HISTORY OF THE EARTH
GEO-SCI 201 - Spring, 2008

Lecture: MWF 11:15-12:05 (#56790) (Room 136)
Labs: W 1:25-3:20 (#56792) or F 1:25-3:20 (#56794) (Room 225)
Honors Colloquium: Geo-Sci H03 TBD (1 credit; #80905)

General

Instructor: Professor Mark Leckie

Office: Morrill 4 South, Room 252

Phone: 545-1948

Email: mleckie@geo.umass.edu

Office Hours: MW 3:30-5:00, and by appointment

Teaching Assistant: Jeff Salacup

Office: Morrill 4 South, 160 (Biogeochemistry Lab)

Email: jsalacup@geo.umass.edu

Office Hours: TuTh 2:30-3:30, and by appointment

Course Syllabus

Cape Cod Trip Photos

Lecture Links

1. Development of the Geologic Time Scale

Geologic Time Scale
Geologic Time

2. Nature of the Sedimentary Record

Nature of the Sedimentary Record
Tectonics and the Sedimentary Record
Why Go to the Beach In February?

3. Early Earth History: the Archean and Proterozoic Eons

The Formation of the Earth
The Archean Eon and the Origin of Life
The Proterozoic Eon and the Growth of life

4. The Last 542 Million Years: the Phanerozoic Eon

The Paleozoic Era
The Mesozoic Era

Schedule

Tentative Schedule and Readings for Geo-Sci 201 - Spring, 2008

DATE - TOPIC - READINGS

Jan. 28 What is Historical Geology? Chapt. 1 (1-6)

30 Geologic Roots Chapt. 1 (11-13), Chapt. 4 (66-67)

Feb. 1 Evolution and the Fossil Record Chapt. 5 (85-91), Chapt. 7

Geologic Doctrines Assignment due

4 Evolution and the Fossil Record

6 Evolution and the Fossil Record Evolution Assignment due

8 Absolute Dating Methods & the Geologic Timescale Chapt. 4, Chapt. 5 (91-98)

11 Absolute Dating Methods & the Geologic Timescale

13 Absolute Dating Methods & the Geologic Timescale

15 ESSAY: DEVELOPMENT OF THE GEOLOGIC TIME SCALE

18 HOLIDAY - President's Day (NO Classes)

19 Follow Monday schedule: Plate Tectonics (jigsaw project) Chapt. 1 (9-11), Chapt. 3

20 Plate Tectonics (jigsaw project)

22 Plate Tectonics (jigsaw project)

24 * * (Sunday) Field Trip to the Beach on Cape Cod * * Take a look at the PHOTOS!

25 Nature of the Sedimentary Record & Depositional Systems Chapt. 6

Plate Tectonics Group Report due

27 Nature of the Sedimentary Record & Depositional Systems

29 Nature of the Sedimentary Record & Depositional Systems

Mar. 3 Principles of Stratigraphy and Correlation Chapt. 5

Cape Cod Fieldtrip Report due

5 Principles of stratigraphy and correlation

7 ESSAY: NATURE OF THE SEDIMENTARY RECORD

10 The Formation of Earth Chapt. 1 (6-9)

12 The Archean Eon and the Origin of Life Chapt. 8

14 The Archean Eon and the Origin of Life

15-23 SPRING BREAK

24 The Archean Eon and the Origin of Life

26 The Proterozoic Eon: Growth of Continents & Evolution of Life Chapt. 9

28 The Proterozoic Eon: Growth of Continents & Evolution of Life

31 Snowball Earth Hypothesis extra reading

Apr. 2 ESSAY: ARCHEAN AND PROTEROZOIC HISTORY & CONTRASTS

4 The Cambrian Explosion Chapt. 12 (232-234)

7 The Early Paleozoic Era (Cambrian-Silurian Periods)Chapts. 10, 12, 13

9 The Early Paleozoic Era(Cambrian-Silurian Periods)

11 The Early Paleozoic Era(Cambrian-Silurian Periods)

14 The Late Paleozoic Era (Devonian-Permian Periods) Chapts. 11, 12, 13

16 The Late Paleozoic Era(Devonian-Permian Periods)

18 The Late Paleozoic Era(Devonian-Permian Periods)

21 HOLIDAY - Patriot's Day (NO Classes)

23 End-Permian Mass Extinction Chapt. 12 (244-245)

25 The Mesozoic Era (Triassic Period) Chapts. 14, 15

28 Cyclicity in the Rock Record: Milankovitch theory Chapt. 17 (362-366)

30 Guest Lecture by John Hubert:Triassic-Jurassic Rift Basins of the Northeast

May 2 The Mesozoic Era (Jurassic & Cretaceous Periods) Chapts. 14, 15

3-4 * * (Sat.-Sun.) Field Trip to Ordovician & Devonian of NY * *

5 The Mesozoic Era (Jurassic & Cretaceous Periods)

7 The End-Cretaceous Mass Extinction Chapt. 17

9 The Cenozoic Era (Paleogene & Neogene Periods) Chapts. 16, 18

12 The Cenozoic Era (Pleistocene & Holocene) Chapt. 17

14, 17 READING DAYS

15-22 FINAL EXAMS * * FINAL EXAM TBA * * Chapts. 10-18

24 Undergraduate Commencement