GEOLOGY 102 - HISTORICAL GEOLOGY
SPRING 2016
This class and lab are a cell-phone and pager-free zone.
Dr. Allen Dennis
Office Hours: W 9-10
224 Science/641-3396/allend@usca.edu (subject line GEOL 102)
Other times by appt.
Class meets 10:50-12:05 TTh; Lab meets 1:40 - 4:20 T.
Texts: Evolution of the Earth, Prothero & Dott, 7th/8th ed.; Dinosaurs: A concise natural history, Fastovsky &
Weishampel 1st/2nd ed.; Trilobite, Fortey; other readings as assigned. Blackboard used extensively.
January
12
14
Introduction
Rock Cycle and Plate Tectonics
Ch. 1
Ch. 7 F&W Ch. 1-3
19
Modern Plate Settings
21
Radiometric Age Dating (paper 1 due)
1. Personal understanding or perspective on science, its aims, and how science is done
26
27
28
Quaternary Ice Ages and Climate Change
Last day to submit Writing Proficiency Portfolio
La Grand Coupure – Floral and Faunal Changes
432-434 ff
Ch. 4 F&W Ch. 4, final ch.
Ch. 16
443-446 F&W Pt II
February
2
Mammals
446-459
4
K-T boundary extinction (paper 2 due)
404-409 F&W Pt III
2. Principles of age dating, Modern plate settings, Unconformities, Uniformitarianism, Causes of ice ages, Mammalian
evolution, K-T boundary event, Cladistics introduction
March
9
11
Dinosaurs
Fish-Amphibian-Reptile transition
16
18
Rift Basins and Opening Atlantic
Cordillera
23
25
(trip) Permian Extinction
Paleomagnetism
344-347
127-137, F 3-41
1
3
Sauk-Tippecanoe
Absaroka (paper 3 due)
207-229, 240-245
304-310 F, 42-83
382-409
260-267
352-359 F&W Pt IV
361-375, 414-432
3. Mass extinctions, Dinosaur metabolism, Cordilleran geology, Contrasting Cord/eastern NA geology, Sedimentary facies,
Diet and adaptation in Saurischia and Ornithischia, Bird origins, Coevolution, Fortey TBA
5/13
Spring Break
15
17
Appalachians
Hox genes and the Cambrian explosion
314-332
Ch. 9 F, 84-130
22
24
Clarks Hill Field Trip
Cambrian explosion
Ch. 9 F, 131-189
29
Eukaryotes and Ediacara
Ch. 9
31
Last day to withdraw and receive a W
31
Snowball Earth (paper 4 due)
Ch. 8 F, 190-225
4. Sequence stratigraphy, Paleomagnetic evidence for plate tectonics, Origins of eukaryotes and metazoans, Evolution of
present atmospheric levels of O2, Petroleum Geology, Fortey TBA
April
5
7
12
14
Proterozoic (Biosphere, Atmosphere, Hydrosphere, Tectosphere)
Proterozoic
Ch. 8, F, 226-266
Archean Stratigraphy
Archean Geology
19
Lake Murray Spillway Trip
21
Meteorites and Moon (paper 5 due)
Ch. 6
5. Meteorites, Age of the Earth, Archean tectonics, Snowball Earth, Contrasting Archean and Proterozoic geology, How to
recognize life, Radiation and Extinction, Fortey TBA
The Final for this class is scheduled for Thursday 28 April at 11 am.
If you have a learning or physical disability that might affect your performance in this class, please inform me and the
Coordinator of Disabled Student Services at x3609, to verify your status and provide you with appropriate assistance.
My objective for this class is that you begin to understand the reasoning behind how we know what we think we
know about earth history and history of life through time. We will be interested how different lines of evidence are
assembled to construct models of the earth in the past, and what are the assumptions of these models. You will express
your developing understanding of lecture and lab material (i.e., lines of evidence) and assigned readings through short
papers on assigned topics, prepared and submitted monthly. By keeping a journal you will develop fluency in writing and
develop your own thoughts on this material. At least once in the semester you will be given responsibility for leading the
class in discussion on some aspect of the assigned reading.
