GEOL212: Planetary Geology

Fall 2020
PLS 1115 MWF 9:00 - 9:50

Section: 0101
Fall, 2020

Please note: Although the traditional venue for GEOL212 lectures is Plant Sciences 1115
MWF 9:00 - 9:50 AM, meetings of this course will be entirely on-line during Fall, 2020.

Lecturer: John Merck
Office: Geology 1119 (Occasionally in Centreville 1218)
Office Hours: Thursday, 12:00 - 2:00 - In person after 9/14, God willing.
Phone: 301-405-4379 (Geology)
Email: jmerck@umd.edu
I am available for individual Zoom meetings.

Contents:

• Policies
• Schedule

Policies:

Text: Rothery, D., McBride, N., and I. Gilmour, Eds. An Introduction to the Solar System (Third Edition), Cambridge University Press, NY. ISBN-10: 1108430848.

Description: An examination of the geologic and geochemical processes at work in the solar system from the perspectives supplied by space age exploration of the planets and other solar system bodies.

GenEd: This class fulfills a GenEd Distributive Studies Natural Science Course requirement (DSNS).

CORE: This class fulfills a CORE Physical Science Course requirement (PS).

Restriction: GEOL212 and ASTR330 - Solar System Astronomy cannot both be taken for credit.

Other courses: GEOL212 is an introductory level course that requires no college-level prerequisites. If you are looking for a more rigorous introduction to the Solar System and have the necessary prerequisites, you might consider ASTR430 - The Solar System or GEOL412 - The Geology of the Terrestrial Planets.

Attendance policy: Attendance is not a direct factor in your grade, however poor lecture attendance is strongly correlated with poor overall performance. Exams will be based on lecture material and reading assignments. Posted web notes are intended as a synopsis of lecture material only. Readings reinforce lecture material, however lectures may depart significantly from readings.

ELMS: This web site is your primary source of GEOL212 course material. The following, are available through ELMS:

• Grade records
• Panopto videos
• PowerPoints
• Most graded items (focus questions, homework, exams, etc.)

Course Organization: Course material is divided into fifteen topical modules. Each module will consist of:

• Two or three 50 minute lectures, each to be delivered as a series of three asynchronous Panopto recordings. These will become available roughly on the same schedule as in-person lectures would have been, and may be accessed through ELMS.
• Two or three sets of focus questions (one set for each lecture) reviewing major lecture concepts. Full credit is awarded for attempting the questions. Correct answers provided.
• One synchronous discussion meeting, to occur 9:00 - 9:50 on Mondays unless otherwise noted. If attending synchronous meetings poses any kind of hardship (E.G. you are living in Singapore and don't want to get up in the middle of the night) please let me know immediately.

Final grades: Final letter grades will be based on the following elements. If we end up meeting in person, expect to see revisions:

• Module discussions: (10%) Weekly open Zoom discussions of the course material. Discussions will convene Monday, 9:00 - 9:50 - the scheduled lecture time. You must attend one of these per module in order to receive credit.

• Focus Questions: (10%) Short sets of questions intended to reinforce major concepts from the lectures. To receive credit, you must attempt to answer all questions.

• Homework: (15%) Ten assignments, each due the beginning of the week in which the material they cover will be addressed in lecture. The lowest score will be dropped. Because the purpose of these is both to review previous material and to prepare you for the following two week's lecture material, late homework will not be accepted except in the most serious extenuating circumstances.

• Midterm exams (3): (20% each with the lowest score dropped) These will be administered via ELMS. Details to be determined.

• Final exam: (25%) A cumulative final exam is given during the final period. Details to be determined.

Appeal of grades: You may appeal your grade on any exam prior to the posting of final course grades. In this as in all college courses, you should retained all graded items until proper grades have been recorded on your transcript.

Expectations: GEOL212 is an introductory course without college prerequisites, however it is expected that students will possess the standard knowledge expected of a high school graduate, including proficient comprehension of written and spoken English, and basic algebra and chemistry.

Grade calculation: With diligent work it is possible for each student to receive an A in this class. Grading will be based on points gained from the examinations listed above, as follows:

100-97% = A+,	96-94% = A,	93-90% = A-,
89-87% = B+,	86-84% = B,	83-80% = B-,
79-77% = C+,	76-74% = C,	73-70% = C-,
69-67% = D+,	66-64% = D,	63-60% = D-,
<60% = F

POLICIES

• Absences: Regular attendance and participation in this class is the best way to grasp the concepts and principles being discussed. However, reasonable accommodations for excused absences (as defined by university policy) will be provided where feasible. Students remain responsible for graded activities and information presented during lectures for which their absences are excused. For an absence to be excused, timely notification is required:
  • Anticipated absences for sanctioned events including:
    • Religious observances
    • Mandatory military obligations
    • Athletic events
    • Participation in university events at the request of university authorities
    must be made known to the instructor before the end of the add/drop period.

  • For unanticipated events such as:
    • Medically necessary absence from class
    • Family emergencies
    • Court appearances
    notification should be made to the instructor as quickly as possible by e-mail. Note: for medical absences, Students may, one time per course per semester, provide a self-signed excuse as documentation of an absence from a single lecture that does not coincide with a major assessment or assignment due date. Otherwise, verifiable documentation must be provided.

• Accommodations for People with Disabilities: If you have a documented disability, you should contact the instructor during the first week of class, and contact Disability Support Services 0126 Shoemaker Hall. Each semester students with documented disabilities should apply to DSS for accommodation request forms which you can provide to your professors as proof of your eligibility for accommodations. The rules for eligibility and the types of accommodations a student may request can be reviewed on the DSS web site.

• Dishonesty: The Student Honor Council observes that, "The University of Maryland, College Park has a nationally recognized Code of Academic Integrity, administered by the Student Honor Council. This Code sets standards for academic integrity at Maryland for all undergraduate and graduate students. As a student you are responsible for upholding these standards for this course. It is very important for you to be aware of the consequences of cheating, fabrication, facilitation, and plagiarism. For more information on the Code of Academic Integrity or the Student Honor Council, please visit https://studentconduct.umd.edu/."

  Thus, in GEOL212, work submitted under your name, even for extra credit, must unambiguously be exclusively your own. Any evidence of dishonesty on any graded assignment will result in a referral to the Office of Student Conduct, whereupon your life will become very interesting, indeed. Have a nice day. :-O

  For additional information on course policies, please consult the Office of Undergraduate Studies' comprehensive web site on Course Related Policies.

• Course Evaluations: CourseEvalUM will be open for students to complete their evaluations for Fall 2020 courses between ***, and ***. Students can go directly to the website to complete their evaluations, beginning November ***. You will be alerted about these dates and provided more information closer to that time, and students will be alerted via their official University e-mail account.

  Students who complete evaluations for all of their courses in the previous semester (excluding summer), can access the posted results via Testudo's CourseEvalUM Reporting link for any course on campus that has at least a 70% response rate.

  The expectation is that all students will complete these. This is YOUR chance to anonymously evaluate this class: please use this opportunity!

• Acknowledgements: The instructor is grateful for the assistance of Drs. Andrew Campbell and Alan Peel, much of whose course material serves as a basis for these lectures.

  The University of Maryland is committed to providing support and resources, including academic accommodations, for students who experience sexual or relationship violence (as defined by the University's Sexual Misconduct Policy). To report an incident and/or obtain an academic accommodation, contact the Office of Civil Rights and Sexual Misconduct at 301-405-1142. If you wish to speak with someone confidentially, contact Campus Advocates Respond and Educate (CARE) to Stop Violence at 301-741-3555. Disclosures made to faculty are not confidential and must be reported to the Office of Civil Rights and Sexual Misconduct. For more information visit www.ocrsm.umd.edu.

• Copyright: © 2020 John W. Merck, Jr. as to this syllabus and all lectures. Students are prohibited from copying and selling course materials, from selling lecture notes, and from being paid to take lecture notes without the express written permission of the faculty teaching this course. Students violating this restriction will be deemed responsible for facilitation of academic dishonesty by the Office of Student Conduct.

Lecture and exam schedule:

Date

Topic

Reading

Module 1: Introduction and basic concepts

8-31	Zoom meeting: Course introduction, policies, major questions, knowledge assessment Panopto Lecture: Introductory Course Concepts (Three sections)
9-2	Panopto lecture: The Scientific Method	Ch. 1: section 1.1.1 and 1.3

Module 2: Inner Solar System Introduction Zoom meeting
Lecture: Lecture:

9-4	Zoom meeting Lecture: General orientation to the Solar System I	Ch. 1: sections 1.1.2-4 and 1.4
9-9	Lecture: General orientation to the Solar System II Due: Homework 1	Ch. 1: section 1.1.5-6
9-11	Lecture: General orientation to the Solar System III	Ch. 1: sections 1.1.7-11

