterm (topics 1 through 13)
10% Writing assignment: Orogenic granites (see below)
20% Writing assignment: Field trip report (see below)
10% Lab weekly assignments (can drop 2 lowest)
5% Lab midterm (igneous rocks)
10% Lab final (comprehensive; half will be on metamorphic rocks)
25% Final exam (comprehensive; half will be on topics 16 through 21)

Field Trip: The field trip to the Precambrian volcano-plutonic complex of the St. Francois
Mountains, Missouri is a required part of the course. It will be a Friday
evening to Sunday evening camping trip, on April 4th to 6th 2008. You will
need to bring money for food – we will eat on the road.

Laboratory and attendance policy:

Attendance in all lectures and labs is mandatory. I do not award points for simply turning up, but
experience clearly shows that missing significant portions of the course will inevitably result in
low test scores and a poor final grade. This applies particularly to lab: weekly lab reports will
count as 10% of your final grade. You will be asked to turn in your lab each week by the end of
class on the following Monday, so you get 6 days to complete the assignment. You can drop the
two lowest lab scores (including labs missed due to illness etc – no makeups!).
Please note carefully the rules regarding written homework assignments below. If something
comes up and you cannot make a lab or homework deadline, you will lose points unless you
contact either Alan or Sarah in advance of that deadline.
Principle Course Goal:
To teach you how to describe and interpret crystalline rocks, and to use your observations to
interpret the petrogenesis of crystalline rock suites in relation to plate tectonics.

Specific Objectives of the Course:

To introduce terms and procedures used to describe and classify igneous and metamorphic rocks
and their textures.
To explain how to interpret the textures of igneous and metamorphic rocks in terms of their
petrogenesis, and alternative explanations for the formation of these textures.
To learn simple graphical and computational methods for using geochemical and isotopic data to
determining the age, evolution and petrogenesis of igneous rocks
To learn some basics of thermodynamics and how conditions of metamorphism can be
ascertained from the application of thermodynamic principles.
To improve your scientific reading and writing skills through the preparation and revision of
written papers.

Writing assignments:
1) Read three papers supporting competing hypotheses for the genesis of leucogranites, and write
a synopsis of the arguments, the evidence, and your well-reasoned conclusion regarding the
problem. (Topic 15) (10%)
2) Write a detailed field trip report, based on your observations as well as information from the
literature, to include: (i) background to the geology of the St Francois Mountains, (ii) detailed
description of your chosen outcrop, and (iii) discussion of the interpretation of the outcrop and its
significance for the geologic history of southeast Missouri. Your report will be returned with
comments and suggestions for improvement, and you will have at least one week to make
changes before resubmission and final grading. (20%).

NOTE: Any assignments received late will lose 10% for every day or part day overdue.

Accommodation of students with disabilities:

If you need accommodations because of a disability, if you have emergency medical information
to share with me, or if you need special arrangements in case the building must be evacuated,
please inform me immediately. Please see me privately after class, or at my office (312
Geological Sciences; office hours by appointment).
To request academic accommodations (for example, a note-taker), students must also register
with Disability Services, AO38 Brady Commons, 882-4696. It is the campus office responsible
for reviewing documentation provided by students requesting academic accommodations, and
for accommodations planning in cooperation with students and instructors, as needed and
consistent with course requirements. For other MU resources for students with disabilities, click
on "Disability Resources" on the MU homepage.
Students who have special conditions as addressed by the Americans with Disabilities Act, and
who need any test or course materials to be furnished in an alternative format, should notify the
instructor immediately. Reasonable efforts will be made to accommodate the needs of these
students. Such students should also register with the Disability Services Office, A038 Brady
Commons, phone 882-4696.
MU policy on academic honesty:
Academic integrity ensures that all students have a fair and equal opportunity to succeed. Any
behavior that provides an unfair advantage to one student is unacceptable and will not be
tolerated. Each piece of work completed by a student must be solely a reflection of that student’s
own work or his or her contribution to a collaborative effort.

I strive to uphold the University values of respect, responsibility, discovery, and excellence. On
my honor, I pledge that I have neither given nor received unauthorized assistance on this work.

Students are expected to adhere to this pledge on all graded work whether or not they are
explicitly asked in advance to do so. Furthermore, in instances where academic integrity is in
question, I will refer to Article VI of the Faculty Handbook. (Article VI provides further
information regarding the process by which violations are handled and sets forth a standard of
excellence in our community.) I plan to use Option B (Academic Integrity Violation Report).

MU policy on intellectual pluralism:

The University community welcomes intellectual diversity and respects student rights. Students
who have questions concerning the quality of instruction in this class may address concerns to
either the Departmental Chair or Divisional leader or Director of the Office of Student Rights
and Responsibilities (http://osrr.missouri.edu/). All students will have the opportunity to submit
an anonymous evaluation of the instructor(s) at the end of the course

