Department of Earth Sciences
GEO 390 -- Surficial Geochemistry
Spring, 2008  

instructor, office: Dr. Paul Tomascak, Piez 207a
phone: 315.312.2786; email: tomascak@oswego.edu
lectures & labs: Piez rm.207
textbook: Geochemistry: Pathways and Processes (2ed), by McSween, Richardson & Uhle

Click here for the course syllabus and schedule. (48 kB pdf)

DATES OF INTEREST:

 The research paper reference list is due Friday 2/15/08.

For lab, 2/12/08: come armed with a written description of a laboratory procedure for the determination of alkalinity. The description should be complete in terms of what materials are required and how the result is determined.

In lecture, 2/11 and 2/13/08, we will discuss solution geochemistry and deal with material from textbook Ch.4 (p.68 and onward).

In lecture, 2/18/08, we will finish up material from text Ch.4.

For lab, 2/19/08, we will do more with the AAS, including designing an experiment on water quality. You will turn in the assignment from last lab, plus the revised alkalinity assignment.

In lecture, 2/20/08, we will discuss mineral weathering and diagenesis from textbook Ch.5.

In lecture during the week of 3/3/08, we will discuss the hydrologic cycle, and general chemistry of the oceans; textbook Ch.8.

In lab on 3/11/08 we will be doing alkalinity titrations. At the end of the period we will go and measure K in the AAS samples from our previous experiment with ion exchange. The reports for the this lab (#4) and the AAS lab (#3, which will count double) will be due on 3/19/08.

The due date for first draft (NOT rough draft) of the research paper has been moved to the Monday following the break (3/31/08).

Lab trip to SIREAL (UR stable isotope lab) on Tuesday 4/1/08. We will be gathering oxygen isotope data from a group of water samples and learning about the analytical process.

Lab trip to City of Osewgo Water Treatment Plant, Tuesday 4/22/08. Meet in Piez 207 at the normal time.

No class meeting Wednesday 4/23/08 for Quest Day. You are required to see Claire's talk (3:15 Campus Center 208).

Special schedule for class Monday 4/28/08: meet at 3:30, conclude discusion of papers with geochemical approaches to surficial problems then go watch the talk by Dr. Kettle.

In Lab Tuesday 4/29/08: field hydrogeology. Be prepared to get wet.

In class Wednesday 4/30/08: discussion of papers on geochemistry and human health. [questions from all on article 9.01 and the paper by Gascoyne et al.]

Science Today on Wednesday 4/30/08: What Can Glaciers Tell Us About Rapid Climate Change? Mandatory attendance!

In class Monday 5/5/08: discussion of article 9.03 as follows... Tom and John cover 9.03.1,2; Claire covers 9.03.3; Regina and Jen cover 9.03.4 [each individual please prepare notes that you will turn in afterwards for evaluation]

In class Wednesday 5/7/08: discussion of papers on origin of life, as follows... all will read the articles by Hazen and Smith; Tom and John cover the article by Ferris; Claire covers the article by Cairns-Smith; Regina and Jen cover the article by Cody [each individual please prepare notes that you will turn in afterwards for evaluation]

Student research project presentations in lab on Tuesday 5/6/08. Refreshments will be served.

HANDOUTS, ETC.:

 Click here for a blank Piper diagram. (329 kB pdf)
Click here for the data to recalculate and plot on the Piper diagram. This is due Monday 2/18/08. (17 kB Excel file)
Click here for a summary of depth profiles of elements in the North Atlantic. (1 MB pdf)
Click here for the Goldstein and Hemming article from the Treatise on Geochemistry (John and Jen's article for discussion on 4/9/08). (154 MB pdf--despite scanning in black and white, this is still massive--if you need to, come get a photocopy on Monday)
Click here for the article by Veizer et al. article for discussion on Monday 4/14/08. (3.8 MB pdf)
Click here for the article by Raymo et al. on Wednesday 4/16/08 [Claire to lead discussion]. (4.4 MB pdf)
Click here for the article by Johnson et al., Wednesday 4/16-4/21 [Regina to lead discussion]. (340 kB pdf)
Click here for the article by Fricke & O'Neil, Wednesday 4/16-4/21 [Tom to lead discussion]. (480 kB pdf)
Click here for the articles by Benison, Wednesday 4/16-4/21 [Jen to lead discussion]. (1.8 MB pdf)
Click here for the article by Banner et al., 4/16-4/21 [John to lead discussion]. (140 kB pdf)

MATERIALS FOR LAB:

Click here for the guidelines for the final AAS lab, Lab #3. (10 kB pdf)
Click here for the alkalinity determination lab, Lab #4. (39 kB pdf)
Click here for the elemental analysis lab, Lab #5. (25 kB pdf)
Click here for the (radiogenic isotope) mixing calculation lab, Lab #6. (25 kB pdf)
Click here for the stable isotope calculation lab, Lab #7. (25 kB pdf)

SOLUTIONS & OTHER HELPFUL THINGS:

* Click here for the cosmic abundance chart, as I would draw it.
* Click here for Geochimica et Cosmochimica Acta guidelines for manuscript format.
* Click here for a brief overview of the USGS Reference Materials Program (how rock standards are made). (411 kB pdf)
* Click here for the IUPAC-sponsored periodic table of the elements. (28 kB pdf)
* Click here for isotopic compositions of the elements, 1997, from your friends at the IUPAC. (137 kB pdf)
EXAM PREP:

Topics on which you may expect Final Exam questions include: (1) ocean chemistry, residence time; (2) mineral dissolution/stability and river chemistry; (3) interpreting stable isotope data in near-surface environments; (4) interpreting data in Eh-pH space; (5)

Useful web sites for the course:

journal web sites:

The American Mineralogist
The Canadian Mineralogist
European Journal of Mineralogy
Geochimica et Cosmochimica Acta
Chemical Geology
Earth and Planetary Science Letters
Meteoritics and Planetary Science
Journal of Petrology

other resources:

Mineralogical Society of America
The Geochemical Society
The Radiochemistry Society
Webelements, online data base of everything elemental
Webmineral, an online mineral data base
Mineralogy links from the University of Wuerzburg
GERM: the Geochemical Earth Reference Model (includes data and links to a vast array of planetary geochemical data)
Earthchem: portal to solid earth geochemistry data

For a list of Science Today lectures click here.  (Spring 2008, Wednesdays during College Hour -- 12:40 p.m. -- in Snygg Hall, rm. 102). 

For Earth Sciences News click here. 

updated material: 4/28/08, 3:46 p.m.