1. ERSC 1F90
July 10, 2006

2. Geology and the Environment
ERSC 1F90
Summer 2006

3. Instructor: Rick Cheel Department of Earth Sciences
Office: Mackenzie Chown D414
Phone: Ext. 3512
rcheel brocku.ca

4. All course material will be located at:

5. 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.
Examples of important depositional settings.

6. Grade Distribution Assignments 30% 6 assignments of equal value
Midterm test 30% In-class,
Tuesday, Aug. 1
Final Exam 40% Friday, August 25, 2006 h
Location TBA

7. IMPORTANT NOTES
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 11, 2006.
Completion of this course will replace previous assigned grade and credit obtained in ERSC 1F01, 1F95, 1P92 and 1P93.
Students will have received notification of at least 15% of their final grade by Thursday, August 10, 2006.

8. Schedule for assignments
July 13 Economic Minerals
July 20 Asteroid assignment
July 25 Relative age of rocks and geological events
August 3 Locating earthquake epicentres
August 10 Identifying tectonic plate boundaries
August 17 Determining river discharge
Each assignment is due by 1300h on the Thursday of the week following its introduction.

9. Earth Science Workshop
Mackenzie Chown D445
Every Monday from 1300 to 1500h.
Teaching assistants will be available to help with assignments.

10. Lectures: Outline and schedule
Monday July 10
Introduction, grade distribution, outline
Tuesday July 11
Scientific Ideas, Geology 101,
the History of Geology  
Wednesday July 12
Atoms, elements and minerals.

11. Outline and schedule Thursday July 13
Igneous, metamorphic and sedimentary rocks.  
Monday July 17
Fossils and fossilization; mass extinctions
Tuesday July 18
The origin of the solar system and the formation of Earth.

12. Outline and schedule Wednesday July 19
Impacts with the Earth, effect and risk.
Thursday July 20
Impacts with the Earth, effect and risk, continued.
Monday July 24
Geologic Time: absolute vs. relative, early estimates of the age of the Earth, absolute dating.

13. Outline and schedule Tuesday July 25
Relative age of rocks and the geologic time scale;
Introduction to Assignment 3
Wednesday July 26
Continental drift…the history of an idea; Geomagnetism
Thursday July 27
Modern Plate Tectonics

14. Outline and schedule Monday July 31 No Lecture
I’ll be available for questions, etc. at the
ERSC 1F90 Workshop (MC D445)
Tuesday August 1
Midterm Test
Last names beginning A to K
Last names beginning L to Z

15. Earthquake prediction and the Great Canadian Earthquake.
Outline and schedule
WednesdayAugust 2
Earthquakes: Faults, seismic waves and their effects; the distribution of Earthquakes
Thursday August 3
Earthquake prediction and the Great Canadian Earthquake.
Monday August 7
No Lecture
Civic Holiday

16. Outline and schedule Tuesday August 8
The Earth’s climate and its history
(Snowball Earth)
Wednesday August 9
Volcanoes: classification, deposits, and their distribution.
Thursday August 10
Predicting volcanic eruptions; scales of eruptions, major eruptions and Supervolcanoes

17. Running Water: Rivers and streams The World’s Oceans….continued
Outline and schedule
Monday August 14
Running Water: Rivers and streams
Tuesday August 15
The World’s Oceans
August 16
The World’s Oceans….continued

18. Outline and schedule August 17 Deserts and deserts and desert deposits
The history of the Earth
August 23
Wrap-up, a quick review and final exam information.

19. Outline and schedule August 24 No Lecture (a good day to study)
Final Exam
(details TBA)

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

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