EARTH HISTORY TERM PAPER

We don’t get a chance to cover a fraction of the topics that could be covered in a class on the history of the Earth. Your term paper is a chance for you to explore one of the topics we haven’t covered in more detail.  Topic choice is on a first come basis (first to submit to Char, in writing, their topic.  you don't need to wait unit March 17th!)

Possible topics include:
the fossil record of human evolution
the environments in which our African ancestors evolved
possible impacts of dissolved CO₂ levels in sea water and how marine animals make their shells/skeletons: extinction in the making?
newest strategies to date rocks: obsidian hydration, fission tracks, cosmogenic isotopes
the evolution of feathers
evolution of the modern horse - not as straightforward as it seems
pick a hypotheisized asteroid impact site (ex, Chesapeake Bay) and summarize the evidence
the Yellowstone hot spot - when is the next caldera going to form?
Paleoclimates of New England, 600 million years ago to the present
Explore a climate proxy in  more detail, with some examples
Populating the Americas: plate tectonics, sea level and mammal migration
where is the world's coal?  can we predict where to look for it?
predicting where the petroleum formed: oceanic upwelling zones in Paleozoic and Mesozoic seas
modern invasive species (like the zebra mussel):  what would Darwin say?

Email to me by March 24th your requested term paper topic ( I will certainly accept them earlier!) and in class on March 18th I'll confirm that the topic is approved and no one else snagged it before you.    By April 7th I’d like you to submit via email a list of at least 5 references that you have identified as resources for your paper. No more than 2 of these can be web sources. An “annotated bibliography” is more than a citation of sources. It also includes one or two sentences of description of the material contained within this source.  The annotated bibliography serves the purpose of confirming to both you and me that there is enough material for you to complete the assignment.  A first draft of your term paper is due on APRIL 17TH.

Sample annotated bibliography:

For example, if you were interested in the environments that comprise modern coral reefs, you might use the following publication:

Mehrtens, C., B. Rosenheim, M. Modley and R. Young, 2001, Reef Morphology and Sediment Attributes, Roatan, Bay Islands, Honduras. Carbonates and Evaporites, vol. 16, no. 2, pp. 141-140. This paper describes the bathymetry, macrofauna distribution, sediment composition, and size of the fringing reef off the coast of Roatan. The paper also includes a description of the sampling techniques.

Term Paper Length and Referencing:
The term paper should be approx 10 types pages (double spaced, not including figures or illustrations). It should be properly referenced, which means that if an idea, fact, or piece of data is not the result of your work, you need to cite whose it is.  For example,
                                "The sedimentary rocks of the Eastport Quadrangle are intruded by Devonian coast plutons of varying composition (Gates and Moench, 1981), including the Red Beach Granite (Amos, 1963), the presumed source of the Late Devonian Perry Formation, which unconformably overlies the Eastport Formation in the study area."

In this example, from a paper of mine, I cited the two geologists who determined that sedimentary rocks were intruded by a granite pluton.  I also cited that another geologist, Amos, studied one of these granites.  Note that you put the last name of the source of the idea or fact that you are discussing, as well as the year of the publication in which they put this fact or idea in print.  You also cite professional conversations, for example, if you learned something in class that you are using in your paper, you are correct to cite, (Mehrtens, personal communication, 2008).

Remaining Deadlines:

First draft of the paper due on April 17th.  I will read it and make comments; it will be returned to you on April 22nd for you to revise.

Final draft due on April 30th (you must also re-submit your first draft along with your final draft so  I can evaluate your improvement).

  A grading rubric for the paper and talk will be posted here  at the beginning of the semester.