We will consider all time scales, from the formation of the earth and other planets, to catastrophic events that drove mass extinctions, to the most recent period of human interaction with the environment. Lectures will focus not only on descriptions of critical intervals, but also on what evidence exists to support these descriptions.
Laboratories introduce methods of investigation and analysis of the geological record.
This is one of three required introductory courses for EPS concentrators, along with EPS 5 and EPS 7, and may be taken as a Core Science A elective.