Readings and Articles
For this module, please:
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Review Chapter 1:
- A Closer Look: Earth’s Place in Space (pp 9-12), pay close attention Figure 1.A and Table 1.2. . Know the general events that occurred on the geologic time scale, as well as the starting dates of the four geologic eras (Precambrian, Paleozoic, Mesozoic, and Cenozoic).
- Section 1.2: Concept 5, starting on page 27 with “The important variable that distinguishes…”and continues through pages 30-33 ending with “… through plate tectonics by geologists.” This section gives a brief introduction to geologic time and processes.
- Read all of Chapter 2. Pay close attention to:
- Sections 2.3, 2.4, 2.5, & 2.6 (pp 46-65), pay close attention to Figure 2.2, Table 2.1, and be able to draw simple diagrams like Figures 2.6 and 2.8; and
- A Closer Look: The Wonder of Mountains (pp 52-53) and the concept of isostasy.
- Review Chapter 3, Section 3.4 Three Rock Laws (p 88) or revisit the Earth Science on these concepts.
- Read parts of this article: “Radiometric Dating: A Christian Perspective.” This is an imbedded link on Page 1 of the Lecture section on “Geologic Time.” You can either read it now or when you get to it in the lecture. This is a long article and can get pretty jargony:
- Skim the first 9 pages,
- Start reading closely on Page 10 “The Age of the Earth,”
- Skim through the sections on dating methods (pages 11-18), but try to gain an appreciation for the methods and how they work,
- start close reading again on page 19, being certain to pay close attention to the discussions titled: “Can We Really Believe the Dating Systems,” “Doubters still Try,” “Apparent Age,” and “Rightly Handling the Word of Truth.”
Additional resources you may check out:
(These are optional resources, not required content for exams, quizzes, homework.)
- How the Earth was Made. Watch an episode of this show. This is a series on the History Channel that looks at how geologists explain different Earth phenomenon. It goes through the process like a detective story with a heavy emphasis on the Scientific Method. However, be forewarned that I take issue with how the series uses the word “theory.” Many times, the narrator is actually referring to a hypothesis and not a theory. Scientists don’t develop a theory based on one study!
- Continents on the Move. As part of a PBS TV series on the ice age, PBS developed this fun activity for learning about the history of plate tectonics, and the tools used to measure the movement of continents. The website will lead you into other geology documentaries, showing you how plate tectonics connects into a lot of Earth’s features. A related plate tectonics activity allows you to interactively move plates apart, together, and past each other.
- Geologic Time Machine. This website gives you specific information, pictures, and histories of each geologic time period. You simple click the interactive time scale to find out more about Earth’s history.
In case you are bored this weekend:
- Go to Falls of the Ohio State Park, which is at the last exit in Indiana prior to crossing I-65 into Louisville. This park features extensive exposures of Devonian (350-400 million years ago) age limestones containing numerous fossils of the ancient seas that once covered Indiana. The State Park includes a museum explaining the geologic history of southern Indiana. After your visit you can head into Louisville for a mint julep or hit the casino in Harrison, IN.
- Visit the Indiana State Museum. The museums’ first floor includes a wonderful and recently opened exhibit on fossils found in Indiana. The exhibit includes representative samples from various geologic time periods. The most exciting part of the exhibit is the ice age fossils, where you can see complete skeletons of the extinct Mastodon and Stag Moose.