1. Geology and the Environment
ERSC 1F90
Summer 2008

2. Instructor: Rick Cheel Department of Earth Sciences
Office: Mackenzie Chown D418
Phone: Ext. 3512
rcheel brocku.ca

3. All course material will be located at:

4. 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.

5. 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, h.
Last names beginning L to Z, h.
Final Exam 40% Friday, August 22, 2008 h
Location TBA

6. 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.

7. 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).

8. 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.

9. 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.

10. 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.

11. 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.

12. 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

13. 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

14. 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.

15. 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

16. 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

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

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