Geology 121 - Surface Earth Dynamics

Spring
2018
01
4.00
David Jones, Anna Martini
MWF 10:00AM-10:50AM
Amherst College
GEOL-121-01-1718S
BEBU 211
djones@amherst.edu; ammartini@amherst.edu

For at least 3.5 billion years, the Earth’s surface environment has supported some form of life. What geologic processes first created and now maintain this environment? To what extent has life modified this environment over geologic time? What conditions are necessary for a planet to be conducive to life? What are the natural processes that operate at the Earth’s surface? This course looks at the environment from a geologist’s perspective. The course will start with dynamic systems that can be observed in operation today, as in river and coastal settings, where erosion and deposition occur, and by the interaction of the oceans, atmosphere, and climate. Techniques for interpreting the rock record will be developed so that past environments can be examined and potential future conditions on Earth better appreciated. Differences between earliest Earth environments and those of the more recent few billion years will be studied and integrated with the history of the origin and evolution of life. Three hours of lecture and two hours of lab, including field trips, each week.


Requisite: GEOL 111 or consent of the instructor. Spring semester. Professors Martini and Jones.

Permission is required for interchange registration during the add/drop period only.