Dr. Robert Herrick
Lunar and Planetary Institute
3600 Bay Area Blvd.
Houston, TX 77058
herrick@lpi.usra.edu
Work: (281) 486-2116
Fax: (281) 486-2162
Home: (281) 333-5218
Class meets Tuesdays and Thursdays, 10:50 a.m. - 12:05 p.m., Room 107, Geology Building.
I will remain until 1:00 p.m. after class to answer questions. Otherwise, you may call or email me with questions. The best times to catch me are between 10:00 a.m. and 6:00 p.m. at my work number.
Required text - The
Planetary System, 3rd Edition, by David Morrison and Tobias Owen,
Addison Wesley Publishing, 2003. There is a web site for the book at
http://wps.aw.com/aw_morrison_planetsys_3/0,6095,446863-main,00.html.
The web site has review questions, tutorials, etc., that are fairly
useful.
Grading:
3 non-cumulative tests (including final) 25% each
Term paper 25%
Note: Homework may be assigned but will not be graded.
Make-up exams given only for those with excellent, verifiable
excuses who, if at all possible, notified me in advance. Make-up exam
dates are at instructor's discretion. More tolerance is shown for those
who want to take an exam early rather than late.
Notes and images for each week can be obtained by clicking on the date below:
8/26
Introduction
Chap. 1, 3
Review of the Solar System
notes, images
9/2
Review of the Solar System (cont.)
Formation of the Solar
System
Chapter 17
notes, images
9/9
Available Data
notes , images
9/16
Meteorites, Asteroids, and
Comets
Chapters 4-6
notes , images
9/23
Planetary
Interiors
Chapter 9.2
notes
Test 1 on 9/25 - Through planetary interiors
9/30
Impact
Cratering
Chap 7.3 - 7.4
notes
images -- planetary interiors and impact
cratering
10/7
Impact Cratering (cont.)
Volcanism and
Tectonics
Chap 9.3 - 9.4
notes -- volcanism, tectonics, and erosion
images -- volcanism, tectonics, and erosion
10/16 (10/14 - Fall Recess) Volcanism and Tectonics (cont.)
Erosion
10/21
Earth
Chapter 9
notes, images
10/28
Moon and
Mercury
Chap. 7,8
notes, images
11/4 Test 2 on 11/4 - through Moon and
Mercury
Venus
Chapter 10
notes, images
11/11
Venus (cont.)
11/18
Mars
Chapter 11
lecture 1 notes and images
lecture 2 notes and images
11/25
Outer Planet
Satellites
Chapter 15,16
notes, images
12/2
Future Missions
notes, images
exploration_timeline
Take Home Final, Term paper due with final
Test 3 from 2002
The term paper will be 8 - 12 pages of double - spaced 12 pt. text, 1" margins, not including title page, abstract, references, tables, or figures. Twenty points will be deducted for papers not within this length range. The paper should discuss a topic in planetary geology for which multiple points of view exist. The author should summarize existing knowledge of a topic and support a particular point of view.
Format:
Title page - Must include your name and title of the paper
Abstract
Body of the paper. 8 - 12 pages
References
Figure Captions
Tables
Figures
Format should file AGU (American Geophysical Union) style guide for submitted manuscripts - Style guide can be found at http://www.agu.org/pubs/au_contrib_rev.html. Use the Geophysical Research Letters (GRL) examples. Ignore the directions for title page and index terms. If you use the sample templates please reformat everything to double-spaced 12 pt. text with 1" margins. Term papers should be submitted in hardcopy, not electronic, form.
Term paper is due at 1:00 P.M. on 12/2. Twenty points off per day for late papers.
Possible topics (although others may be selected):
Resurfacing history of Venus
Mars crustal dichotomy
Life on Mars
History of water on Mars
Does Europa have an ocean
Formation of complex craters
Formation of impact basins
Association of asteroids and meteorites