Grading: With the exception of the final (see p. 4) there will be no tests. Approximately once a month you will be
responsible for turning in a typed 1500 word paper on one of several assigned topics, based on lecture, lab or assigned
reading (paper 1: 1000 words). Hard copies of papers are due at the beginning of the Thursday class. Each paper is
also to be turned in as a MS Word document attached to email message. Papers submitted after the due
date will have a letter grade penalty/day late: Turned in Friday (- 4 points/40); turned in Saturday (-8 pts); Sunday (-12
pts); Monday (-16 pts), etc.
Subject heading of the email MUST be GEOL 102-(yourlastname)-Paper1 (or 2,3,4,5): GEOL 102 Smith
Paper 1. The document MUST be titled GEOL102(firstfourlettersoflastname)P1: GEOL102SmitP1.
Every two or three weeks discussions will be held on F&W and Fortey assigned readings. Students will be given
responsibility for leading discussion and are expected to participate. Students not leading discussion must submit a
detailed outline of the assigned reading to earn any credit. Absence from more than one discussion will
result in an F for the class.
A threaded discussion will be hosted on the Blackboard website for this class. Each student will be responsible for
initiating at least two threads on a content area and at least three meaningful responses to posts. At least one posting
must be made per month.
Laboratory: 10 points/week may be scored in the Laboratory. Scores will be based on written lab exercises.
Absence from more than two labs will result in an F for the class.
200
45
50
65
140
500
Your grade will be assigned
Five assigned essays (5*40 points)
Maintenance of a dated, reflective journal
Final (Thurs April 28, 11am)
Discussion partic. (15 pts for leading, 5 each other disc., 25 BB)
Lab grade (10 pts/week)
accdg. to your total points: A≥450, B≥400, C≥350, D≥300, F≤300
LABORATORY OUTLINE
Laboratory meets Tuesday 8:00-10:40. Attendance is mandatory. Bring pencil with eraser to lab.
January
12
Rock Identification and Contours
Feb
Mar
Apr
19
Rock Types, Overprinting and Unconformities
26
*Unconformity Trip/Disc 1 (F&W Pt 1 & final ch. K-T)
2
Facies and geologic maps
9
Fossils - dating / Disc 2 (F&W Parts 2 / 3)
16
*Fossil Trip
23
Disc 3 (F&W Part 4)
1
Correlation
15
Unconformities/ Disc 4 (F thru 83)
22
*Clarks Hill Appalachian Trip (return 5:30 pm)
29
Folds and Faults / Disc 5 (F thru 189)
5
Igneous and Meta Rocks
12
Stars and Spectra Disc 6 (F thru 266)
19
*Lake Murray Spillway Trip (return 5:30 pm)
_________________________________________________________
There will be no makeup labs. Absence from more than 2 labs will be considered dropping any student
from the roll.
* Field trip in USCA vehicles. Come in comfortable walking shoes and play clothes (raingear, coat, hat as necessary).
There are a lot of new concepts in historical geology. Many of these concepts challenge long-held assumptions or beliefs
of enrolled students. Writing is emphasized in this class to hone students’ thinking, critically evaluate beliefs and insights,
improve students’ ability to identify and solve problems, begin to understand others’ perspectives, reduce stress, and
improve health. Focused practice in writing increases fluency, and increases motivation to write. Your instructor believes
that the techniques we practice in the historical geology class hold the potential of transforming your studies for the
remainder of your formal studies and can carryover to your future professional career and personal life.
Specifically we will keep a journal and prepare five papers.
