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Victor P. Zabielski, Ph.D.

Associate Professor of Geology

Department of Science and Applied Technologies

Northern Virginia Community College

Alexandria, Virginia 22311-5097

 

Office:   352 Bisdorf

Phone:  703.845.6507

Fax:     703.845.6006

e-mail: vzabielski@nvcc.edu (just click)

 

office hours:

     Monday: 2 - 5 pm

     Tuesday: 2 pm – 5 pm

     Monday / Wednesday 6:30 – 7:30 pm

     Thursday: 3:30 – 5:30 pm     (or as needed)

 

Courses

 

            Physical Geology (GOL 105)

 

Labs:  Topographic Maps I   Spring 2010

                                    Topographic Maps II   Spring 2010

                                    Mineral Identification  

                                    Igneous Rock Identification  

                                    Sedimentary Rock Identification  

                                    Metamorphic Rock Identification  

                                    Experiments I: Stream Table 

                                    Experiments II: Marine Processes  

                                   

                        Homework

                                    Rock Identification Assignment  

                                    Earthquakes  

                                    Deserts and Forests

 

                        Smithsonian Lab:

                                    Minerals and Rocks   Spring 2009

                       

                        Great Falls Field Trip:  Thursday, April 9, 2009

                                    General Information / Logistics

                                    Great Falls Assignment 

(be sure to print out a copy of the assignment and bring it with you on the trip)

 

                                    The River and the Rocks: The Geologic Story of Great Falls and the Potomac River Gorge   (USGS Survey Bulletin 1471)

 

                        Study Guides:

                                    Exam #1         Exam #2         Exam #3         Exam#4

                                                                                   

                        Calculate your grade using the following worksheet:

                                    Grading Worksheet

 

GroupGreatFalls2

 

 

            Historical Geology (GOL 106)

             

           

                        Labs:  Ocean Floor Maps / Global Tectonics   Fall 2009

                                    Bathymetric Maps   Fall 2009

                                    Orogenies / Geologic Features   Fall 2009

                                    Relative Age Relationships   Fall 2009

                                    3-dimensional Geologic Structures   Fall 2009

                                    Geologic Maps I   Fall 2009

                                    Geologic Maps II   Fall 2009

Paleontology I: Methods of Fossilization  Fall 2009

                                    Paleontology II: Fossil Classification   Fall 2009

 

                        Homework:

                                    HW1: Spreading Rate   Fall 2009

                                    HW2: Radiometric Dating  

                                    HW3: Mnemonic Device for Geologic Time Table  

 

                        Smithsonian Labs:

                                    Major Evolutionary Steps    Spring 2009

 

                        Study Guides:           

                                    Section 01 (M/W afternoon)                        

                                                Exam #1                                                        

                                                Exam #2  

                                                Exam #3  

                                                Exam #4

                                                                                               

 

                        Calculate your grade using the following worksheet:

                                    Grading Worksheet

 

 

                        Below you will find a link to a site explaining the Faint Young Sun Paradox and a copy of the graph we created in class.

Faint Young Sun Paradox and Graph

                       

           

                        Kelly’s Table of Paleozoic Evolution

                                                Paleozoic Tectonics, Climate, Evolution

 

 

                        Calvert Cliffs Field Trip  

                        Date:  Saturday April 11, 2009

                                    Information Sheet    

Calvert Marine Museum Homepage

(go to Exhibits – Paleontology for information on the Miocene exhibits)

Identification Guide for Calvert Cliffs Fossils (mostly teeth)

 

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Copy of Calvert Cliffs Fall 2005 004 Copy of Calvert Cliffs Fall 2005 005

 

 

 

Events Of Interest:

 

 

 

Annual Gem, Mineral & Fossil Show

November 22-23, 2008

Sponsored by The Northern Virginia Mineral Club

At George Mason University, Fairfax, VA  Mineral Show Parking in GMU Lot F.

Admission: Adults $4, Seniors $3, Teens(13-17) $3, 12 yrs and under FREE, Scouts in Uniform FREE.

