One to three hours. Advanced Historical Geology. An overview of the history of the Earth and of life on Earth at an advanced level. Major topics include classification of rocks, mountain-building in North America and Europe, paleoecology, paleoclimatology and the Gaia Hypotheses. The laboratory emphasizes description and classification of rocks and outcrops and the interpretation of geological maps.
Students prepare county geology reports which include both library study and personal observations.
Weekend field trips may replace some laboratory periods. Offered in alternate years. Geology 101 or 102 or permission of instructor. Land-use and Geomorphology. The study of landforms with emphasis on hillslopes, caves, rivers, and the periglacial and glacial geology of Iowa.