Blocks I & II: Henry Fricke and Celeste Mercer, GY130, Geology
of the Rockies
Meets two units of Natural Science credit and one unit of Critical Perspectives:
Scientific Inquiry (SI) laboratory/field credit.
This pairing of geology courses makes full use of the local Rocky Mountain setting as a natural laboratory in which to investigate the record of the Earth's history preserved in the rocks, the dynamic earth processes in effect in the mountain environment, and how human activities relate to these processes. The span of geological time is almost completely represented in the Colorado Front Range, allowing interpretation of the succession of ancient environments that existed here, supporting both marine and terrestrial organisms. The structural architecture and the sedimentary record exposed in Colorado's mountains offer a context for investigation of several cycles of mountain-building activity related to plate tectonic events. A variety of landscapes and land uses in the region make it possible to study different ways in which people relate to their physical environment.
These courses devote time to learning the language of geology
and to developing skills for identification of the origins and uses of earth
materials that will be used as a basis for field investigation and scientific
questioning. Applied field and laboratory exercises may range from study of
fossil assemblages for paleoclimate interpretation, to geological mapping
of faults and folds on a topographic map base, to measurement of stream flow
and stream chemistry for environmental assessment. On a typical day the class
will meet for morning lecture and afternoon lab; however, a day might equally
well be spent entirely in the field, for practical experience at deciphering
outcrops and embracing real geological problems. In general, the course will
involve a considerable amount of time in the field, with local afternoon trips
to multi-day excursions.
These geology classes fulfill the prerequisite in the department for all upper-level
geology classes and and meet the Physical Geology requirement of the Environmental
Science major. The class meets goals of the FYE program and emphasizes writing
skills in a variety of formats. These formats will include a scientific field
notebook; short, precise papers; and a major research paper. Verbal communication
skills will be developed through persuasive debate on the outcrop, discussion
of the philosophical readings and primary literature, group investigation
activities, and research presentations.
A two-block course with one instructor in each block; one grade
will be given for the course as a whole.