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EARTH 232Introductory Petrography

Units
0.50
Faculty
Science
Subject
Earth Sciences

When it runs

  1. F24
  2. W25
  3. S25
  4. F25
  5. W26
  6. S26
  7. F26
  8. W27
  9. S27

Ran in 4 of the last 7 terms. Winter 2027: scheduled, 2 lecture sections. Spring 2027: schedule not out yet.

This course provides an introduction to the petrogenesis of igneous, metamorphic, and sedimentary rocks. Overview of textural, mineralogical, and chemical classification schemes for rocks. Introduction to silicate phase equilibria and the use of mineral stability diagrams to understand petrogenetic processes. Major relationships between tectonic setting and rock types. Laboratory work focuses on using a transmitted light microscope to study the optic properties of minerals in order to identify them as well as observe rock textures and interpret geological histories.

Prerequisites

  • Must have completed the following:

Antirequisites

None listed.

Leads to

Winter 2027 sections

Enrolment from UW Open Data, which can trail Quest by up to two days. Instructors and rooms: Schedule of Classes.
SectionClassEnrolledMeets
LEC 00165800 / 46TTh 08:30–09:50
LEC 701251527 / 9999Online or by arrangement
LAB 10167760 / 23M 14:30–17:20
LAB 10268570 / 23M 08:30–11:20

Reviewed on UW Flow

73% liked it66% easy68% useful

From 22 ratings and 8 comments on UW Flow. The most helpful comments, quoted as written, without names. Read them all on UW Flow.

  • Make sure you go to the review sessions they are VERY for preparing exams.

    Oct 2014 · liked it · 2 found this helpfulOn UW FlowRemove this

  • Sci and Aviation student here. Honestly not bad at all. I in particular have 0 interest in rocks and did fairly well in this course. The course is split up into lecture and lab component (breakdown below) and is taught by good TA's and prof. Lab section is where most of the learning will get done, as it is hands-on and you get to look at rocks through microscopes. Lecture section was not well attended, but was engaging and very informational (brian is very smart). Lab final was exactly as you would expect and lecture final was similar to weekly labs plus some. Overall very fair and there is a curve, but don't rely on it.
    Lecture:
    Assignments (4) - 15%
    Rock poster (1) - 15%
    Final - 30%…

    Apr 2025 · liked it · 1 found this helpfulOn UW FlowRemove this

  • Tag team duo of Shaun Frape on lectures and Jen Parks in the lab? How could you even go wrong? Great course.

    Mar 2022 · liked it · 1 found this helpfulOn UW FlowRemove this

  • Rocks rock. Class only has a midterm and a final. Lab is awesome (taught by Jen Parks).

    Sep 2016 · liked it · 1 found this helpfulOn UW FlowRemove this

  • Labs could be a lot of work but were still cool. Content was cool but I can't say Changcheng was a very engaging lecturer. Final exam had a cheat sheet but it tested all random/niche things that were talked about for like 2 minutes that you didn't think were important, then it got curved.

    Aug 2026 · didn’t like itOn UW FlowRemove this

Check it elsewhere for Fall 2026

Calendar versions

Undergraduate Calendar