Automated Particle-Size Instrumentation For the Undergraduate Geology Curriculum at Colorado College

科罗拉多大学地质系将开发一个使用自动化设备进行粒度分析的教学计划：用于分析淤泥和粘土的沉降仪，用于分析沙子的沉降管，以及基于dos的控制/数据管理模块。粒度分析是解释现代沉积物的关键，因为粒度特征反映了搬运和沉积的条件。在研究土壤发生和土壤发育作为景观不稳定性指标，以及在许多关于人类活动对地貌过程影响的研究中，评价颗粒大小分布也是基础。在我们的软岩课程中，向学生介绍了与粒度特征相关的概念，该设备将为学生提供快速准确测定粒度的机会，向学生介绍现代定量技术，并将沉积地质学，地貌学和土壤的课堂，现场和实验室方面联系起来。这些仪器将加强软岩和环境地质学的课程和学生研究机会，并将允许在入门地质学、地貌学、土壤和沉积岩石学课程中开展实地和实验室练习。个别学生将在这些课程以及冰川地质学、考古地质学、沉积与地层学和环境科学的项目中使用这些设备。地质和环境科学专业的学生也将在他们的论文工作中使用这些仪器来获得关于沉积物和土壤特征的高质量数据。该仪器也将提供给其他凯克联盟学院的学生，用于凯克项目相关的研究。

The Colorado College Geology Department will develop an instructional program using automated equipment for particle-size analysis: a sedigraph for analyzing silt and clay, a settling tube for analysis of sands, and a DOS-based control/data management module. Particle-size analysis is a critical to the interpretation of modern sediments, as particle-size characteristics reflect conditions of transport and deposition. Evaluation of particle-size distributions is also fundamental in studies of soil genesis and of soil development as an indicator of landscape instability, and in many studies of the effect of human activity on geomorphic processes. Throughout our soft-rock curriculum, students are introduced to concepts related to particle-size characteristics, and this equipment will provide students with the opportunity to make rapid and precise particle-size determinations, introduce students to modern quantitative techniques, and link classroom, field, and lab aspects of sedimentary geology, geomorphology, and soils. The instruments will strengthen curriculum and student research opportunities in soft-rock and environmental geology, and will allow the development of field and laboratory exercises in Introductory Geology, Geomorphology, Soils, and Sedimentary Petrology courses. Individual students will utilize the equipment for projects in these courses as well as Glacial Geology, Archeological Geology, Sedimentation and Stratigraphy, and Environmental Sciences. Geology and Environmental Sciences majors will also use the instruments to obtain high-quality data on sediment and soil characteristics in their thesis work. The instrumentation will also be available to students from the other Keck Consortium colleges for Keck project-related research.