Course Information

The course will be a presentation of the forces that shape the face of the Earth. The continents and ocean floors are constantly changing and being reworked due to the dueling forces of two heat engines. One, driven by the energy from the Sun, controls the processes of weather and erosion and is largely responsible for tearing down mountains. The other, driven by the escape of heat from inside the Earth (which was once totally molten) controls earthquakes, volcanoes and the movements of the continents, and is responsible for the building of mountains. As a result the surfaces of continents are constantly changing, and the competing processes of building and then tearing down mountains controls the world we see and live on. One of the most significant geological forces is now humanity. We will investigate how human activity is affecting the geosphere, hydrosphere, atmosphere, and biosphere. The class will be an overview of many of these basic principles of geology, including plate tectonics, global convection, hydrogeology and erosion/sedimentation, but will also focus on many details about the delicate workings of our planet. An examination will be made of the many geological hazards that threaten human life - including earthquakes, volcanoes, landslides, floods, and hurricanes. We will also study the role that humanity has had in shaping the surface of the planet and investigate the possible dangers of abusing that role. We will look at the issue of energy and discuss the potential for development of the many forms of energy that the Earth can offer us, including fossil fuel, nuclear, hydroelectric, biomass, solar and geothermal. Lastly, we will trace the history of Earth as recorded in the rocks: both the evidence of fossil life and the types of rocks themselves. We will follow the evolution of life from its earliest one-celled organisms through the age of the dinosaurs and up to the present. We will see how the history of plate motions as classified into major orogenic events has controlled the creation of mountain ranges and therefore the shape of the continents we live on.