History of the Earth
GEO221
Franklin & Marshall College
Department of Earth and Environment
Geology 221, History of the Earth
Spring Semester, 2009
TEACHER: Dr. Stan Mertzman
Office: Hackman Physical Sciences Building - Room 121A
Office hours: M and F: 12:30-3:30 PM; T: 10:00 - Noon; Friday: 2:30 - 4:00 PM, or by appointment.
Telephone: At School: 291-3818; At Home: 295-1290
E-mail: Stan.Mertzman@FandM.edu (the easiest and most reliable method to contact me!)
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My goal in this course is to help you arrive at an understanding of how the Earth has changed as a function of time. Never lose sight of the fact that the Earth is an ever-evolving planet. Historical geology deals with all aspects of Earth's history and the history of life.
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Course Text: Earth System History, Third Edition by Steven M. Stanley (2009)
Lab Text: Historical Geology: Interpretations and Applications, 6th Edition by Poort and Carlson (2005)
Class convenes in Hackman Room -115 @ 10 AM; Lab convenes in Hackman Room -115 at 1:30 PM beginning Thursday January 29, 2009. PowerPoint presentations will be placed on e-disk the same day they are used in either class or lab. You will have access to them for the entire semester.
Attendance Policy: Class participation is an important aspect of this class. You need to be in class to participate so naturally I expect to see you in class virtually everyday.
Grading: 17.5% for each of two lecture exams, 25% for the final exam, 20% for the lab that includes one lab exam and the weekly material itself, 20% is for a 12 to 15-page term paper on a topic of your choice that is intimately related to earth history. Details will be handed out separately. A digital copy of the paper will be submitted to Turnitin.com, the class ID is 2580611 and the class enrollment password is Marathon. The paper is due on or before May 5, 2009 @ 4:30 PM, the last of this semester's reading days. You will also hand a paper copy of the term paper in to me as well.
Examination Schedule: Wednesday, February 25, 2009, Friday, April 3, 2009
Lab Exam: Thursday, April 30, 2009
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3/4 day Field Trip: Sunday: April 5, 2009 beginning @ 9:00 AM.
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The following syllabus lists the assigned lecture readings for each class meeting together with the appropriate pages in the textbook. This material should be read prior to coming to the class meeting.
LECTURE SYLLABUS
Date, Topic, Chapter and Pages
Jan. 21, Earth as a system, Preface, xvi-xxi; Ch. 1, pp. 1-24
Jan. 23, Plate tectonics, Ch. 1, pp. 1-24
Jan. 26, Minerals, Ch. 2, pp. 25-35
Jan. 28, Rocks, Ch. 2, pp. 35-46
Jan. 30, Diversity of life; Archaea, Bacteria, Ch. 3, pp. 47-60
Feb. 2, Plant and animal kingdoms, Ch. 3, pp. 60-74
Feb. 4, Environments and life; the terrestrial realm, Ch. 4, pp. 75-90
Feb. 6, Environments and Life; the marine realm, Ch. 4, pp. 90-98
Feb. 9, Terrestrial sedimentary environments, Ch. 5, pp. 99-111
Feb. 11, Marine sedimentary environments, Ch. 5, pp. 111-124
Feb. 13, Correlation and relative time, Ch. 6, pp. 125-137
Feb. 16, Radioactivity; event stratigraphy, Ch. 6, pp. 137-150
Feb. 18, Evolution and the fossil record, Ch. 7, pp. 151-165
Feb. 20, Extinction rates; evolutionary trends, Ch. 7, pp. 165-174
Feb. 23, Plate tectonics - a synopsis, Ch. 8, pp. 175-194
Feb. 25, Hour Examination #1
Feb. 27, Continental tectonics, Ch. 9, pp. 195-204
Mar. 2, Andes and the Himalayas, Ch. 9, pp. 204-214
Mar. 4, Geochemical cycles - basic principles, Ch.10, pp. 215-228
Mar. 6, Use of isotopes to study global cycles, Ch.10, pp. 228-238
March 9, Hadean and Archean Eons I: solar system, Ch. 11, pp. 239-250
March 11, Hadean and Archean Eons II: crust and life, Ch. 11, pp. 250-262
March 13, Proterozoic Eon I: orogeny and animal life, Ch. 12, pp. 263-275
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SPRING BREAK (Friday March 13 @ 4:20 PM to 8:00 AM, Monday March 23, 2008.)
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Mar. 23, Proterozoic Eon II: assemblying North Am., Ch. 12, pp. 275-284
Mar. 25, Early Paleozoic: life, Ch. 13, pp. 285-303
Mar. 27, Early Paleozoic: paleogeography, Ch. 13, pp. 304-314
Mar. 30, Middle Paleozoic: life, Ch. 14, pp. 315-330
April 1, Middle Paleozoic: paleogeography, Ch. 14, pp. 331-340
April 3, Hour Examination #2
Apr. 6, Late Paleozoic: life 1, Ch. 15, pp. 341-356
Apr. 8, Late Paleozoic: life 2, Ch. 15, pp. 356-372
Apr. 10, Early Mesozoic: life, Ch. 16, pp. 373-390
Apr. 13, Early Mesozoic: paleogeography, Ch. 16, pp. 390-402
Apr. 15, Cretaceous: life, Ch. 17, pp. 403-414
Apr. 17, Cretaceous: paleogeography, Ch. 17, pp. 414-428
Apr. 20, NO CLASS
Apr. 22, Paleogene: life, Ch. 18, pp. 429-440
Apr. 24, Paleogene:climate and paleogeography, Ch. 18, pp. 440-452
Apr. 27, Neogene: geology and life, Ch. 19, pp. 453-494
Apr. 29, Holocene, Ch. 20, pp. 495-520
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The final examination in this course is scheduled by the Registrar's Office, not by your instructor. Please check the time and place of the exam on the "final exam schedule" which usually becomes available just before Spring Break.
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The following syllabus lists the schedule of laboratory exercises together with the appropriate pages in the Lab Manual. Read over the material prior to coming to lab; do not workout the exercises unless they are specifically assigned. Do lab work in pencil, not pen. Color pencils will be helpful later in the lab as well. If a nice Thursday afternoon presents itself, we'll take a field trip south to the Conowingo Dam area sometime before Spring Break.
LABORATORY SYLLABUS
Date, Type Of Exercise We'll Be Doing, Reading Assignment
January 29, Review of minerals, Handout
February 5, Igneous and metamorphic rocks, Handout
February 12, Sedimentary rocks, Chapters 1, pp. 1-35, See tables 1.1 (p.13) and 1.2 (p.28)
February 19, Sedimentary environments of deposition, Chapters 1, pp. 35-52
February 26, Age relations and unconformities, Chapter 2, pp. 53-91
March 5, Stratigraphy I, Chapter 3, pp. 92-118
March 12, Stratigraphy II, Chapter 3, pp. 118-141
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SPRING BREAK (Friday March 13 @ 4:20 PM to 8:00 AM, Monday March 23, 2009)
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March 26, Geologic maps and Earth history 1, Chapter 5, pp. 212-225
April 2, Geologic maps and Earth history 2, Chapter 5, pp. 226 - 243
April 9, Plate tectonics, Chapter 6, pp. 244-257
April 16, Paleontology - An Introduction, Chapter 4, pp. 142-170
Protists, sponges, corals, bryozoans, brachiopods
April 23, Additional Fossil Phyla, Chapter 4, pp. 170-193
Mollusks, arthropods, echinoderms, graptolites, chordates
Plants, Chapter 4, pp. 193-198
April 30, Lab Exam
