OCEAN/ESS 410

Marine Geology and

Geophysics

Instructor:

William Wilcock
Office: 126 Marine Sciences Building
Email: wilcock@u.washington.edu
Teaching Assistants:

Peter Polivka
Office: 230 Old Ocean Building
Email: polivka@uw.edu
Please include Ocean 410 or ESS 410 in the subject line of e-mails

Class Meeting Times and Locations:

Lectures
M/W 9:30-10:20 Ocean Sciences Building 425

Labs
TTh 9:30-11:20 Ocean Sciences Building 111 (GIS
Lab)

Office hours:
Instructor - after lectures, during/after labs or by
appointment.
TAs after/before lectures, during/after labs or by
appointment.
Please include Ocean 410 or ESS 410 in the
subject line of e-mails

Syllabus
Interpreting maps and cross-sections
Plate tectonics and the structure of the ocean
basins
Earthquakes
Mid-ocean ridges and subduction zones
Sediment transport across the continental
shelf
Deep-sea sedimentation
Textbook
None but reading will be added to website
including 4 papers for in-class discussions

Ways to get more MG&G

OCEAN 230 Rivers and Beaches Nittrouer &
Montgomery (fall)
OCEAN 450 Climatic Extremes Johnson and Quay
(winter)
OCEAN 454 Hydrothermal Systems: An Interdisciplinary
View Lilley & Baross (winter)
OCEAN 411 Juan de Fuca Ridge / Hydrate Ridge Cruise
Kelley & Delaney (summer)
OCEAN 412 Seismic Exploration & Stratigraphy Pratt
(winter even years only)
MG&G Seminar Mondays 12:30-1:20 in MSB 123

Class Format - I
Lectures 2 per week
PowerPoint files available on line (will require UW Net
ID)

Labs 2 per week - you learn best by actively

doing things
You will be provided with a paper copy of the lab so
there is no need to print it out but it will be posted on-line
ahead of time and you may want to read it beforehand
Due for full credit no later than the start of the following
lab
Bring a ruler, calculator, pencil, and memory stick to
each lab

Class Format - II
Discussion in class of ~4 papers (with preand post-class written assignments)
Term paper draft and final - News and Views
article only 2-3 double-spaced pages long
Presentations of term paper material
Mid-term Tue, Oct 30
Final (2nd mid-term) Wed, Dec 12

Field Trips
Mt. St. Helens - Sat/Sun October 13-14
Olympic Peninsula Beaches - Sat/Sun November
17-18 (joint with Ocean/ESS 230 field trip)
You are required to participate in one.
The Mt St. Helens field trip is the field trip for this
class and the Olympic Peninsula Beaches is a
makeup. You can chose to go on either but there
is no makeup for the makeup.

Grading
20% - Mid-term exam
20% - Final exam
30% - Lab exercises and paper discussions*
5% - Draft version of News & Views article**
10% - Final version of News & Views article**
10% - In-class presentation
5% - Field Trip Participation
(Mt. St. Helen's or Washington Coast)
*Your 2 worst lab/discussion scores will be excluded
from final grade.
**A passing grade in the writing components of the class
is required to pass the class.

Policies
Deadlines
Lab exercises will be due at the start of the following
lab.
Other assignments will be due on date stated on the
assignment and on the website
Unless you have a valid reason for turning in
homework late and notify the Instructor or a TA as
soon as practical, assignments turned in up to 1
week late will be graded for only 50% credit.
Working collaboratively
You are encouraged to work collaboratively on the
class exercises but, unless otherwise approved,
everyone should turn in their own set of answers.

How to get a bad grade in the

class
Dont come to class.
Turn in the labs late or better still dont turn
them in at all.
Dont participate in the field trip
Dont communicate with the instructor & TA

2006 Summary of Grades

4.5

4.0

Observed
Predictions
Linear (Predictions)

3.5

Grade

3.0

2.5

2.0

1.5

1.0

0.5

0.0
0

10

Missed/ Late/ I ncomplete Labs

12

14

16

My Evaluation
Bubble Evaluation
Clarity of Voice
Instructors Enthusiasm
Instructors Interest in Whether Student
Learned
Relevance & Usefulness of Course
Content

Yellow Sheets
I read your comments carefully