GEOLOGY 102 - HISTORICAL GEOLOGY
SPRING 2013
This class and lab are a cell-phone and pager-free zone.
Dr. Allen Dennis
Office Hours: W 8-10
224 Science/641-3396/allend@usca.edu (subject line AGLY 102)
Other times by appt.
Class meets 10:50-12:05 TTh; Lab meets 8-10:40 T.
Texts: Evolution of the Earth, Prothero & Dott, 7th/8th ed.; Dinosaurs: A concise natural history, Fastovsky &
Weishampel 1st/2nd ed.; Wonderful Life, Gould; other readings as assigned. Blackboard used extensively.
January
15
17
Introduction
Rock Cycle and Plate Tectonics
22
Modern Plate Settings
24
Radiometric Age Dating (paper 1 due) Ch. 4
1. Personal understanding or perspective on science, its aims, and how science is done
29
30
31
Ch. 1
Ch. 7 F&W Ch. 1-3
432-434 ff
F&W Ch. 4, final chapter
Quaternary Ice Ages and Climate Change
Ch. 16
Last day to submit Writing Proficiency Portfolio
La Grand Coupure – Floral and Faunal Changes 443-446 F&W Pt II
February
5
Mammals
446-459
7
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
12
14
Dinosaurs
Fish-Amphibian-Reptile transition
382-409
19
21
Rift Basins and Opening Atlantic
Cordillera
352-359 F&W Pt IV
361-375, 414-432
26
28
(trip) Permian Extinction
Paleomagnetism
344-347
127-137 G 23-52
March
5
Sauk-Tippecanoe
207-229, 240-245
7
Absaroka (paper 3 due)
304-310 G 53-106
8
Last day to withdraw and receive a W
3. Mass extinctions, Dinosaur metabolism, Cordilleran geology, Contrasting Cord/eastern NA geology,
Sedimentary facies, Diet and adaptation in Saurischia and Ornithischia, Bird origins, Coevolution
12/14
April
Spring Break
19
21
Appalachians
Hox genes and the Cambrian explosion
314-332
Ch. 9 G 107-171
26
28
Clarks Hill Field Trip
Cambrian explosion
Ch. 9 G 172-239
2
Eukaryotes and Ediacara
Ch. 9
4
Snowball Earth (paper 4 due)
Ch. 8 G 240-291
4. Sequence stratigraphy, Paleomagnetic evidence for plate tectonics, Origins of eukaryotes and metazoans,
Evolution of present atmospheric levels of O2, Petroleum Geology, Gould TBA
9
11
Proterozoic
Proterozoic
16
18
Archean Stratigraphy
Archean Geology
Ch. 8
G 292-324
23
Lake Murray Spillway Trip
25
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, Gould TBA
The Final for this class is scheduled for Tuesday 7 May 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 5-7p. paper on one of several assigned topics, based on lecture, lab or
assigned reading. 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 AGLY 102-(yourlastname)-Paper1 (or 2,3,4,5): AGLY 102 Smith Paper 1.
The document MUST be titled AGLY102(firstfourlettersoflastname)P1: AGLY102SmitP1.
Every two or three weeks discussions will be held on F&W and Gould 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
Five assigned essays (5*40 points)
45
Maintenance of a dated, reflective journal
50
Final (Tues May 7, 11am)
65
Discussion partic. (15 pts for leading, 5 each other disc., 25 BB)
140
Lab grade (10 pts/week)
500
Your grade will be assigned 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
15
Rock Identification and Contours
Feb
Mar
Apr
22
Rock Types, Overprinting and Unconformities
29
*Unconformity Trip/Disc 1 (F&W Pt 1 & final ch. K-T)
5
Facies and geologic maps
12
Fossils / Disc 2 (F&W Parts 2 / 3)
19
Fossils and Time - dating
26
*Fossil Trip / Disc 3 (F&W Part 4)
5
Correlation
19
Unconformities/ Disc 4 (G 23-106)
26
*Clarks Hill Appalachian Trip
2
Folds and Faults / Disc 5 (G 107-239)
9
Igneous and Meta Rocks
16
Stars and Spectra Disc 6 (G 240-324)
23
*Lake Murray Spillway Trip
_________________________________________________________
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.
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. Papers 4, 5: 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.
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 better 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
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Recognize the difference between observations
(or facts) & interpretations (of those
observations), & use observations to make or
support geologic interpretations.
