ESC 105 - Historical Geology 4 cr.

This course is an introduction to historical geology and a study of the origin and evolution of the Earth through geologic time. Topics covered include the geologic time scale; radioactive dating; sedimentary rocks and stratigraphy; fossils and the evolutions of life; the origin of the Earth’s atmosphere, oceans, and lithosphere; plate tectonic processes; and a survey of significant geological and biological events during Earth’s 4.6 billion-year history. In the laboratory, students study invertebrate fossils, learn to identify and correlate sedimentary rock formations, and study sedimentary rocks and fossils in the field. This course includes several local field trips during regular lab time and a Saturday field trip. 3 hrs. lect; 3 hrs. lab. Prerequisite: ESC 102 or ESC 104 or permission of the instructor. Corequisite: ENG 101 and MAT 105 or higher.