The lab includes analysis of sedimentary environments, fossil identification, interpretation of field sites, and geologic map interpretation. The course consists of two major divisions. The first part deals with the methods by which the Earth s past is examined. The second part deals with the Earth s history, both physical and biological. They get experience in scientific thinking, field skills, and map interpretation.
Historical geology gives students a feel for deep time.
Lecture is kept to a minimum. Field trips will be conducted during many of the Saturday laboratory periods. Class exams, using short-answer questions, emphasize the material covered in the preceding third of the course and include one or two review questions. Primarily, the student is expected to apply logic and geological principles to answer questions. Lab tests evaluate the student s ability to identify and interpret rocks, sediments and sedimentary structures, interpret maps and cross-sections, and identify fossils.