Geology 155: History and Evolution of the Earth

Olin-Rice 100

Instructor: Kelly MacGregor

Office: Olin-Rice 116

Office hours: M 12-2

696-6441

macgregor@macalester.edu

Text:

Earth System History, 2^nd Edition, Steven M. Stanley, W.H. Freeman and Co., New York, New York. 2005.

I reserve the right to add reading assignments as the semester progresses. In addition, current events may lead us to read newspaper/magazine/radio articles. These readings can be found on the Moodle page for the course (see below).

Moodle:

Moodle is the course ‘web page’ – basically course software being used at Macalester, and in this class. Just type moodle.macalester.edu in your web browser. The page can be best seen using Mozilla, although other browsers will work most of the time. You will need your login name and password every time you go to the class page (this is the same as for your Macalester email). The first time you log on to the page for this course, you’ll need the course enrollment key.

The Basics

This class meets MWF from 9:40 – 10:40 in Olin-Rice 100. Lab sections are Monday evening (7-9 pm) and Tuesday morning (10-12) in Olin-Rice 187. There will be a full-day (9-5) field trip on Sunday, April 24 – attendance is required.

Tentative schedule:

Week 1:

M (1/24) Introduction and course overview

W (1/26) Geology and time

F (1/28) History of Geology

Reading: Chapter 1

Lab: no lab this week

Week 2:

M (1/31) Minerals and Rocks

W (2/2) Igneous and Metamorphic Rocks

F (2/4) Sedimentary Rocks

Reading: Chapter 2

Lab: Rocks Rocks Rocks

Week 3:

M (2/7) Sedimentary environments

W (2/9) Sedimentary rocks/facies

F (2/11) Relative time scales

Reading: Chapters 4, 5 & 6

Lab: Depositional Environments I

Week 4:

M (2/14) Evolution

W (2/16) Fossils

F (2/18) Taphonomy and lifestyles

Reading: Chapters 3 & 7

Lab: Depositional environments II

Week 5:

M (2/21) Hour Exam I

W (2/23) Absolute geologic time

F (2/25) Radiometric dating

Reading: reserve reading

Lab: Fossil identification

Week 6:

M (2/28) Radiometric dating and Age of the Earth (revisited)

W (3/2) Continental Drift and Plate Tectonics

F (3/4) Plate tectonics and earth structure

Reading: Chapters 8, 9 & 10

Lab: Life, Environment, and Time I

Week 7:

M (3/7) Highlights of Earth History

W (3/9) Earth and lunar formation

F (3/11) Archean Earth

Reading: Chapter 11

Lab: Life, Environment, and Time II

Week 8:

M (3/14) Archean and Proterozoic earth

W (3/16) Origin of life on earth

F (3/18) Groups 1, 2, 3 present

Reading: Chapter 12

Lab: Lab exam

Week 9:

M-F (3/21-3/25) Spring Break

Week 10:

M (3/28) Paleozoic history

W (3/30) Groups 4, 5, 6 present

F (4/1) Extinction theory & history

Reading: Chapters 13, 14 & 15

Lab: Metaphors for Geologic Time (presentations)

Week 11:

M (4/4) Hour Exam II

W (4/6) Supercontinents: tectonics and climate

F (4/8) Mesozoic

Reading: Chapter 16

Lab: Interpreting climate

Week 12:

M (4/11) Mesozoic & Group 7

W (4/13) Dinosaurs

F (4/15) Cenozoic

Reading: Chapter 17

Lab: Dinosaur biomechanics

Week 13:

M (4/18) Cenozoic & Group 8

W (4/20) Cenozoic

F (4/22) Cenozoic

Reading: Chapters 18 & 19

Lab: Ice cores & climate

Week 14:

M (4/25) Pleistocene & Group 9

W (4/27) Pleistocene and Holocene & Group 10

F (4/29) Present and future

Reading: Chapter 20

Lab: No lab (Sunday field trip – April 24)

Week 15:

M (5/2) Present and future

Reading: Reserve reading

FINAL EXAM: Friday, May 6

8:00-10:00 am