Hours: Sat. 10 AM to 6 PM & Sun. 10 AM to 4 PM

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

          Introductory Oceanography (GOL 111)

 

                   Spring 2010    Syllabus          Policy

 

                        Labs:  Global Marine Geography   Spring 2010

                                    Isostasy   Spring 2010

                                    Excel 2007 Graphing Lab   Spring 2010 (meet in room 415 at 7:30 pm Thursday)

                                                Excel 2003 Graphing Instructions

                                    Bathymetry and Marine Sediments  

                                    Seawater Chemistry I  

                                    Seawater Chemistry II   (will not run this lab Spring 2009)

                                    Water Masses  

                                    Waves  

                                    Coastal Processes  

 

                        Data and links for Lecture and Lab Assignments:

                                    Cornell University’s Isostasy Model

                                    Stokes Law Calculator

                                    Ocean Explorer (NOAA) (This site has some great info on current oceanographic expeditions and some nice videos)

                                    http://web.newsguy.com/dhacat/geo/ (Great site for links to sediment pics and other oceanography info)

                                               

                                                Lecture Assignment I:  Water Masses

                                                                Sea Surface Temperature and Salinity Maps

                                                Data                Data (Excel 2003 version)

                                                T-S Base Graph

                                                For assistance on graphing in Excel see:

                                                            Instructions for graphing in Excel 2003

                                                            Instructions for graphing in Excel 2007

 

                                    Lecture Assignment II:  Marine Productivity

                                                Sea Surface Temperature (SST) Maps

                                                Sea Surface Temperature, Salinity and Wind Maps

                                                Sea WiFS Marine Productivity Globes

                                                SST, Productivity, Solar Input Graph Template

                                               

                        Homework:

                                    HW1:  Isostasy (see Isostasy Lab)

HW2:  Water Property Profiles Data

                                    HW3:  Fisheries (choose one organism from provided list and complete the homework for that organism)

 

                        Study Guides

                             Exam #1   Spring 2009

                                    Exam #2   Spring 2009

                                    Final Exam Spring 2009(this file is in Word 2007, if you can’t open it, e-mail me and I can send it to you)

 

                        Calculate your grade using the following worksheet:

                                    Grading Worksheet

 

                        Field Trip to Wallops Island

                                    Date: Sunday April 19, 2009

                             Logistical Information for trip

                                    Lab Sheet (print out a copy to bring with you on the trip)

 

ThrowingTheTrawlGroup2007 Skate

 

 

 

       Environmental Geology (GOL 225)

 

            Fall 2007        Syllabus

                                    Policy

 

 

            Labs:

                        Environmental Orientation

                        Earthquakes I: Locator

                        Earthquakes II: Prediction

                        Volcanic Hazards

                        Soils

                        Slope Stability

                        Ore Deposits

                        Groundwater I: Darcy’s Law

                        Groundwater II: Contaminants

                        Case Study: The Problem with New Orleans

 

            Study Guides

                        Exam #1

                        Exam #2

                        Final Exam

 

 

 

            Field Studies in Geology (GOL 135)

 

                        Section 001A:             ID:                  10778

Location:        Geology of the National Zoo, DC

                                                            Date:               Saturday May 30, 2009

                                                            Instructor:      J. Marx

                                                            Information Sheet:    For logistical information about this trip,

                        see “trip essentials” at http://www.nvcc.edu/home/jmarx/HTML/FieldStudies/GOL135.htm

 

                        Section 002A:             ID:                  11492

Location:        Geology of Great Falls National Park, VA

                                                            Date:               Saturday June 6, 2009

                                                            Instructor:      V. Zabielski

                                                            Information Sheet:    Please click here to learn more about this trip.

 

                        Section 003A:             ID:                  12122

Location:        The Geology of Strasburg, VA: The birth of the Appalachians

                                                            Date:               Saturday June 20, 2009

                                                            Instructor:      V. Zabielski

                                                            Information Sheet:    Please click here to learn more about this trip.

 

Section 004A:             ID:                  12124

Location:        Geology of Calvert Cliffs, MD

                                                            Date:               Saturday July 11, 2009

                                                            Instructor:      J. Marx

                                                            Information Sheet:    For logistical information about this trip,

see “trip essentials” at http://www.nvcc.edu/home/jmarx/HTML/FieldStudies/GOL135.htm

 

Section 005A:             ID:                  14572

Location:        The Geology of Sugarloaf Mountain, MD

                                                            Date:               Saturday July 18, 2009

                                                            Instructor:      C. Khourey

                                                            Information Sheet:    Please click here to learn more about this trip.

 

Section 006A:             ID:                  20157

Location:        Introduction to the Geology and Groundwater Resources of the Northern Shenandoah Valley

                                                            Date:               Saturday August 8, 2009

                                                            Instructor:      C. Khourey

                                                            Information Sheet:    Please click here to learn more about this trip.

 

Web Links             

 

Mineral and Rock Identification

This site has been created by a former GOL 105 student who graciously has offered to keep it up for NOVA students to use.  It has views of all the rocks and minerals that you have studied in class.

                                    http://web.newsguy.com/dhacat/geo/

 

Earth Revealed

This site contains all of the Earth Revealed series of videos issued by the Annenberg Foundation.  We have these videos as VHS in the Alexandria Library, but you can watch all of them on this site.  You must enter your e-mail address and create a password, but otherwise they are free and accessible to the public.  Many of the episodes cover topics that we go over in Physical Geology (GOL 105)

                                    http://www.learner.org/resources/series78.html

 

Plate Tectonics Animation

This is the site with the animations of plate tectonics.

Click on “animations” under Overview and then click on the animation you want to see.

http://wwnorton.com/earth/egeo/index/overview.htm

 

This Dynamic Planet

This is the link to the site for the map and accompanying booklet for the “This Dynamic Planet” USGS map that we used in lab.  This is a global map of tectonic and geologic activity.  You can download both the map and the booklet from this site.

http://geology.usgs.gov/pdf/planet.pdf

 

Plate Reconstructions (Paleomaps)

This site has an extensive selection of paleo-continental reconstructions for various geologic periods.  Select “Earth History” and then choose a period of Earth history.

                             http://www.scotese.com/Default.htm

 

Evolution

Here are a few sites that discuss some relevant issues pertaining to Darwinian Natural selection.  The first is a series of short essays printed in Natural History Magazine in 2002 regarding the concept of intelligent design. The third site is a great site from UC Berkeley and has many links to biographies of many of the people we discussed in class including Alfred Wegener, Charles Lyell, Lamarck, and Thomas Malthus among others.

                                    http://www.actionbioscience.org/evolution/nhmag.html

                             http://anthro.palomar.edu/evolve/evolve_2.htm

                             http://www.ucmp.berkeley.edu/history/evolution.html

 

Homo floresiensis (“The Hobbit”)

Here is a link to the paper regarding the recent discovery of a small hominin skeleton on the Indonesian island of Flores.  The discovery of this new species dating to 18,000 years ago, may indicate that archaic species of hominins survived until much more recently than we had previously expected, and in fact may have been contemporaries of Homo sapiens (that’s us).

                        Homo floresiensis

                        http://news.nationalgeographic.com/news/2004/10/1027_041027_homo_floresiensis.html

                        http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/sci/tech/3948165.stm

 

Indian Ocean Tsunami

            These sites contain information and videos of the December 26, 2004 tsunami that hit the regions surrounding the Indian Ocean.

                                    http://www.asiantsunamivideos.com/

                                    http://jlgolson.blogspot.com/2004/12/tsunami-video.html

            These sites show computer generated simulations of the tsunami showing the variable nature of the wave as it progressed around the Indian Ocean due to the depth of the water near the different coastlines.  Sri Lanka received the tsunami as a single but continuous rise in sea-level due to the fact that the island is surrounded by deep water, whereas Banda Aceh received the tsunami as a series of several large cresting waves due to the shallowness of the water at its coastline.

                                    http://www.es.ucsc.edu/~ward/indo.mov

                                    http://serc.carleton.edu/NAGTWorkshops/visualization/collections/tsunami.html

 

 

Earthquake Locator Maps

These two links will bring you to the USGS Earthquake Hazards Program web page.  This site has an interactive global and United States maps showing all earthquake activity that has occurred within the last hour, day and week.  You can click on the map to get a close-up view of any region and you can click on any earthquake to get information about a specific quake.

