Course Notes for ERS101 - Planet Earth

Course Overview

  • Course Title: ERS101 - Planet Earth
  • Lecture Schedule:
    • Monday: 9:00 – 10:00 am
    • Wednesday: 9:00 – 10:00 am
  • PRA Sections: Must sign up for one on Thursday/Friday in specified weeks (2, 4, 6, 9, 11)
  • Instructor Office Hours:
    • Monday: 10:00 – 11:00 am (DV4041)
    • Appointments available

Land Acknowledgement

  • Acknowledgment of Indigenous peoples: Huron-Wendat, Seneca, Mississaugas of the Credit.
  • Gratitude for the opportunity to work on traditional lands.

Course Communication

  • Platform: Quercus
  • Email for Queries: ers101.utm@utoronto.ca
    • Use for course details not in the syllabus and requests for special consideration for missed term work.
  • Lab TA contacts to be posted.

Grading Breakdown

  1. Lab Assignments: 5 total, 9% each (Total: 45%)
  2. Midterm Test: 15%
  3. Final Exam: 35%
  4. Class Participation: 5% (via Quercus)
    • Missed term work policies are in syllabus.

Class Participation Criteria

  • Participation evaluates as follows:
    • 90-100%: 5%
    • 70-89%: 4%
    • 50-69%: 3%
    • 30-49%: 2%
    • 0.01-29%: 1%
  • Questions open during lectures with access code announced.

Recommended Texts

  • Main Texts:
    • Portrait of a Planet (S. Marshak)
    • Essentials of Geology (S. Marshak) (Any edition)
    • Other introductory geology texts are acceptable.

Note-Taker Responsibilities

  • Attend classes and take complete notes.
  • Upload notes within 24 hours of class.
  • Complete online note-taker training.
  • Notify Accessibility Services of any issues.

Engagement Principles

  • Values: Fairness, Honesty, Courage, Academic Integrity, Trust, Responsibility, Respect.

Importance of Earth Science

  • Topics: Solar system formation, Earth's interior structure, and scientific discoveries about them.

Earth Formation

  • Nebular Theory:
    • Nebula formed from elements from big bang and prior star cycles.
    • Condenses into swirling disc; central ball forms protostar (Sun).
    • Dust particles collide, forming planetesimals.

Structure of the Earth

  • Differentiation:
    • Proto-Earth shaped by gravity into a sphere, differentiating into layers.
    • Heat from collisions, compression, and radioactive decay melts iron to form the core.

Earth's Layers

  • Crust:
    • Solid, 0.5% volume, 7-70 km thick
  • Mantle:
    • Solid, 67% volume, 2885 km thick
  • Outer Core:
    • Liquid, 30.8% volume, 2255 km thick
  • Inner Core:
    • Solid, 1.7% volume, 1216 km thick
  • Total Radius: 6371 km

Why is Outer Core Liquid?

  • Temperature: 4700°C
  • Pressure: 3600 times surface pressure
  • Solidus line demarcates solid to liquid transition conditions.

Studying Earth’s Interior

  1. Seismic Waves:

    • Generated by earthquakes; speed varies by material density.
    • Types:
    • P Waves (Primary): Compressional, travel through all materials, faster.
    • S Waves (Secondary): Shear waves, only through solids.

  2. Experiments:

    • Mimic conditions of Earth’s interior.

  3. Meteorites:

    • Types indicate layers:
    1. Stony (Chondrite) - Earth's Mantle
    2. Stony-Iron - Undifferentiated
    3. Iron - Earth’s Core

  4. Geological Evidence:

    • Kimberlites bring up mantle rocks and diamonds.

  5. Computer Models:

    • Simulations to model geological structures based on data.

Age of the Earth

  • Approximate Age: 4.57 billion years
  • Oldest Meteorites: 4.57 Byr
  • Oldest Earth Rocks: 4.03 Byr
  • Oldest Earth Minerals: 4.35 Byr

Key Takeaways

  • Formation of solar system and layers within Earth.
  • Understanding seismic waves interactions and velocities.
  • Geological evidence from eruptions (kimberlites).
  • The use of meteorites as indicators of Earth's age.