Geochronology & Thermochronology
GEOS 474A/574A
Spring 2010

Scroll down to bottom for posted problem sets and readings.

Details: 3 units, regular grades, cross listed for undergrads (474A) and grads (574A).
Instructor:  Peter Reiners; 626-2236; reiners at u.arizona.edu; GS 521.
Readings: Readings will be assigned from chapters and current papers, copies of which will be provided, but buying either the Faure & Mensing or Dickin texts listed at the end of this syllabus is also recommended.
Course website: http://www.geo.arizona.edu/~reiners/geos474-574/
Prerequisites: Physical Geology (GEOS 251), Mineralogy (GEOS 306), Chemistry (CHEM 151, 152), Geochemistry (GEOS 400). Recommended: Calculus (MATH 124/125, 129).

Course Rationale and Logistics

Much of earth and planetary science relies on radiogenic isotopes and their use as chronometers in constraining the timing of events and rates of processes, and as tracers for understanding fluxes between reservoirs. This course will introduce students to the fundamentals of radioactive decay and growth, geochronology and thermochronology, diffusion of elements in minerals and heat in the Earth, and differentiation and recycling processes in the Earth and other solar system objects. The approach will be lectures to supplement reading from texts and other sources, and active participation in, and leading of, discussions of modern work in current papers. This will assume familiarity with basic geology, mineralogy, chemistry, geochemistry, and a little bit of calculus (see prerequisites).

There will be approximately 10 problem sets throughout the course. Graduate students will complete one additional problem set of appropriate scope. All students will complete a final project consisting of a paper (and, for graduate students, a presentation) describing their work on either: a) original geochronologic analysis and interpretations using facilities at UA, or b) innovative modeling, synthesis, or reinterpretation or previously published data. Students will present a written (2-3 page) proposal by the end of March describing their planned project, its motivation, significance, methods, and anticipated results.

Grading will follow this formula: Graduate Students: Problem sets: 50%; Final Paper and Presentation: 30%; In-class presentations and participation: 20%. Undergraduate Students: Problem sets: 50%; Final Paper: 30%; In-class presentations and participation: 20%.Grades will be assigned according to the following percentage scheme: A = >89.5%; B = 79.5% to 89.4%; C = 69.5% to 79.4%; D = 59.5% to 69.4%; E = <59.5%. Grading will be reported on D2L.

Tentative Schedule

Note: This schedule is subject to change. We will likely shift topics around and change readings to accommodate progress and interests of the class.

Supplementary material for this course:
The lecture notes (which can be downloaded as pdf’s) for Bill White’s Isotope Geochemistry course at Cornell make for excellent reading and reference:

• http://www.geo.cornell.edu/geology/classes/Geo656/656notes03.html   ,

as does his on-line Geochemistry textbook:

• http://www.geo.cornell.edu/geology/classes/geo455/Chapters.HTML     .

I also recommend that you buy either one of these books as a reference for use in, and use long after, this class:

• Radiogenic Isotope Geology, 2nd Ed., by A. P. Dickin, 2005, Cambridge University Press, 492 pp.
• Isotopes: Principles and Applications, 3rd Ed., by G. Faure and T.M. Mensing, 2005, John Wiley & Sons, 897 pp.
• Principles of Isotope Geology, 2nd Ed., by G. Faure, 1986, John Wiley & Sons, 589 pp. (this older version of the above is ok if you want to spend less or can find an old copy lying around)

Other hyperuseful references:

• Geochronology and Thermochronology by the 40Ar/39Ar Method, 2nd Ed., by McDougall, I., and Harrison, T.M., 1999, Oxford University Press, 269 pp.
• Geodynamics, 2nd Ed., by Turcotte, D.L., and Schubert, G., 2002, Cambridge University Press, 456 pp.

Policies

• Absence policies: Attendance at all lectures and discussions are required, however, the following kinds of excused absences will be permitted: 1) All holidays or special events observed by organized religions will be honored for those students who show affiliation with that particular religion, 2) Absences pre-approved by the UA Dean of Students (or Dean's designee) will be honored.
• Policies regarding expected classroom behavior (e.g., use of pagers/cell phones); and policies against plagiarism, etc., within Student Code of Academic Integrity will be followed and are available at: http://dos.web.arizona.edu/uapolicies/.
• Policies against threatening behavior by students: http://policy.web.arizona.edu/~policy/threaten.shtml.
• Students with Disabilities: If you anticipate issues related to the format or requirements of this course, please meet with me. I would like us to discuss ways to ensure your full participation in the course. If you determine that formal, disability-related accommodations are necessary, it is very important that you be registered with Disability Resources (621-3268; drc.arizona.edu) and notify me of your eligibility for reasonable accommodations. I can then plan how best to coordinate your accommodations. More info: http://drc.arizona.edu/learn/index.html
• Information contained in the course syllabus, other than the grade and absence policies, may be subject to change with reasonable advance notice, as deemed appropriate by the instructor.