1) Each student will be responsible for completing five papers on topics in Historical Geology.
a) Each student will be responsible for meeting with the instructor (15’) at least three times (once/week) before each
paper is due. Students will be responsible for scheduling these appointments using a schedule on the instructor’s office
door. These appointments will provide an opportunity for reviewing outline or concept map for the paper, appropriate
documentation, and difficulties in paper preparation and review of an initial draft. Students are well advised to
come prepared for these meetings with a typed paper draft of what has has been done. 3 points will
be awarded for each visit for as many as 3 meetings/paper. If the student makes all 3 meetings / paper, the student will
earn 10 points (Only 2 meetings for paper 1). Typically thesis statement + outline should be complete by
wk 1; body paragraphs and any thesis revision wk 2; and conclusions and introduction complete by
wk. 3. If a student is not prepared for the visit, no more than ½ the possible points can be
credited.
b) Spelling, grammar issues, awkward sentences / construction will not be addressed by the instructor. The instructor
will mark in the margins, errors or problems he identifies. These marks will be counted (and up to 10 points) will be
subtracted from the paper total based on that count. Students can identify for themselves (or visit the Writing Room)
the errors, and correct them and return the corrected paper with the marked original to regain as many as 10 points on
the first three papers, only if they have made all three paper meetings; this “rewrite” (including any improvements in
content) is due within a week of the time the papers are returned to the class. Paper 4: content and no more than 5
grammar points can be improved for a grade. Paper return date will be written on the top of the first page. It will not be
possible to resubmit Paper 5.
c) The remaining 20 points will be based on the content of the paper. The paper must have a thesis that is supported by
later paragraphs, and must have a conclusion. Each paragraph must have a topic sentence. Each topic sentence must be
supported by or documented by observations. When geologic observations are cited, the age, location, formation(s)
must be listed. Observations must be separated from interpretations within the papers. Those interpretations must be
supported by the observations in the paragraph. When outside sources are used they must be appropriately and
consistently cited. It is best to exhaust the class/ lab notes and texts before turning to the internet.
Figures are valuable to illustrate difficult concepts. These must be drawn by the student either by hand (and photo’d,
scanned in, inserted in the document) or drafted using a computer drawing program. No figures are to be cut/
pasted in from websites. No new information is to be introduced in the conclusion. The student’s goal is to
document mastery of a chosen topic. Another handout offers additional suggestions.
2) Each student in historical geology will maintain a dated, reflective journal.
a) Maintenance of this journal and its entries will be worth 10% of a student’s final grade in Historical Geology. It is
recommended that journal entries begin in the back of the student’s notebook if a bound or spiral notebook is used; if a
student uses looseleaf pages, it will probably be best to integrate journal entries with class and lab notes, perhaps setting
these entries apart by boxing them with a highlighter. While customarily journal entries are private, and the
maintenance of the journal is for the student’s use and benefit, for the purpose of assessment the instructor will collect
and mark the journal and its entries. The instructor understands that journal writing is personal, informal and should
not necessarily conform to the expectations of other academic writing. Additionally for some assignments, students may
be asked to read and discuss (each other’s) specific journal entries in pairs or groups of three. Some journal entries will
be completed in class; some journal entries will be done outside of class. A student should plan to make at
least two entries in the journal/week.
b) Journals will record the student’s response to material introduced in lecture, lab, and assigned reading. It is expected
over the course of the semester students will use techniques including freewriting, focused freewriting, listing, logs,
dialog, concept mapping, metaphor and metareflections. These techniques will introduced and reviewed during
assignments during the semester.
c) The “quality” of journal entries is expected to improve over the course of the semester. By quality, I mean clarity of
thought, grasp of formal content, quicker identification of problems, and what data are needed to solve those problems.
A student successfully completing Historical Geology will be able to
• Describe the possible causes of K-T extinction, & list
• Recognize the difference between observations (or
the evidence supporting either cause.
facts) & interpretations (of those observations), & use
•
Sketch & label the stages of the formation of a passive
observations to make or support geologic
margin. List the formations or groups that
interpretations.
correspond to eastern North American passive
• Write the Geological Timescale. List Eons, Eras &
margins forming at the beginning & end of the
Periods of the Phanerozoic, and Epochs of the
Paleozoic.
Cenozoic. Write the “ages” that correspond to the
•
Identify aulacogens & describe their role as oilbreaks between the Eons, & Phanerozoic Eras.
producing provinces.
