HISTORICAL GEOLOGY SEMINAR

Dept. #0423, Course #C99-0
Date & time: TBA
Average enrollment: minimum of 6


COURSE DESCRIPTION:  This course is an independent study seminar in 
which a group of students work through a standard text in Historical 
Geology.  Each student, in addition to reading the text, summarizes 
information on a selected time interval in the form of a poster, and 
makes a presentation to the class.

PREREQUISITES: GEOL A01 or GEOL B01

TEACHING METHODS:   Seminar-style discussion sessions
                    Project preparation and presentation

METHOD OF EVALUATION: Discussion participation
                      Poster and presentation.

READING: Condie and Sloan, 1997, Origin and Evolution of Earth, 
            Prentice Hall, 498 p.


SYLLABUS 1998

A) Presentation Agenda:

    2/5 - Format meeting

    2/17 - Archean-Proterozoic 
    2/19 - Cambrian-Ordovician
    2/24 - Silurian - Devonian
    2/26 - Pennsylvanian-Permian
    3/3 - Triassic-Jurassic
    3/5 - Cretaceous
    3/10 - Tertiary

    3/12 - Summary


B) Presentation Format:

    INTRODUCTION
        Overview of historical record of time interval

    CHRONOSTRATIGRAPHY
        Definition of intervals
            System, Period, Stage
            Biostratigraphy
            Geochronology

    EVENTS
        Tectonic
            volcanism/plutonism
            mtn building/orogenic events
            sea floor spreading history
            basins - "geosynclines"
        Climatic - Temperature history (greenhouse/icehouse)
        Eustatic - sea level curves (e.g., Haq, Hallam, etc.)
                    driving mechanisms
                    tectonoeustasy
                    glacioeustasy
        Biotic - floral/faunal
                origination/extinction
                driving forces
        Biogeochemical - cycles of sulfate, phosphorus, 
            nitrogen, carbon;  pCO2 levels

    DISCUSSION
        Synthesis of related processes

    SUMMARY/CONCLUSIONS
        Explanation of summary figure
        Unique issues - unanswered questions