296-202 Physical Geology

Instructor
Prof. Steven Dutch
Office: LS 116
Phone: 465-2246
Email: dutchs@uwgb.edu
Home Page: www.uwgb.edu/dutchs
 What is Physical Geology?
Erosion Wind
Soils
Water Oceans Glaciers
Weathering
Underground Surface
Sedimentary
Fossils
Earth History
Rocks
Volcanoes
Metamorphic Igneous
Earths Interior Intrusions
Plate Tectonics
Earthquakes
Mountains Mineral Resources
Other Planets
 Syllabus
Introduction to the course
Minerals
Igneous Rocks and
Volcanoes
Weathering and Erosion
Evolution of Landscapes
Sedimentary Rocks
Evolution, Fossils,
Geologic Time
Glaciers
Wind and Wave Erosion
Metamorphism and
Deformation
Earthquakes and Earth's
Interior
Continental Drift and
Plate Tectonics
Resources from the Earth
Geology of other Worlds
 Exams and Grading
Midterm I 50 points A 270+
Midterm II 50 points AB 255-269
Lab 100 points B 240-254
Final 80 points BC 225-239
Field Trip 20 points C 210-224
D 180-209
Total 300 points
 Field Trip
Dates
Mandatory Absence Excuse Required
8:00 LS Parking Lot, Return 4:15
Casual Clothing No strenuous hiking
Bring a lunch and fluids
Rest stops provided
Put on your calendar! No excuses!
 Lab
Instructor: Tim
Scherer
Enroll in one
section
100 points total
 Geology and Other Sciences
Chemistry
Physics Biology
Mineralogy
Geophysics Paleontology
Petrology
Seismology Paleo????ology
Geochemistry

Astronomy Geology Historical Geology

Planetary Geology Economic Geology Geomorphology

Helioseismology Hydrology Oceanography

Engineering Structural Geology
Geology
Volcanology
 Who Geoscientists Are:
About 30,000 in the U.S.
Globally, in rich and poor countries, about
one per $50 million GNP.
Mostly male but changing rapidly (now
about 25% female in U.S.)
Still less than 10% minority in U.S.
(moving up slowly)
 Where Geologists Work
40 % Private Sector
30 % Academic
30 % Government
 What Geologists Do:
Locate Geologic Resources
Geologic Hazard Mitigation
Geological and Mining Engineering
Site Study
Land-Use Planning
Environmental Protection
Environmental Impact
Ground Water and Waste Management
Basic Research (Furnishes fundamental
knowledge for the applications)
 Some Unique Aspects of
Geology
Importance of Relationships
Sequential
Spatial
Importance of Time
Distinctive Problems of Evidence
Slow Rates
Rare Events
Destruction of Evidence
Inaccessibility
 Some Geologic Rates
Cutting of Grand Canyon
2 km/3 m.y. = 1 cm/15 yr
Uplift of Alps
5 km/10 m.y. = 1 cm/20 yr.
Opening of Atlantic
5000 km/180 m.y. = 2.8 cm/yr.
Uplift of White Mtns. (N.H.) Granites
8 km/150 m.y. = 1 cm/190 yr.
 Some Geologic Rates
Movement of San Andreas Fault
5 cm/yr = 7 m/140 yr.
Growth of Mt. St. Helens
3 km/30,000 yr = 10 cm/yr.
Deposition of Niagara Dolomite
100 m/ 1 m.y.? = 1 cm/100 yr.
 1 Second = 1 Year
35 minutes to birth of Christ
1 hour+ to pyramids
3 hours to retreat of glaciers from Wisconsin
12 days = 1 million years
2 years to extinction of dinosaurs
14 years to age of Niagara Escarpment
31 years = 1 billion years
 Some Unique Aspects of
Geology (Continued)
Reliance on Inference and Deduction
Intrinsically "Unsolvable" Problems
Ancient Landscapes
Mass Extinctions
Ancient Ocean Basins
 Scientific Principles in Geology
Parsimony (K.I.S.S.)
Superposition
Uniformitarianism

Using these, plus observation, we establish

facts about Earth Processes
 Parsimony
The simplest explanation that fits all the
data is preferred
Doesnt guarantee that things must be
simple!
Theories with lots of ad hoc or unsupported
ideas are probably wrong.
 Parsimony: What is the best
interpretation of this well data?
Parsimony

This?

Or This?
 Parsimony
Rock layers
throughout NE
Wisconsin are
nearly flat and
little disturbed
Glacial deposits Therefore this is the
are always on top most likely
of bedrock interpretation
 One Implication of Parsimony
How do we know the laws of nature are the same
everywhere?
Out to the farthest stars, everything seems to obey
the same laws of nature
We find nothing in the rocks to suggest the laws of
nature were different in the past
Either:
The laws of nature change but just happen to
produce effects that look like the presently-known
laws of nature or
The laws of nature really are the same everywhere
 Another Implication of
Parsimony

We live in a universe of patterns

If someone claims there is an exception
to a known pattern, the simplest
explanation is that he/she is wrong
Therefore the burden of proof in
science is on the challenger
 Superposition
Whodunit?
Last night, one of Green Bays premier beer
can collections was stolen
The only clue is footprints in the snow
The thief was the last person to leave the
premises
 The Suspects
The Nephew Has a seeing-eye dog
The Maid Drives a car
The Cook Rides a motorcycle
The Handyman Rides a bike
The Butler Walks to work
 The Crime Scene
The
Nephew has
a seeing-eye
dog
The Maid
Drives a car
The Cook
Rides a
motorcycle
The
Handyman
Rides a bike
The Butler
Walks to
work
Contacts
 A Contact:
Mindoro Cut,
Wisconsin
 Uniformitarianism
Continuity of Cause and Effect
Apply Cause and Effect to Future -
Prediction
Apply Cause and Effect to Present -
Technology
Apply Cause and Effect to Past -
Uniformitarianism
 Uniformitarianism does not
mean:
Catastrophes never occur
Physical Conditions on Earth never Change
Earth has always been the same
Physical processes always occur at the same
rate or intensity
Laws of Physics have always been the same
 Uniformitarianism does mean:
Using our knowledge of physical laws, we can
test:
Whether catastrophes have occurred
Whether physical conditions on earth have
changed, and if so, how (ice ages, warm periods,
high or low sea level, etc.)
Whether physical laws themselves have changed
in time, or elsewhere in the universe.