Course Description: This course will examine how the earth and its atmosphere and biosphere have changed over geologic time and whether the modern earth may or may not be a good example of conditions in times past. We will focus on the data which tells us how the conditions on earth have changed over time, and how this has impacted the evolution of life. Labs involve learning to synthesize and interpret a variety of types of geologic data used to construct ancient environments.

Goals for this course
At the end of this course you will be able to:
(1) synthesize a variety of different types of geologic information and reconstruct the earth history for a region on earth;
(2) predict, based on the earth history record, the response of the biosphere to changes of conditions on earth;
(3) contribute, as an informed person, to the continuing debate and discussion regarding evolution.

Textbook:  Steve Stanley's Earth, Environments and Life Through Time: 2nd edition
  PLEASE BRING THE TEXT TO CLASS WITH YOU! WE REFER TO IT FREQUENTLY!
Additional readings from Natural History, National Geographic, Smithsonian and Discover magazines.

Field trip:  There will be an overnight field trip (Saturday night/Sunday) in early April - the 5th and 6th- to the American Museum of Natural History in New York.  The field trip is optional; you  need to tell me by Feb 27th if you are going.  I will require a non-refundable $10 deposit at this time (which I will return to you for your lunch money on the field trip).

Assessment:  There will be several ways I will assess your progress towards achieving the course goals.   I will periodically assign homework  (5% of the final grade).  There will be two hourly exams (a mid term and final).  The exams are worth 50% (25% each) of your final grade.  Labs are worth 25% of your final grade.  The evolution debate is worth 8% and your term paper, 12%.

Term Paper:  I would like you to write a 5-10 page (excluding figures) paper on a topic of your choice related to the history of the Earth.  The term paper will be due on April 30th;    Prior to April 24th there will be several checkpoints to keep you on task; your topic will be due on with an annotated bibliography emailed to me on april 7th.   Your first draft will be due on April 17th.  Click here for details on all of these checkpoints and your class presentation.

Evolution debate:  We will have a class debate on evolution versus creationism.  click here for details.  

Check the Home Page for Homework Assignments, Exam and Quiz Dates, Reading Assignments and other important information!  Updated almost daily   THE CLASS WEBSITE IS: http://uvm.edu/~cmehrten/courses/earthhist/index.html

Topics To Be Covered: warning: the dates will move forward (rarely) or back (likely) depending on our pace.

Class Schedule:

Be sure to check the class homepage on fridays and wednesday to be sure you've done the readings and assignments for each class.

Jan 15:  course introduction; the Earth as a closed system (link to pdf here);  review of the reservoirs and sinks (chapter 2) in the "lithospheric cycle"

Jan 17:  How the Earth "works": overview of plate tectonics (link to pdf here)

Jan 22 & 24:  controls on atmospheric and ocean circulation (chapter 4)
link to pdf on climate controls here
see the link to ocean circulation here
 
Jan 29: Milankovitch cycles   link to pdf is here;
and greenhouse climate changes link here

Jan 31:  climate proxies  Link to pdf here.

Feb 5:  Discussion of Lemley, Alley and Stanley articles

Feb 7:  Synthesizing plate motions with climate and oceanographic change:  the world through time
pdf on global reconstructions here

Feb 12:  apparent polar wandering and plate reconstructions
http://www.ucmp.berkeley.edu/geology/tectonics.html
http://www4.nau.edu/geology/     follow links to paleogeographic maps

Feb 14  relative geologic time  link to pdf here

Feb 19  more on telling time; link to pdf on magnetic reversals and stratigraphy here

Feb 21  intro to radiometric dating; link to pdf here

Feb 26: telling time: the historical attempts; pdf on early attempts to date the Earth here

Feb 28:  mid-term exam  

March 4: Town Meeting Day:  no class or lab

March 6:  Darwin's world  pdf here

March 11 & 13:  Spring Break

March 18 & 20  Principles of Evolution link to pdf #1 here

 March 25:  Princ. evo, pdf #2 here

 April 1:  evolution of complex structures

April 3rd:  The origin of life; the Archean world  pdf here

April 5 and 6:  AMNH field trip.  We leave at 4pm on saturday, april 5th and return late on the 6th.

April 8th:  "almost normal"   the Proterozoic Eon

April 10:  Evolution debate prep:  meet with your partner and Char to discuss your arguments and your defense

April 15:   the greatest of all radiations: the Precambrian/Cambrian (the Precambrian/Cambrian radiation link is here

April 29: EVOLUTION DEBATE #2
   

THURS MAY 8TH FINAL EXAM - 8AM

Lab Schedule (this order might change...check frequently)

Jan 15 & 17:   characteristics of modern plate boundaries Part I

Jan 22 & 24:  plate boundaries Part II

Jan 29 & Jan 31 Rocks as records of environments

Feb 5 and 7:  introduction to the major fossil taxa (chapter 3)

Feb 12 &15 the major fossil taxa, continued

Feb 19 & 21 introduction to lithostratigraphy and stratigraphic columns
power point on stratigraphy is here
pdf on unconformities is here

Feb 26 & Feb 28 the geologic record of ancient plate boundaries
http://www.uvm.edu/~cmehrten/courses/earthhist/PlateBoundaries I.ppt
and  http://www.uvm.edu/~cmehrten/courses/earthhist/PlateBoundaries II.ppt

March 4 & 6  no lab

March 11 & 13 spring break

March 18 & 20:  geologic maps:  for help in visualizing 3D geologic structures, visit:
http://reynolds.asu.edu/blocks/mainmenu.htm

March 25 & 27: recognizing terranes

April 1 & 3:  recognizing fossil populations; example evolutionary lineages

April 8 & 10   make-up lab on cladistics for those not going to AMNH field trip

April 15 & 17  Evolution of the Caminalcules

April 22 & 24   5 minute presentations about term paper topics