Provisional Lab schedule, Spring 2008

1. Igneous Rock Classification and Textures (Jan 29th)
2. Igneous Rock Textures and Processes (Feb 5th)
3. Stillwater Complex: Gabbroic and Ultramafic intrusions (Feb 12th)
4. Phase Diagrams and Basalts (Feb 19th)
5. Trace elements and isotopes (Feb 26th)
6. Andesites and Dacites (Mar 4th)
7. Problem-solving lab (March 11th)
8. Mid-Term Lab Exam (March 18th)
9. Granites (April 1st)
10. St. Francois Mountains Lab (April 8th)
10. Metamorphic Rock Terminology, Textures, Classification (April 15th)
11. Pelitic rocks 1 (April 22nd)
13. Pelitic rocks 2 (April 29th)
14. Final Lab Exam (May 6th)
 GEOLOGY 3900 - IGNEOUS AND METAMORPHIC PETROLOGY

Provisional lecture schedule

(subject to change)

Fundamentals (17) reading lecture

1 Intro / Mineral review Review min. 1 1
2 Igneous Rock Classification / major elements Ch. 2, 8 2 2-3
3 Igneous Rock Textures Ch. 3 2 4-5
4 Igneous Structures (volcanics) Ch. 4 1 6
Igneous Structures (plutons) Ch. 4 1 7
5 Thermodynamics Ch. 5 1 8
6 Phase Rule & Binary Phase Diagrams Ch. 6 2 9-10
eutectic (Di-An), peritectic (Fo-SiO2), solid solution (Fo-Fa, An-Ab)
7 Ternary Phase Diagrams Ch. 7 3 11-13
with solid solution (Di-An-Ab; An-Ab-Or)
8 Trace Elements and Isotopes Ch. 9 3 14-16
9 Evolution (Diversification) of Magmas Ch. 11 1 17

Igneous Rock Suites (11) reading lecture

10 Petrology of the Earth's Mantle Ch. 10 1 18
11 Petrogenesis of MORB Ch. 10, 13 2 19-20
Classification of basalts
Fo-Di-An, Fo-An-SiO2, Fo-Di-SiO2
12 Petrogenesis of OIB Ch. 14 1 21
13 Continental Flood Basalts Ch. 15 1 22
Midterm Exam Friday March 14th
14 Petrogenesis of Calc-alkaline Volcanic Rocks Ch. 16, 17 3 24-26
15 Petrogenesis of Granitic Rocks Ch. 17, 18 2 27-28
St Francois Mountains Introduction read handout 29
Midterm Field Trip April 4th – 6th

Metamorphic Rocks (15)

16 Occurrence, classification and facies Ch. 21, 22 4 30-32
17 Mineral reactions and chemography Ch. 24, 26 2 33-35
AKF, ACF, and AFM diagrams
18 Metamorphic structures and textures Ch. 23 2 36-37
19 Geothermometry, geobarometry and P-T-t paths Ch. 25, 27 2 38-40
20 Metamorphism of pelites Ch. 28 1 41-42
21 Metamorphism of calc-silicates and ultramafics Ch. 29 1 43
22 Case study: Nanga Parbat, Pakistan Himalaya 1 44

Geology 3900 Final Exam is Monday May 12th 2008 from 1 pm to 3 pm.
Useful books in the library (most are on reserve):

(i) Reference books on specific topics

Cox, K. G. MU GEOL QE461 .C845

The interpretation of igneous rocks / K. G. Cox, J. D. Bell, and R. J. Pankhurst.
London ; Boston : G. Allen & Unwin, 1979.
Detailed explanations of phase diagrams and chemical fractionation

Deer, W.A. MU GEOL RESERVE QE364 .D44 1992

An introduction to the rock-forming minerals / W.A. Deer, R.A. Howie, J. Zussman.
2nd ed. Harlow, Essex, England : Longman Scientific & Technical ; New York, NY : Wiley,
1992.
Everything you are ever likely to need to know about mineral identification and petrogenesis

Yardley, B. W. D. MU GEOL RESERVE QE475.A2 Y37 1989

An introduction to metamorphic petrology / Bruce W.D. Yardley.
Harlow, Essex, England : Longman Scientific & Technical ; New York : Wiley, 1989.
Clear overview of metamorphic petrology

(ii) Color atlases – good for lab

MacKenzie, W. S. MU GEOL RESERVE QE434 .M33 1994

A color atlas of rocks and minerals in thin section / W.S. MacKenzie, A.E. Adams.
New York : Halsted Press, c1994.

MacKenzie, W. S. MU GEOL RESERVE QE461 .M219 1982

Atlas of igneous rocks and their textures / W.S. MacKenzie, C.H. Donaldson, and C. Guilford.
New York : Wiley, 1982.

Yardley, B. W. D. MU GEOL RESERVE QE475.A2 Y35 1990

Atlas of metamorphic rocks and their textures / B.W.D. Yardley, W.S. MacKenzie, and C.
Guilford. Harlow, England : Longman Scientific & Technical ; New York : Wiley, 1990.

(iii) General petrology textbooks

Best, M.G. MU GEOL QE461 .B53 2003

Igneous and metamorphic petrology / Myron G. Best.
Malden, MA: Blackwell Pub., 2003 (2nd edition).

Best, M.G. MU GEOL QE461 .B54 2001

Igneous Petrology / M.G. Best and E.H. Christiansen
Malden, MA: Blackwell Science, c. 2001.

Blatt, H. MU GEOL RESERVE QE431.2 .B57 1996

Petrology : igneous, sedimentary, and metamorphic / Harvey Blatt, Robert J. Tracy.
2nd ed. New York : W.H. Freeman, c1996.