In this pair of activities, students start by using published data to predict what will happen to groundwater composition as a consequence of chemical weathering. The data are provided in a spreadsheet (Hinman_weathering). Students are given the histograms only; both are normalized to 100 %, while one includes silica and the other does not. Students must use resources to predict how groundwater composition will change as a consequence of the observed weathering, and support those predictions using balanced chemical-weathering equations. Afterwards, they conduct a laboratory experiment in which they subject crushed rock to four types of solutions (acid solution, organic-rich solution, rainwater, and alkaline solution). The pH of each solution is measured, and subsequently adjusted after 24 and 48 hours. Solutions are sampled after 14 days. They are analyzed by ICP, and the compositions reported to students for comparison with their predictions.

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This is an assignment I worked on with Dr. Brusseau (University of Arizona) for his Contaminant Transport class. In this problem solving exercise, students are provided data sets that could be obtained by monitoring flow and transport of a tracer or contaminant in the field or in a soil column experiment in the laboratory. They will need to input the equations into a spreadsheet to complete the assignment.

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Students download a comma-delimited data set that is a time series of stream discharge measurements and the concentration of a trace element in the stream. Given the concentration of this element in the precipitation and in the groundwater, the students analyze the data using spreadsheet software to separate the hydrograph into baseflow and quickflow components. Students produce a graph of their results. To do the analysis, students must derive an appropriate equation based on other equations presented in the text (Eqs. 1.2 and 1.3).

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This is an in-class activity. I used it relatively early in the semester, after covering the basic water properties portion of the class. I use the relationship between temperature/salinity/density to begin discussing vertical movement of water. The first purpose of this activity is to reinforce the concepts that have just been explained about the relationship between temperature and density and salinity and density. The second purpose is to bring these ideas back to what they have learned about density differences. Finally, the activity is also designed to help them learn how to read graphs.

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This lab is designed to familiarize students with the geologic history of an ore-deposit, deciphered in the palm of your hand. By determining cross cutting relations of veins and mineralogy, students decipher the evolution of mineralizing fluids that formed the minerals of a copper ore deposit.

This lab accompanies lectures/classes in economic geology and ore mineralogy, either in a mineralogy or petrology course. It can also accompany studies of fluid rock interactions, fracture flow, fluid evolution, or geochemistry; or these topics be woven together using this lab as a base. This lab exercise also integrates previously learned material: cross-cutting relationships (Introductory Geology),with determination of mineralogy (Mineralogy), review of idochromatic elements producing color and their use in mineral identification (Mineralogy),chemistry of the fluids (Geochemistry), and changes in fluids with time during hydrothermal alteration events (Economic Geology). It also demonstrates the linkage between fluid composition, igneous petrology, ore geology and mineralogy.

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The assignment will begin with teaching proper water collection and use of equipment for hydrochemical field work. Once the class is familiar with sample collecting technques, the class takes a field trip to several springs within the Madera Limestone, Sandia Mountains New Mexico. Collecting waters and obtaining hydrochemical field parameters for each spring location as well as collecting groundwater from one well in the same aquifer. Returning to the lab and preparing and running samples for ion analysis.

Spring waters will then be compared to well water and average precipitation data available from the USGS. Geochemical modeling will then be completed to understand the proportion of aquifer, precipitation and possible deeply sourced waters found in the spring waters.

The outcomes include 1) teaching proper sampling techniques 2) proper preparation of samples for ion analysis 3) Geochemical modeling to understand mixing

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Students are asked to calculate the pH of a weak acid aqueous solution. The problems involve a series of generic acids with assigned equilibrium constants (Ka) and total concentrations (Ct). Initially, students are required to hand calculate all problems by algebraic manipulation of the mathematical relationships of the system. The solution is a cubic equation. Through a series of assumptions, the solution is simplified. The assumptions are based on the chemistry of the system given the Ka and Ct for the problem. The problems are then graphically solved. Ultimately, the students develop an Excel worksheet to solve the problems and a Bjerrum plot to display the speciation as a function of pH.

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In this homework exercise students learn how to write balanced chemical equations describing weathering and redox reactions by hand and by using the Geochemists Workbench.

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