Quartz: SiO2

This course provides a survey of the history of life on Planet Earth, and covers 4.6 billion years of Earth's history. The first portion of the semester is devoted to discussing the basic geologic principles such as geologic time and the development of the geologic time scale, the formation of sedimentary rocks and fossils, the classification system used to organize the biosphere, the nature of the fossil record and the processes of fossilization, and evolutionary concepts and extinction. The remaining portion of the semester represents a trip through time from the origin of the planet up through the appearance of modern mammals and humans. Major events in the evolutionary history are chronicled including some highlights as origin of sex, appearance of animals and plants, the first vertebrates, appearance of dinosaurs, birds and mammals, and of course, extinctions.