Lecture 1: Logistics and Science
Age of Earth: ~4.54 billion years (± 0.05 billion years)
To understand Earth’s past, we use forensic analysis and observations to determine who, what, how, and why.
Uniformitarianism: the geological principle that the processes occurring in the present have operated in the same manner and at similar rates in the past.
We can determine a lot about the Earth using fossil records and geologic time.
Dinosaurs appeared at the end of Cretaceous
~90% species disappeared at the Triassic/Permian boundary
Animals suddenly appeared
Topographic Maps: detailed, accurate graphic representations of features that appear on the Earth's surface, showing both natural and man-made elements, including elevation contours to represent the shape and height of the terrain .
Close lines indicate steep slopes while further apart lines are lines of equal elevation.
Geologic Maps: detailed representations of the distribution, nature, and age of rock formations and other geologic features on the Earth's surface.
Cross-sections: vertical profiles that show a side view of the arrangement and relationships of rock layers and geological features beneath the Earth's surface.
May show features such as layers of rock formations, intrusions, water flow, etc.
What is Science?
Science uses observations, experiments, and calculations to explain how something works
Critical thinking needed to get verifiable results
Scientific Method
Recognize a problem and/or make an observation
Collect data
Form a hypothesis
Test hypothesis through experiments (field work, labs, etc.)
Validate or refute hypothesis
Revise hypothesis and retest again if needed
Scientific Theory
Theory: a hypothesis that has not yet been proven wrong; abundance of evidence. Explains how and/or why things happen; can be used to make predictions. Arises from tested hypotheses.
Scientific Law
Law: A concise statement of what will happen, but does not explain how or why they work.
Deep Time
Deep time: immense amounts of time
Plate Tectonics
Plate tectonics: the large-scale deformation of rocks in Earth's outer layers, serving as a comprehensive theory that explains many geological phenomena.
Evolution of Life
Evolution: unifying theory for understanding history of life
Fossil records help us understand changes through time
Age of Earth: ~4.54 billion years (± 0.05 billion years)
To understand Earth’s past, we use forensic analysis and observations to determine who, what, how, and why.
Uniformitarianism: the geological principle that the processes occurring in the present have operated in the same manner and at similar rates in the past.
We can determine a lot about the Earth using fossil records and geologic time.
Dinosaurs appeared at the end of Cretaceous
~90% species disappeared at the Triassic/Permian boundary
Animals suddenly appeared
Topographic Maps: detailed, accurate graphic representations of features that appear on the Earth's surface, showing both natural and man-made elements, including elevation contours to represent the shape and height of the terrain .
Close lines indicate steep slopes while further apart lines are lines of equal elevation.
Geologic Maps: detailed representations of the distribution, nature, and age of rock formations and other geologic features on the Earth's surface.
Cross-sections: vertical profiles that show a side view of the arrangement and relationships of rock layers and geological features beneath the Earth's surface.
May show features such as layers of rock formations, intrusions, water flow, etc.
What is Science?
Science uses observations, experiments, and calculations to explain how something works
Critical thinking needed to get verifiable results
Scientific Method
Recognize a problem and/or make an observation
Collect data
Form a hypothesis
Test hypothesis through experiments (field work, labs, etc.)
Validate or refute hypothesis
Revise hypothesis and retest again if needed
Scientific Theory
Theory: a hypothesis that has not yet been proven wrong; abundance of evidence. Explains how and/or why things happen; can be used to make predictions. Arises from tested hypotheses.
Scientific Law
Law: A concise statement of what will happen, but does not explain how or why they work.
Deep Time
Deep time: immense amounts of time
Plate Tectonics
Plate tectonics: the large-scale deformation of rocks in Earth's outer layers, serving as a comprehensive theory that explains many geological phenomena.
Evolution of Life
Evolution: unifying theory for understanding history of life
Fossil records help us understand changes through time
