Geol 1003-1: Historical Geology (Earth System History)

Textbook: Earth System History (Steven M. Stanley)-2nd Edition

http://www.whfreeman.com/ESH/STUDENT.HTM
http://geol.lsu.edu/hbao/Geol1003-syl-08.html

Lecture Hall: H-R E137

Time: 9:40 am -10:30 am (MWF)

Instructor: Huiming Bao  Office: E338 (new H-R) E-mail: bao@lsu.edu Phone: 8-3419 Office hour: by appointment

Teaching assistant: Jacob Grosskopf jgross2@lsu.edu Office hour: by appointment

Purpose

Understand Earth Systems and their evolution through time. Enrich your sense of the 4th dimension (deep time). Learn in greater detail important geological and biological events in Earth history that have made the Earth system it is today.

Structure

It consists of 39 lectures, 4 exams (3 session-exams and 1 final exam), and 5 in-class quizzes.

Grading

Raw scores (in 100-scale) will be given with a distribution pattern for each exam. Don’t be panic when you get 78! It might be the second highest score in the class. Your will get an “A” if you are at the top 15-20% or so. I might increase the percentage of “A” students if I find you are an exceptional group of students. The percentage might also increase if we have many students dropped out the class over the course of the semester. You will get an “F” if you fall on the lower tail of the grade "curve".

The five randomly arranged in-class quizzes count 10% (2.0% each). The 3 session-exams are 19% each. The final exam counts 33%. It covers the whole class.
        You are allowed to make up session-exams only if there are good reasons. Everyone will have a chance to make up for one (and only one) in-class quiz. You can write a 3-page (minimum) essay reflecting what you've learnt from this class, what your previous view on one topic (of your choice) about the Earth history has changed. The essay emphasizes your personal view on a subject, not a review of a subject. The essay is due on the last week of the semester.

         What are in the exams?
          Mostly multiple choices (~ 85%), T and F (~10%), and a couple of blank-fillings (no choices are given) (~ 5%). Blank-fillings appear in session-exams only.
          How to study it?
          Read the chapters assigned before coming to the class. I do mostly a "questioning-and-answering" style in the class.

Syllabus:

Jan. 14: the first class

Part I: Materials, Processes, and Principles
Week 1: Overview and Earth as a System; Case study 1, 2, 3

Jan. 21: MLK Holiday

Week 2: Minerals and rocks; Diversity of Life;  2, 3

Week 3: Diversity of Life; Environment and Life  1, 2, 3

Feb. 4-6: Mardi Gras

Week 4: Sedimentary Environment and Correlation of the rocks, Dating the rocks, 3
Week 5: 1, 2, 3

Exam I: Feb. 18

Week 6: Sea-level change; Evolution and the fossil record

1, 2, 3

Week 7:  Evolution and the fossil record, Plate Tectonics; Major Chemical Cycles, 1, 2, 3

Week 8: Major Geochemical Cycles;

Part II: The Story of Earth

Outline of Earth history; The beginning and the Archean Eon; 1, 2, 3

Week 9: The Archean, Proterozoic, and Neoproterozoic, 1, 2, 3
March 17-23:  Spring Break

Week 10: Neoproterozoic & Paleozoic 1, 2

Exam II: March. 28

Week 13:  The Plaeozoic, 1, 2, 3
Week 14: The Paleozoic and Mesozoic, 1, 2, 3
Week 15: The Cenozoic, 1, 2, 3 (synthesis I - missing links; II, LIPs)
Week 16: The Holocene, syntheses, 1, 2, 3

Exam III: April 28

Week 17: The Holocene, Human evolution, synthesis III, IV, and V, 2, 3

May 3: Class end

Final exam will have ~80 questions (multiple choices + T/F).

Final Exam: May 8 (3:00-5:00 pm)