Instructors:

GEOLOGY 102 - EARTH HISTORY

MWF 10-11; Lab 1-4 either Monday or Tuesday. You must attend your assigned lab section.

Texts: Assigned readings are found in the following two books:

Earth System History, Steven M. Stanley

The Diversity of Life, Edward O. Wilson

*Instructors:*	Lectures	Lab	TA
*Instructors:*	Maria Luisa Crawford	Blythe L. Hoyle	William A. Crawford
*Office:*	PSB 195	PSB 193	PSB 134
*Office Hours:*	by arrangement
*Email*	mcrawfor@brynmawr.edu	blhoyle@brynmawr.edu	wcrawfor@brynmawr.edu

In addition it is assumed you will have access to

- Earth System History 1.0, the CD-ROM accompanying the textbook Earth System History. The PC computers in the Geology computer lab have all been set up to read this CD.

- An On-line Study Guide, located at http://www.whfreeman.com/geology/ , that accompanies the CD-ROM.

Other resources will be identified on the class web site as the class progresses.

Course Objectives:
The course is about understanding the history of planet Earth. This includes the place of Earth in the solar system, the physical evolution of Earth over time and the history of life. Earth history is based on evidence obtained from the present state of the planet and processes active today as well as our best interpretation of the ancient record preserved in the rocks and fossils.

Some of the issues we will investigate are:

- How geologists approach learning earth history,

- what we need to know to try and work out that history,

- what Earth looks like today and why,

- the nature of living organisms and how they change with time,

- the influences of life forms on our planet and vice-versa,

- how Earth processes interact and influence each other as part of a total system,

- and some snapshots of past Earth history.

It is our hope that this class will lead you to see the world around you in a new way and, from knowing about its past, to understand how it may change in the future, even within your own life time.

Weekly assignments:

Students are expected to read the assigned chapters in the texts each week by Friday of that week. Questions, comments and general discussion on the chapter will be part of the class session on Fridays. The Monday and Wednesday lectures will elaborate on aspects of the material presented in the texts and, in general, will not be a regurgitation of the text material. Each Monday there will be an in-class exercise of some kind focused on the topics of the preceding week.

Field Trip:

An integral part of this course is a field trip scheduled for all day Friday and Saturday, April 16 and 17, 2004. This field trip is mandatory.

Laboratory:

The goal of the laboratory part of the course as well as the field trip is to gain hands-on experience with determining the geological history of the eastern part of Pennsylvania. Some of the lab sessions will deal with tools and techniques and others with applying those to unraveling the history of this part of North America.

*Grading*:	Lab work and class assignments	50%
	Exam 1	15%
	Exam 2	15%
	Cumulative Final Exam	20%

Attendance and class participation will be noted and may affect your grade (for better or worse). To get credit, laboratory exercises and class projects must be completed by the due date.

Test dates:
Test 1: February 13
Test 2: March 22

Geology Department activities:
Any interested students may take part in activities such as field trips, speakers, and parties. Watch for announcements.

Lecture and Lab Schedule, Spring 2004

Week #: Starting on

Lecture

Stanley Chapter

Wilson Chapter

Lab

1: Jan. 19

Introduction, the Face of the Earth, Review of Earth Materials

1-2

No lab

2: Jan. 26

Earth Systems - Atmosphere, Hydrosphere, Lithosphere (Air, Water, Rock)

Mill Creek (weather permitting); Rock-forming minerals

3: Feb. 2

Surface Environments - where sedimentary rocks form and critters live

Common rocks

4: Feb. 9

Working out Earth history - Stratigraphic Correlation and Dating of Rocks

Exam 1: Feb. 13 (Friday)

Environmental reconstruction

5: Feb. 16

Kingdoms of Life, Evolution, and the Fossil Record

4-7

Correlation

6: Feb. 23