Syllabus (Preliminary) EPS 400 - Special Topics: Planetary Crusts, 2014
Topics by week
Week 1: Aug. 25-29 Introduction & overview; reading assignments
Sep. 1 Labor Day Holiday
Week 2: Sep. 2-5 Formation of Planets & Moons, Types of Crust
Week 3: Sep. 8-12 Lunar Highlands: Example of Primary Crust
Week 4: Sep. 15-19 Lunar Volcanics: Example of Secondary Crust
Week 5: Sep. 22-26 Mercury, Old and New: MESSENGER Results
Week 6: Sep. 29 - Oct. 3 Mars I: Martian Meteorites, early ideas
Week 7: Oct. 6-10 Mars II: Surface Composition, Missions
Week 8: Oct. 13-16 Mars III: Sedimentation and Alteration, Views from the Surface
Oct. 17: Fall Break
Week 9: Oct. 22, 24 (GSA, LEAG Mtg) Crustal Processes; Focus time to work on Projects
Week 10: Oct. 27-31 Venus: Earth’s Twin?
Week 11: Nov. 3-7 Earth I: Early Crust
Week 12: Nov. 10-14 Early Earth II, Modifications; Project Presentations
Week 13: Nov. 17-21 Project Presentations; Vestan Crust, HEDs
Week 14: Nov. 24 Extrasolar Terrestrial Planets, what to expect?
Nov. 26-30 Thanksgiving break
Week 15: Dec. 1-5, Comparative Crustology
Week 16: Dec. 8-17 Reading Week, Finals
Dec. 15-19 AGU Fall Meeting
Final Exam will not conflict with AGU
*Term Project:
Week 3: Discuss and select assignments
Topics: Select a mission/planet and develop a report on key findings to date (for large missions, select a specific topic). Target length: 10-15 pages, including text, graphics, tables, references, and next steps.
Possible term project topics:
Concepts (will be worked into various class periods)
Primary Text: Planetary Crusts, Their Composition, Origin, and Evolution (2009) Taylor and McLennan, Cambridge Planetary Science (will use as outline, but with much supplementation with more recent compilation papers)
Supplemental Materials:
Planetary Surface Processes, H. J. Melosh, 2011, Cambridge Planetary Science
The Martian Surface, edited by J. Bell, 2008, Cambridge Planetary Science
Elemental Composition of the Martian Crust, McSween et al., 2009, Science 324, 736-739.
MER: Recent Science papers
MESSENGER & Mercury, Science and JGR papers
Dawn & Vesta, Science, 336, 2012; JGR papers)
MSL: Dec 2013 Science papers and other recent publications