Description
Book SynopsisUtilizing actual case studies and field photographs, this successful lab manual covers the full spectrum of historical geology sediments, plate tectonics, paleontology, and petrology in flexible, self-contained units. This manual has been developed for use in both non-majors and combined courses in historical geology. The exercises emphasize the principles and methods by which geologists discover the origins and changing nature of our planet.
These exercises or "studies" will help students understand how ancient conditions can be read from rocks and fossils, how geologic forces at the surface and within the planet can alter the environment, and how events of the past can be placed within an integrated chronological sequence. The exercises are designed for students who may not intend to specialize in geology. This does not mean, however, that the treatment is superficial, nor that it cannot give adequate preparation for students pursuing an academic major in the earth sciences.
Table of Contents
1 Introduction to Sedimentary Rocks2 Textural Clues to the History of Sediment3 Sedimentary Rocks under the Microscope4 Ancient Sedimentary Environments5 Tectonic Settings 6 Sea-Floor Spreading and Plate Tectonics7 Age Relations and Unconformity8 Rock Units and Time-Rock Units9 The Advance and Retreat of Ancient Shorelines10 Fossils and Their Living Relatives: Protists, Sponges, Corals, Bryozoans, and Brachiopods11 Fossils and Their Living Relatives: Mollusks, Arthropods, Echinoderms, Graptolites, and Plants12 Fossil Indicators of Age, Environment, and Correlation13 A Brief Survey of the Vertebrates14 Geologic Maps and Geologic Structures15 Canadian Shield and Basement Rocks of North America16 Mountain Belts of North America17 The Interior Plains and Plateaus18 Identification of Minerals19 Igneous Rocks20 Metamorphic RocksList of TablesList of ColorplatesList of PlatesPreface
