EAS 8802 - Isotope Geochemistry, FALL 2007
 

Syllabus    /    Lecture Schedule & Notes & Reading

M 12:05-1:45, EST 1229

Instructor:  Kim Cobb

Office:  2234 EST

Phone:  (404) 894-1992

Email:  kcobb@eas.gatech.edu

Office hours by appointment only.

Goals:

Isotope geochemistry plays an increasingly important role in a wide variety of geological, biological, and environmental investigations. This course is designed to provide an introduction to the principles and applications of isotope geochemistry, and briefly summarize the analytical techniques used in the field. The first hour of each class will be devoted to a student-led discussion of a recent isotope geochemistry article, and a lecture in the second hour will introduce the isotope system for the following week’s article. Homework problems will illustrate the applications of isotope geochemistry to real-world environmental problems. The students’ interests will help shape the material covered in the course, so the schedule of topics listed below is subject to change.

Student Presentation Guidelines

Recommended Textbooks (copies in EAS reading room):

General:

Faure, Gunther and Mensing, Teresa. 2004. Isotopes:  Principles and Applications, 3rd edition, Wiley.

Radiogenic:

Dickin, Alan. P. 1995. Radiogenic isotope geology. Cambridge University Press.

Stable Isotopes:

Hoefs, Jochen. 2004. Stable isotope geochemistry. Springer-Verlag.

Criss, Robert. 1999. Principles of Stable Isotope Distribution, Oxford University Press.

Supplemental Textbook:

Skoog, D.A., Holler, F.J., & Nieman, T.A. 1997 Principles of Instrumental Analysis. 5^th Edition. Brooks Cole.

Grading:

33% Homework

33% Presentations and participation (read the articles!)

33% Final