GEOL& 208 - Geology of Pacific NW

• Have a deeper awareness and understanding of the geologic origins and activities of the land around you.
• Be able to describe the geologic history of the Pacific Northwest, from Archean basement and Proterozoic Belt Supergroup, through terrane accretion, subduction, and mountain building, to Pleistocene glacial effects and recent geologic activity.
• Point out on a map all the landscape regions of the Pacific Northwest, such as the Columbia Plateau, Snake River Plain, and Rocky Mountains, and explain how they relate to the Northwest geologic history.
• Identify from hand sample several of the most common mineral and rock types.
• Describe the origin of most common rock types, and explain how a rock reveals its origin.
• Determine from stratigraphy and structure, and list in proper order, a relative geologic age sequence.
• Correlate key aspects of Pacific Northwest geology with plate tectonic theory
• Correlate geologic features with how they are portrayed on a map, recognizing such basic fault and fold types as anticlines, synclines, and thrust faults.
• Interpret geologic history from field evidence, and demonstrated in a report based on a field excursions that includes labeled drawings or photographs of geologic features observed in the field.
• Use facts or observations to distinguish a valid hypothesis from an invalid one and demonstrate this ability in lab work and written assignments.
• Upon visiting the different landscape regions of the Pacific Northwest in person, be able to recognize and summarize their geologic origins.

1. Geology and geologic history of the Pacific Northwest
2. Introductory-level skill development in deducing geology and geologic history from rocks, field sites, and maps.