Fandom High School

*There are no sugary snacks. But there is coffee. God knows the students will need it.*

Today is your final exam. As I told you earlier, it is cumulative.

Thank you for sticking out this semester and not disappearing or getting eaten by anything. *A slight smile as she passes out the papers.*

Good luck.

[ooc: Respond as you normally would and give me the grade you feel your character has earned. Otherwise they will be assigned at random.]

Good morning, everyone. Coffee and doughnuts are next to the roll sheet. Please note that I will be giving our final exam next Monday and it will be cumulative. If you have missed any quizzes or labs to date, it would be a very good idea to make them up.

Any questions?

All right. Today we will be discussing the Earth's magnetic field.

Magnetic fields are produced by the motion of electrical charges. For example, the magnetic field of a bar magnet results from the motion of negatively charged electrons in the magnet. The origin of the Earth's magnetic field is not completely understood, but is thought to be associated with electrical currents produced by the coupling of convective effects and rotation in the spinning liquid metallic outer core of iron and nickel. This mechanism is termed the dynamo effect.

Rocks that are formed from the molten state contain indicators of the magnetic field at the time of their solidification. The study of such "magnetic fossils" indicates that the Earth's magnetic field reverses itself every million years or so (the north and south magnetic poles switch). This is but one detail of the magnetic field that is not well understood.

I hope everyone had a good Thanksgiving. If not, well, I'm sorry. *She smiles pleasantly.* There is leftover pumpkin pie and coffee near the back. Please sign the roll sheet and tell any of your friends who might be skipping that there will be a quiz on Wednesday. Fair warning.

Today, we will be discussing radiometric dating.

Naturally-occurring radioactive materials break down into other materials at known rates. This is known as radioactive decay.

Radioactive parent elements decay to stable daughter elements.

Radioactivity was discovered in 1896 by Henri Becquerel. In 1905, Rutherford and Boltwood used the principle of radioactive decay to measure the age of rocks and minerals (using Uranium decaying to produce Helium. In 1907, Boltwood dated a sample of urnanite based on uranium/lead ratios. Amazingly, this was all done before isotopes were known, and before the decay rates were known accurately.

The invention of the MASS SPECTROMETER after World War I (post-1918) led to the discovery of more than 200 isotopes.

Many radioactive elemtns can be used as geologic clocks. Each radioactive element decays at its own nearly constant rate. Once this rate is known, geologists can estimate the length of time over which decay has been occurring by measuring the amount of radioactive parent element and the amount of stable daughter elements.

*There may be a spring in Ms. Sidle's step. There may not be. And it could be due to the excellent coffee she is sharing with the class.*

Good morning. I know this weekend wasn't the most pleasant some of us have ever had. If any of you would like to speak to me in private, we can do so. Also, please note that I am cancelling Wednesday's class for the Thanksgiving holidays.

Today, we will be discussing the processes of fossilization. I would like a brief report on this subject when you return next Monday.

The fossil record is imperfect. The fossil record is also our best window on the history of life on this planet. What happens when your best is less than ideal? You have to work that much harder to derive useful information. Consequently, paleontology, as with just about everything else associated with the sciences of evolutionary biology, is not easy to do.

There are a number of basic principles which go a long way toward understanding interpretation of the fossil record. One is to understand just how fossilization occurs. Another is to be familiar with the various strategies for dating fossils. Of course, it also helps if you are an expert on the anatomy of those parts of organisms which tend to fossilize. Obviously you will not be held responsible here for this latter consideration. The object of this lecture is to familiarize you with the concepts of fossils and fossilization.

To understand how it is that the history of life is thought to be understood, you have to understand fossils. In this lecture we will introduce the concept of fossilization, the dating of fossils, and dwell upon why it is that the fossil record is not perfect.

*Coffee, snacks, and sodas are right next to the roll sheet. Ms. Sidle is feeling much better and, consequently, cheerful. Fear.*

I trust everyone learned something from doing those experiments and presentations. Today, I want to hear your thoughts on how well you felt you performed, and what you could have done to make your experiments or presentations better.

*If any Biology, Geology, or Physics students need to make up work, now is the time.*

Good morning. Coffee and snacks are near the back, as I'm sure you all know by now.

It has come to my attention that some of you consider this class to be boring. In the spirit of flexible education, I will rectify that.

You and your lab partner will design and conduct an experiment, any experiment of your choice, so long as it relates to geology. On Wednesday, you will present the abstract and prospectus. Next Monday, you will present the experiments in class.

*She is smiling pleasantly.* I trust that will alleviate any and all boredom you may be feeling. Enjoy.

Good morning, everyone. Coffee and snacks are next to the roll sheet. I hope everyone enjoyed having their parents visit. If not, lie to me and pretend that you did. *smiles pleasantly*

Today we will be discussing the natural laws of geology.

Uniformitarianism is the theory that processes occurring in the present were the same processes that had operated in the past, and would be the processes that operate in the future.

Original Horizontality The principle of original horizontality states that most sedimentary layers of rock are deposited in a horizontal position.

These are just two of a numerous set.