Write the Geological Timescale. List Eons, Eras &
Periods of the Phanerozoic, and Epochs of the
Cenozoic. Write the “ages” that correspond to the
breaks between the Eons, & Phanerozoic Eras.
Know the six common intrusive & extrusive
igneous rocks & the plate tectonic settings of basalts
& andesites.
Have a basic understanding of sedimentary facies.
State Walther’s Law & use Walther’s Law to
interpret sea level rise (transgression) or fall
(regression) using a single outcrop.
Have a basic understanding of metamorphic
facies. Use metamorphic facies to interpret
geothermal gradient.
Know the different types of unconformities.
Sketch basic geologic field relations; interpret a
sketch of geologic field relations & summarize the
sequence of events responsible for what is shown
in the drawing.
Know three different ways three colors can
come together on a geologic map.
Begin to be able to interpret history from
relations observed on a geologic map.
Use fossils to determine the age of a sedimentary
rock.
Recognize & identify the different invertebrate
phyla; in some cases to class.
List three types of plate boundaries, name corresponding ocean floor features, & give an example of
each.
List three types of convergent plate boundaries,
types of crust involved with each, & give an
example of each.
Draw a concept map of the rock cycle.
Sketch & label and/or interpret a Rb/Sr isochron.
Explain the difference between a U/Pb
concordia diagram & an isochron.
Use uniformitarianism to interpret geologic
relations.
Begin to be able to suggest tests of
geologic hypotheses.
Define Natural Selection in his/her own words.
List three orbital parameters thought by
Milankovitch to control ice ages.
Explain how oxygen isotope ratios of limestones
are used to interpret past ice ages & interglacials.
Identify the two major plate tectonic events thought
to trigger the Neogene Ice Ages.
List the characteristics of mammals, & list
Identify the major climatic trends of the Cenozoic &
their influence on flora.
Contrast mammal-like reptiles & dinosaurs.
Identify major dinosaur groups & place them in
either the Ornithischia & Saurischia.
State the differences between Ornithischia
& Saurischia.
Describe the possible causes of K-T extinction, &
list the evidence supporting either cause.
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It is the to the any who or of the of the but is not to the u se of any cell etc. has to a or for the the can 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 the semester and assigned a grade of F .
the Sketch & label the stages of the formation of a
passive margin. List the formations or groups
that correspond to eastern North American
passive margins forming at the beginning & end
of the Paleozoic.
Identify aulacogens & describe their role as
oil- producing provinces.
Sketch in map view the major features of the
Mesozoic Cordillera using a map that removes the
effect of Neogene continental extension. Draw a
plate tectonic cross-section corresponding to the
map you have drawn.
Argue for or against high metabolism in
dinosaurs using preserved features in fossils,
trace fossils, or interpretations of behavior.
What dinosaurs represent the best candidates
for high metabolism.
Summarize the fossil evidence for the transition
from fish to amphibian to amniotes.
Show a basic understanding of cladistics in
the construction of family trees.
Know the causes of the end Permian extinction &
compare these to those of the K-T event.
Make a sketch showing how lines of magnetic
force in ancient rocks can be used to interpret
paleolatitude at the time of formation.
Know what conditions must be satisfied
for paleomagnetic analysis to be
successful.
Know the definition of a stratigraphic sequence.
Know the ages & characteristics of the four major
Paleozoic North American Stratigraphic Sequences.
Know the definition of & recognize a cyclothem.
Know the four steps in order for the
formation of economic accumulations of
petroleum.
Be able to sketch a cross-section of a clastic wedge
& understand its significance.
Identify on a map the major features of the
Southern Appalachians.
Define & give an example of a Wilson cycle.
Describe how the base of the Cambrian is
recognized.
Describe what the Hox gene cluster does, its age,
& its significance.
Know the difference between prokaryotic &
eukaryotic cells. What are the oldest prokaryotic
cells & the oldest eukaryotic cells? What are the
oldest metazoans?
Identify and discuss major events in the history of
life.
Describe or sketch the basic problem that Snowball
Earth seeks to explain.
Describe the evidence & make the interpretations
for fundamental changes in the biosphere,
atmosphere, climate, & geology-tectonics across
the Proterozoic- Archean boundary.
Know the three major types of meteorites &
the subdivisions of stony meteorites, & the
interpretations of meteorite origins.
Know the age of the earth & what that
number is interpreted to mean.
Know the planets in order & use the TietzBode relation to show their distance from
the Sun.