GEOL 125: Earth History: A Planet and its Evolution (F2005: Prof. Hammond)
Reading and Lecture Schedule (Updated 8/21/05 by deh.)
Text: A draft manuscript that covers the material is available in the bookstore. It will be supplemented by website exploration and handouts supplied in class. The manuscript is: Hammond, D. E., Earth History: A Primer, USC Bookstore Course Notes, 198 pp. Page numbers are consecutive in each chapter. Reading for each lab is in the final section of the book.
Other reading: Links to some good websites are in the table below. Double click to complete the link. Use 'back' to return to this page. An asterisk (*) is a required site. If you wish further background reading on any topic, see Prof. Hammond. TBA = to be announced.
Field Trip on Saturday, Oct. 22 or Saturday Oct. 30 (8:00 AM to 5:30PM): Observing rocks in their habitat, using geomorphology to identify geologic structures, finding fossils, and evidence for climate change.
| Date | Topic | Reading | Links |
| Aug. 22 | Introduction: "Life, The Universe, and Everything" | Ch. 1; Lab 1 | |
24 |
Physics: Fundamental Forces at Work | Ch. 2 | Clever |
26 |
Heat, Mass, Energy, and Other Physical Properties | Ch. 2 | |
29 |
Chemistry: Atomic Structure and Periodic Table | Ch. 3 | |
31 |
Electromagnetic Radiation: The Light of your Life | Lab 2 | |
Sept. 2 |
Objects in the Sky | Ch. 5 | |
5 |
Labor Day - No Class | ||
7 |
What is the Solar System Made Of? | Lab 3 | Planets |
9 |
The Life of a Star and Element Synthesis | Ch. 6 | Life of a Star |
12 |
Telling Time: Radioactive Dating | Lab 4 | |
14 |
Earth Birth | Ch. 7 | Summary |
16 |
The Universe | Ch. 8 | |
19 |
The Big Bang | Ch. 8 | Summary |
21 |
Cosmology and Review (the third link is a more advanced article for those with great interest) | Ch. 8 | Recent developments Microwave Anisotropy Accelerating Universe |
23 |
Exam 1 (Covers thru 9/21 lecture) | ||
26 |
Chemical Bonding and Minerals | Lab 5 | |
28 |
Rocks | Lab 6 | |
30 |
Reading Rocks: Environments & Relative Time | Ch. 9 | |
Oct. 3 |
Structures: Faults, Folds, and Mountains | Lab 7 | |
5 |
Grand Canyon Tour | Ch. 9, Lab 7 | Pictures |
7 |
Seismology and Earth's Interior | Ch. 10 | |
10 |
Plate Tectonics | Ch. 11, Lab 8 | |
12 |
Paleomagnetism | Ch. 12 | |
14 |
California Geology I | Ch. 13 | |
17 |
California Geology II | Ch. 13 | |
19 |
Mineral Deposits and Tectonics | TBA | |
21 |
Fossils: Organisms and the Record of Life | Ch. 14, Lab 10 | Berkeley Museum |
24 |
Biology: Lamarck, Darwin, Evolution, and DNA | Ch. 14 | |
26 |
The Primordial Soup and the Origin of Life | Ch. 14 | Astrobiology |
28 |
Catastrophism, Mass Extinctions, & the K-T Boundary | Ch. 14 | |
31 |
TBA | ||
Nov. 2 |
Exam II (Covers thru 10/31 lecture) | ||
4 |
Making an Atmosphere and Oceans | Ch. 15 | |
7 |
Linear & Non-linear Models: Predictability & Chaos | Lab 11 | |
9 |
Making Continents | Ch. 16 | |
11 |
Hadean, Archean and Proterozoic Eons | Ch. 17 | Hadean* Archean* Proterozoic* Proterozoic Life* cyanobacteria* stromatolites* bacteria* oxygen* Berkeley Museum |
14 |
The Phanerozoic I | Ch. 18, Lab 12 |
follow links to all periods of these eras |
16 |
The Phanerozioc II | Ch. 18 | Berkeley Museum* |
18 |
Global Climate: Thermostating the Planet | Ch. 19 | Climate Change |
21 |
Mechanisms for Climate Change | Ch. 19 | |
23 |
Ice Houses and Greenhouses | Ch. 20 | Glaciers and landforms |
25 |
Holiday | ||
28 |
Regulating the Atmosphere | Ch. 20 | CO2* |
30 |
Cenozoic Evolution and Man | Ch. 21 | |
Dec. 2 |
Evaluations and Recap | ||
12 |
FINAL EXAM: 11 AM - 1 PM |