Department of Earth Science   |  Northeastern Illinois University

GLACIAL and QUATERNARY GEOLOGY
ESCI 315             FALL, 2011                                                J. Hemzacek homepage 


Welcome to the homepage of Glacial Geology

 ANNOUNCEMENTS  - updated 22 Nov
                       Class wiki info

FIELD TRIP!            PHOTOS!

     MISCELLANEOUS RESOURCES ON TOPICS
Term project resources:
        first project due on Wednesday, 2 November
        overview      rubric           go to class wiki

 Assignments & Resources
Images and Useful Links
        Accessing topo maps online - a primer to USGS mapstore

      So, why did Stardust crash?
             View the conclusion of the video for the answer!  
             Then, if you want to know more about STENDEC, or
                  other details about Stardust, click here.
              To view the rest of the video:   Part 1      Part 2
          how many words for snow? 
             part a    part b      phases of ice
         a snowflake primer
 
 Course Syllabus - printable (pdf)   

 


photo courtesy of NSIDC 

 

  

© 2011 J. Hemzacek
Last updated 12 Sep 2011

 

phase diagram H2O

 

 

 

 

 

    ANNOUNCEMENTS
 
  22 Nov    Reminder: no class on Wednesday, 23 Nov.  I'm sure that you will all be working very hard on your term projects!  :O)
                  Happy Thanksgiving, everyone!      
  FIELD TRIP!  
       I am really looking forward to meeting all of you at Glacial Park Conservation Area in McHenry County, near the town of Ringwood,
       on Sunday, 6 November, at 9:00 AM at the visitor center.  This park brochure includes general information, a map to help you get to the park,
       and even GPS coordinates for the entrance (in case you, unlike me, have the technology to rely upon!). 
       Looks like it will be a beautiful day to be in the field!
      
 
The class Wiki is up and running, and is ready for you to sign up for a project topic and read all the project details.

You will need to sign on to the wiki, and check that you have full access to the editing functions.  In order to do that, you will need to do the following:
If you have any problems accessing the wiki, or with other aspects of this project, send me an email or talk to me after class, and we will sort it out.

1.  If you already have a google account, go to step 2.  If you do not have a google account, you first need to create one, as follows: 
Go to google.com; click on "sign in" (top right); then click "sign up for a new account" (at the top).  Follow the instructions; then, check your email for a confirmation from google (be sure to check your spam folder if you don't see an email!).  When you receive the confirmation email, follow those instructions to complete the process of creating your account.  Keep track of your password!  Forgetting your password is the number one trouble that people have with logging in to the wiki!!!

2.  Send me an email, from the account that you used to create your google account.  As the subject, please use "Glacial - wiki account".  I will add your email address as a collaborator for the google site.   Send the email to my NEIU email address!  And identify yourself by name in the email!

3. After I have added your email address as a collaborator for the wiki, you will receive an email notification that you have been added.  Click on the link in that email: it will take you to the log-in page for google sites.  (If you are using neiu email, right-click the link and choose "open in new window".  For some reason, this makes a difference!)
If you have not received an email invitation to the wiki, it is because you have not yet sent me an email (see step 2)- you should do this immediately!

4.  The wiki page will appear and, after you have signed in**, you should see a box at the top right labeled  "edit page".  If the wiki page loads without a sign-in page, scroll to the bottom of the wiki page, and click "sign in" -- at the left of the (small) menu at the bottom.   If you are on the wiki page and are signed in, but still do not see the "edit page", let me know.   **After clicking the link to go to the wiki page, look for your user name at the top right.  If it is not there, you are not yet signed in.  Scroll down: at the bottom of the page, there is a (small!) menu list.  Click on "sign in", and open your google account.  You should now see your user name and the edit box at the top.

5.  Information about the project is on the home page of the wiki.  At the upper left of the home page are links to the other wiki pages, including "topics" - where you will sign up for your project topic.  Please note that if someone else has already signed up for the same topic, you will need to pick something different!

6.  Along the way, if you need help on any aspect, including how to choose a topic, how to create the desired format for your project, or other aspects of your project, I would be happy to consult with you!

7.  When you complete your project, it will be submitted via the wiki: you will upload your completed project to the "Project Documents" page.  Your classmates' projects will be there, too: hopefully you will take a little time to browse the information that they provide! 

A rubric for the final project is available here: use it as your "check list" as you work on your project!
 

 
 ASSIGNMENTS and RESOURCES  (scroll down for earlier assignments)
 
   Glacial Glossary, Part 2         due on 7 November, via email

          You will create a new "chapter" for your personal, illustrated glacial glossary, by adding features associated with erosion.
          The list of features, as given in class, is available in this document.

 
   Glacial Glossary, Part 1        due on
   Assignment 1 --  send me an email, from your preferred email account (one that you will check regularly) as follows:
                      subject:   ESCI 315, your name
                      body:      1.  what is your major?  minor?
                                     2.  what is your particular interest in this class: what topic(s) particularly interest you, what questions do you have, etc.
                                     3.  what is your schedule availability (for field trip opportunities): please let me know if you have any flexibility, for instance,
                                          if given enough notice, would you be available on a Friday? Saturday? Sunday? etc.
                      I must receive the email not later than the start of class on Wednesday, 31 August.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

You can access topo quad maps ONLINE, which allows you to print, copy, edit (e.g., add points of interest), and embed the image into a file.

Simply follow the directions below.

  • Go directly to the "USGS Store -- Map Locator"
    (or go to the USGS Store, and then click on Map Locator on the left side)
  • In the SEARCH box at the top, type in the name of a place (e.g., a town or a point of interest)...
    OR (this is best when you know the quadrangle name!!) type in the map quadrangle name (you might need to include the state, depending on the name), and then use the drop-down menu to change the  "search type"  from 'address or place' to 'USGS map name'
  • click GO
  • the map will change to show the area you selected, with one or more red markers.  Click on a marker to see a list of available maps, and then click on "download" for the map of interest.  The topo quads will be listed as type '7.5 x 7.5'; you will also (for a number of the maps) now see an option for "digital-beta".  These are larger files (takes longer!) and are not the standard topo maps that you need.   
  • You will be asked whether to "open" or "save" the map.  These can be large files, so you can simply select open... unless you want to save the map on your computer.
  • It will take a little while to 'unzip' the file.   When the process is finished, double-click on the icon for the pdf file, to open the map in Adobe Reader/Acrobat.  Note that you might get a 'pop-up' window asking you to download an add-in application; click 'NO', and the file will open just fine.
  • you can use the 'zoom' tool (looks like a magnifying lens) in Adobe to zoom in to an area of the map; then you can use the horizontal and vertical scroll bars to browse different areas of the map.
  • When you find a feature of interest, you can use the "select graphic" tool (it looks like a camera in the tool bar; or is available under 'Tools' - 'Select' - 'Snapshot' or 'Select graphic') to copy and then paste that area of the map into a new or existing file. 
  • Don't forget to cite your source!  The citation format for maps is very much like that of any print resource; an example is given below.  For your own (and my!) information, you should include at least the map name and state as a caption for the image; also include any additional information that would help you to find this feature again!
    example map citation: