Geology and the Environment ERSC 1F90 Summer 2008

Instructor: Rick Cheel Department of Earth Sciences Office: Mackenzie Chown D418 Phone: 905-688-5550 Ext. 3512 E-mail: rcheel brocku.ca

All course material will be located at: www.brocku.ca/ERSC1F90

ERSC 1F90 aims to provide: A basic understanding of Earth materials (rocks, minerals, etc.). An introduction to plate tectonics and its implications (earthquakes and volcanoes). Examples of extreme events of various scales of magnitude and frequency.

Grade Distribution Assignments 30% 5 assignments of equal value (6% each) Midterm test 30% In-class, Thursday, July 31, 2008 Last names beginning A to K, 1000-1100h. Last names beginning L to Z, 1100-1200h. Final Exam 40% Friday, August 22, 2008 1400-1600h Location TBA

IMPORTANT NOTES Students will have received notification of at least 15% of their final grade by Thursday, August 7, 2008. The last day for withdrawal without academic penalty and last day to change from credit to audit status for duration 1 courses is Friday, August 8, 2008. Completion of this course will replace previous assigned grade and credit obtained in ERSC 1F01, 1F95, 1P92 and 1P93.

Schedule for assignments July 17 Economic Minerals July 24 Example Multiple Choice Questions July 30 Relative age of rocks and geological events August 7 Locating earthquake epicentres August 14 Identifying tectonic plate boundaries Each assignment is due by 1300h on the Thursday of the week following its introduction, unless other instructions are provided (i.e., assignments 2 and 5).

Earth Science Workshop Mackenzie Chown D319. Every Tuesday from 1200 to 1500h. Heather Racher and Brian Calvert (Teaching Assistants) will be available to help with assignments.

Lectures: Outline and schedule Monday July 14 Introduction, grade distribution, outline Tuesday July 15 Scientific Ideas, Geology 101, the History of Geology   Wednesday July 16 Atoms, elements and minerals.

Outline and schedule Thursday July 17 Igneous, metamorphic and sedimentary rocks.   Monday July 21 No Lecture Tuesday July 22 Fossils and fossilization; mass extinctions Wednesday July 23 The origin of the solar system and the formation of Earth.

Outline and schedule Thursday July 24 Impacts with the Earth, effect and risk. Monday July 28 Impacts with the Earth, effect and risk, continued. Tuesday July 29 Geologic Time: absolute vs. relative, early estimates of the age of the Earth, absolute dating.

Outline and schedule Wednesday July 30 Relative age of rocks and the geologic time scale; Introduction to Assignment 3 July 31 Midterm Test Last names beginning A to K Last names beginning L to Z

Outline and schedule Monday August 4 No Lecture Civic Holiday Tuesday August 5 Continental drift…the history of an idea; Geomagnetism Wednesday August 6 Modern Plate Tectonics

Earthquake prediction and the Great Canadian Earthquake. Outline and schedule Thursday August 7 Earthquakes: Faults, seismic waves and their effects; the distribution of Earthquakes Monday August 11 Earthquake prediction and the Great Canadian Earthquake.

Outline and schedule Tuesday August 12 The Earth’s climate and its history (Snowball Earth) Wednesday August 13 Volcanoes: classification, deposits, and their distribution. Thursday August 14 Predicting volcanic eruptions; scales of eruptions, major eruptions and Supervolcanoes

Outline and schedule Monday August 18 The history of the Earth Tuesday August 19 Wrap-up, a quick review and final exam information. Wednesday/Thursday August 20/21 No Lecture (a good time to study) Friday August 22 Final Exam, 1400 – 1600h, location TBA

The usual disclaimer…. The schedule is tentative. Check the web-based schedule for changes and updates.

significant asteroid impact: class will be cancelled! In the event of a significant asteroid impact: class will be cancelled!