                                    http://earthquake.usgs.gov/recenteqsww/     (global map)

                                    http://earthquake.usgs.gov/recenteqsUS/     (United States map)

 

Geologic Time Scale (Geological Society of America)

The first two links will bring you to the Geological Society of Americas Geologic Time Scale. This represents the most up-to-date version of the time scale and is subject to constant revisions based on new information and research.  The first site is the GSA’s direct web site (click on the time scale to get a high resolution PDF to print out), the second site is simply the PDF of the time scale.  Note that the Hadean is not included in this representation of the time scale.  This is because the Hadean is an informal classification for the eon preceding the Archean.  The Phanerozoic is the Eon which includes the Paleozoic, Mesozoic, and Cenozoic.  The third link will bring you to the United States Geologic Surveys (USGS) page dealing with geologic time.

                                    http://www.geosociety.org/science/timescale/timescl.htm

                                    1999 Geologic Time Scale (GSA)

                                    http://geology.er.usgs.gov/paleo/geotime.shtml

 

The Universe and Solar System

This site has information on all the bodies in our solar system and excellent detailed descriptions of each of the planets and their moons.

                                    http://www.nineplanets.org/

 

            Everything you wanted to know about the Universe but were afraid to ask….including dark matter.

                                    http://www.astro.ucla.edu/~wright/cosmology_faq.html#BBB

 

The Gaia Hypothesis

            These sites provide some good detailed discussions of the Gaia Hypothesis.

                                    http://www.gaianet.fsbusiness.co.uk/gaiatheory.html

 

Fossil Images

           

            This site has been created by a former NVCC GOL 106 student.  The pictures of the fossils on this site are of the specimens that you have studied in the lab.

                                    http://web.newsguy.com/dhacat/geo/

 

            These sites can be used to access images of the fossils we looked at in the lab.  Caution: Some of the images are of a single specimen and may not be representative of the group in general.

                                    http://www.paleoportal.org/fossil_gallery/fossil_gallery.php  (UC Berkeley)

 

            This is a GREAT site for fossil identification: (I’ve been having some problems linking to this site lately)

                                    Invertebrate Macrofossils Laboratory

                                    Georgia Perimeter College

                                    Pamela Gore

                                    http://www.gpc.edu/~pgore/geology/historical_lab/invertebratemacro.php

                                   

 

            This is the paleontology tutorial site for Cortland State University.  A good site for descriptions and some photos.

                                    http://paleo.cortland.edu/tutorial/

 

            This is a link to the Invertebrate Paleontology Image Gallery at the Peabody Museum at Yale University.  Click on the “Taxa” at the upper left corner of the page to access fossil images.  Quite thorough and exhaustive.

                                    Peabody Museum, Yale University

http://www.yale.edu/ypmip/

 

            This site from the University of Kansas Museum of Natural History and Biodiversity Research Center contains image data bases for invertebrate macrofossils, trace fossils, and invertebrate microfossils.  Click on the invertebrate microfossil link, and then choose the phylum, class or order of the specimen you would like to vies and then click “Start Search” or “Display All Records”….I know, it’s misspelled.  Some images are better than others. You can find images of foraminifera in the invertebrate microfossil image data base under the order foraminifera.

                                    Museum of Natural History and Biodiversity Research Center

                                    University of Kansas

                                    http://ipa.geo.ukans.edu/InvertPaleo/

 

            This is a small list of a few other sites that have some good pictures of invertebrate fossils:

                                    http://www-rohan.sdsu.edu/~rhmiller/introinvertebrates/introduction_to_invertebrate_fos.htm

                                    http://www.museum.vic.gov.au/prehistoric/time/

                                    http://www.museum.vic.gov.au/pdf/edu/dinos_guide_i.pdf

                                    http://www.uky.edu/KGS/coal/webfossl/pages/ordov.htm

                                    http://www.paleocurrents.com/img/2002_09_13FI/HTML/

                                    http://www.nearctica.com/paleo/inverts/inverts.htm

 

Field Courses