*Any students who require tutoring, making up assignments, or taking missed examinations can do so now.*

*Sara is seated at her desk, grading papers.*

You all know the routine by now. Sign the roll and grab a cup of coffee. Also, please note that Wednesday's class is cancelled--I will be leaving to testify in several court cases. Classes will resume again on Monday. In lieu of class, I would like a five-page paper written, on the topic of your choice and how it relates to geology. It will count as a test grade and could probably help some of you.

Now today, we will be discussing the method known as carbon dating. Today's lab will consist of you and your partner dating the samples I've placed on each table. You may leave when you are finished.

Good morning. I trust you all had an enjoyable Homecoming. If not, lie to me. I'm in a much better mood today. *smiles pleasantly* Coffee and snacks are near the back, next to the handouts and please remember to sign the roll sheet.

Today we will be discussing how geology relates to mining and other geologically based professions. To a lesser extent, we will also examine how weathering can affect urban development, and why it's never a truly bright idea to build a house on a mountainside without proper preparations.

Developing rules to predict the reservoir properties of deep-water sandstone sheet systems is important. Sheet sandstone reservoirs are difficult to image and seismic commonly yields an over-simplistic view of reservoir architecture. Distal sands that comprise these reservoirs record longitudinal flow transformations that produce facies changes within thin beds that affect property distributions. Complex bed stacking affects the connected reservoir volume. Downstream channel branching within a distributive network progressively decreases channel depth and aerially equilibrates sand volumes producing “seismic sheet” geometries. Sandstone beds onlapping seafloor topography thin and show facies and lithology changes at pinch outs below seismic resolution. Because sheet sandstones dominate outer fan reaches, these reservoirs generally occur in high-cost, ultra-deepwater settings where data is sparse and models are most dependent on rule-based analog information.

Good morning. *glances over the class* I'm not sure what, if anything, happened this weekend but if any of your classmates has gone missing, please let me know. Coffee and snacks are near the back and please don't forget to sign the roll sheet.

In our study of geology, et the environment has had a controlling effect on the nature of rocks since Precambrian times. When we examine a rock, a number of characteristics tell us a great deal about the way the rock was formed, even if the rock is a million, a hundred million, or a billion years old. The texture of a rock and the boundaries between the grains of minerals contained in the rock give us key information about whether the rock is sedimentary, igneous, or metamorphic. Other clues tell us much about the parent rock, or magma from which the rock was created.

In this exercise you will be asked to select a rock from your campus area and write a short geologic history in which the origin of the rock and the environment of origin is described and supported by evidence found in the rock itself. You will also be asked to observe the rock's present-day environment and make some speculations about what type of rocks will be found there ten million years from today.

Pair up, take a handout, and complete the lab. You have two hours and no, you may not go into town during this time. I will be watching.

I think that the manager of the local market will pitch a fit if I show up there requesting lemons and other items one more time today.

If anyone needs decomp formula, I have extra bottles.

Anyway, this is the open lab for my classes. If you have missed any assignments, labs or exams, now would be a good time to make up the work. Tutoring is also available.

*In Geology today, there is a pop quiz encompassing all material covered to date.*

*Once the students are finished with the quiz, they have an experiment regarding the luster of minerals to complete.*

*Ms. Sidle is sitting on her desk, drinking coffee and watching everyone like a hawk.*

[OOC: Attempted/Passed; Attempted/Excelled; Attempted/Failed]

*In Geology today the students will be learning about plate tectonics.*

Good morning, *Sara says, looking around the class.* I trust you all had either a restful or eventful weekend. Hangover remedy is on the counter by the door, along with energy bars. Please sign the roll sheet before you leave.

Today, we will be discussing plate tectonics. If you will open the handouts I've passed around.

The plates consist of an outer layer of the Earth, the lithosphere, which is cool enough to behave as a more or less rigid shell. Occasionally the hot asthenosphere of the Earth finds a weak place in the lithosphere to rise buoyantly as a plume, or hotspot.
Only lithosphere has the strength and the brittle behavior to fracture in an earthquake.

The map below locates earthquakes around the globe. They are not evenly distributed; the boundaries between the plates grind against each other, producing most earthquakes. So the lines of earthquakes help define the plates...

*When the students enter the room, they will see paired stations complete with mineral samples and guidebooks.*

*The assignment for the day is relatively simple: identify each sample by either size, shape, color, or other characteristic.*

*The punishment for taking any of the samples--and yes, she is watching like a hawk--is organizing her physics notes. Trust me--you don't want to do that.*

Pair up--do the lab. Be sure to sign the roll sheet.

[ooc: Respond with--attempted and passed; attempted and excelled; attempted and failed.]

Today in Geology, we will be going over the syllabus and tentative course schedule. We will also be looking at the first chapter in the book Physical Geology: Exploring the Earth. Also, you will need to partner up with a classmate for lab for the remainder of the semester.

The first lab will be next Monday, and details are listed in the handout I am passing around now. Sign the roll sheet before you leave.

-Ms. Sidle

[ooc: Post as needed and we can slowtime.]

Class Rules.

All students are required to abide by these.

Syllabus: Physics, Geology and Biology.

Each student will receive a copy of this syllabus when he or she enrolls. Each student is responsible for all information contained therein.

-Ms. Sidle