• Know the six common intrusive & extrusive igneous
•
Sketch in map view the major features of the
rocks & the plate tectonic settings of basalts &
Mesozoic Cordillera using a map that removes the
andesites.
effect of Neogene continental extension. Draw a
• Have a basic understanding of sedimentary facies.
plate tectonic cross-section corresponding to the map
• State Walther’s Law & use Walther’s Law to interpret
you have drawn.
sea level rise (transgression) or fall (regression) using
• Argue for or against high metabolism in dinosaurs
a single outcrop.
using preserved features in fossils, trace fossils, or
• Have a basic understanding of metamorphic facies.
interpretations of behavior. What dinosaurs
Use metamorphic facies to interpret geothermal
represent the best candidates for high metabolism.
gradient.
•
Summarize the fossil evidence for the transition from
• Know the different types of unconformities.
fish to amphibian to amniotes.
• Sketch basic geologic field relations; interpret a sketch
•
Show a basic understanding of cladistics in the
of geologic field relations & summarize the sequence
construction of family trees.
of events responsible for what is shown in the
• Know the causes of the end Permian extinction &
drawing.
compare these to those of the K-T event.
• Know three different ways three colors can come
•
Make a sketch showing how lines of magnetic force in
together on a geologic map.
ancient rocks can be used to interpret paleolatitude at
• Begin to be able to interpret history from relations
the time of formation.
observed on a geologic map.
•
Know what conditions must be satisfied for
• Use fossils to determine sedimentary rock age.
paleomagnetic analysis to be successful.
• Recognize & identify the different invertebrate phyla;
• Know the definition of a stratigraphic sequence.
in some cases to class.
• Know the ages & characteristics of the four major
• List three types of plate boundaries, corresponding
• Paleozoic North American Stratigraphic Sequences.
ocean floor features, & give an example of each.
• Know the definition of & recognize a cyclothem.
• List three types of convergent plate boundaries, types
• Know the four steps in order for the formation of
of crust involved with each, & give an example of
economic accumulations of petroleum.
each.
• Be able to sketch a cross-section of a clastic wedge &
• Draw a concept map of the rock cycle.
understand its significance.
• Sketch & label and/or interpret a Rb/Sr isochron.
• Identify on a map the major features of the Southern
• Explain the difference between a U/Pb concordia
Appalachians.
diagram & an isochron.
• Define & give an example of a Wilson cycle.
• Use uniformitarianism to interpret geologic relations.
• Describe how the base of the Cambrian is recognized.
• Begin to be able to suggest tests of geologic
• Describe what the Hox gene cluster does, its age, &
hypotheses.
its significance.
• Define Natural Selection in his/her own words.
•
Know the difference between prokaryotic &
• List three orbital parameters thought by Milankovitch
eukaryotic cells. What are the oldest prokaryotic
to control ice ages.
cells & the oldest eukaryotic cells? What are the
• Explain how oxygen isotope ratios of limestones are
oldest metazoans?
used to interpret past ice ages & interglacials.
• Identify and discuss major events in the history of life.
• Identify the two major plate tectonic events thought
• Describe or sketch the basic problem that Snowball
to trigger the Neogene Ice Ages.
Earth seeks to explain.
• List the characteristics of mammals.
• Describe the evidence & make the interpretations for
• Identify the major climatic trends of the Cenozoic &
fundamental changes in the biosphere, atmosphere,
their influence on flora.
climate, & geology-tectonics across the Proterozoic• Contrast mammal-like reptiles & dinosaurs.
Archean boundary.
• Identify major dinosaur groups & place them in either
• Know the three major types of meteorites & the
the Ornithischia & Saurischia.
subdivisions of stony meteorites, & the interpretations
• State the differences between Ornithischia &
of meteorite origins.
Saurischia.
• Know the age of the earth & what that number is
It is the to the any who or the of the of the but is not to the u se of any interpreted to mean.
cell etc. has to a or for the the can • Know the planets in order & use the Tietz-Bode
If the who has in of the class, h e/she may b e d enied admittance to the c lass for t he remainder of t he semester and assigned a grade of F .
relation to show their distance from the Sun.