Module 3: Outer Solar System Introduction

9-14	Last day of add-drop
9-14	Zoom meeting Lecture: General orientation to the Solar System IV Due: Homework 2
9-16	Lecture: General orientation to the Solar System V
9-18	Lecture: General orientation to the Solar System VI	Ch. 7: sections 7.1-2
9-18	Informal Zoom exam review - Details TBD

Module 4: Tie-Ins

9-21	Midterm exam I
9-21	Zoom meeting Lecture: An age of wonders	Ch. 4: sections 4.1 - 4.6
9-23	Lecture: Chemistry and physics in 50 minutes!	Ch. 4: section 4.7
9-25	Lecture: Planetary motion: Gravity, orbits, and tides	Ch. 2: sections 2.1

Module 5: Surface Processes

9-28	Zoom meeting Lecture: Surface processes I: Impact cratering Due: Homework 3	Ch. 2: section 2.2
9-30	Lecture: Surface processes II: Sedimentary Rocks	Ch. 2: section 2.3
10-2	Lecture: Surface processes III: Sedimentary Features	Ch. 2: section 2.3

Module 6: Planetary Interiors

10-5	Zoom meeting Lecture: Internal structure and densities of the solid worlds I - chemical evidence Due: Homework 4	Ch. 2: section 2.4
10-7	Lecture: Internal structure and densities of the solid worlds II - physical evidence	Ch. 2: section 2.5
10-9	Lecture: Formation and differentiation of the planets

Module 7: Movement

10-12	Zoom meeting Lecture: Sources and movement of heat within planets Due: Homework 5
10-14	Lecture: Earth Tectonics I
10-16	Lecture: Earth Tectonics II	Ch. 3: sections 3.1 - 3.2

Module 8: Comparative Tectonics

10-19	Midterm exam II
10-19	Zoom meeting Lecture: Comparative tectonics I - The inner Solar System
10-21	Lecture: Comparative tectonics II - The Jupiter System	Ch. 3: sections 3.3 - 3.5
10-23	Lecture: Comparative tectonics III - The Outer Solar System	Ch. 3: sections 3.3 - 3.5

Module 9: Volcanism

10-26	Zoom meeting Lecture: Volcanism I: sources and composition of magma Due: Homework 6		Ch. 5: sections 5.1 - 5.3
10-28	Lecture: Volcanism II: Styles of volcanic eruptions, volcano - atmosphere interactions		Ch. 5: sections 5.4 - 5.7
10-30	Lecture: Volcanism III: comparative volcanism on the solid worlds		Ch. 6: sections 6.1 - 6.3

Module 10: Atmospheres s

11-2	Zoom meeting Lecture: Atmospheres of the solid worlds I: origin and composition Due: Homework 7	Ch. 6: sections 6.4 - 6.5
11-4	Lecture: Atmospheres of the solid worlds II: Structure and heat transport
11-6	Lecture: Atmospheres of the solid worlds III: Magnetospheres, and the solar wind

Module 11: Jovian planets

11-9	Zoom meeting Lecture: The giant planets I: The Gas Giants - Jupiter and Saturn Due: Homework 8	Ch. 7: section 7.1 and 7.3
11-11	Lecture: The giant planets III: The Ice Giants - Uranus (ha ha) and Neptune	Ch. 9: section 9.1
11-13	Lecture: Ring and Satellite Systems	Ch. 9: section 9.1

Module 12: Minor Bodies

11-16	Zoom meeting Lecture: Minor bodies I: The asteroid belt Due: Homework 9	Ch. 9: section 9.2 - 9.3
11-18	Lecture: Minor bodies II: Trans-Neptunian Objects and Centaurs	Ch. 9: section 9.2 - 9.3
11-20	Lecture: Minor bodies III: Comets

Module 13: Meteorites

11-23	Midterm exam III
11-23	Zoom meeting Lecture: The natural history of meteorites
11-25 to 27	Thanksgiving recess
11-30	Zoom meeting Lecture: Meteorite geochemistry and why we actually know what we know

Module 14: Out There

12-2	Stars and the interstellar medium Due: Homework 10
12-4	Exoplanets I: How can we know anything?
12-7	Zoom meeting Lecture: Exoplanets II: What do we really know about solar systems?

Module 15: Summation

12-9	Why is there a Solar System?
12-11	Life in the Solar System I - Earth and Mars
12-11	Life in the Solar System II - Sirens of Titan and the ocean worlds

Finals week

12-19

8:00-10:00 PLS 1115 FINAL EXAM

The instructor reserves the right to modify this schedule at his most trivial whim and will certainly adjust in response to all directives from the Provost's Office.