3.00 Credits
Sedimentary Geology involves the study of physical, chemical, and biologic processes that result in the formation, transportation and deposition of soils, sediments, fossils, and sedimentary rocks. These materials accumulate in a range of terrestrial, marginal-marine and marine depositional environments that experience processes often characteristic and unique to those environments. This course will engage students in an exploration of various earth materials, sedimentary structures, and fossils, and the chemical, physical, and biologic processes that impact their formation. Students will also explore how soils, sediments, fossils, and sedimentary rocks record spatial and temporal changes in plate tectonics, earth system processes, and environments. Course will focus on how geoscientists reconstruct ancient environments using earth materials and how they generate scientific models to help test short-term and long-term changes in the atmosphere, hydrosphere, biosphere, and lithosphere through time. Course includes lectures, local and regional field trips that may occur on the weekend, and laboratory assignments designed to provide students with hands-on, field experience.
Prerequisite:
(ESS 110 FOR LEVEL U WITH MIN. GRADE OF D OR ESS 210 FOR LEVEL U WITH MIN. GRADE OF D) OR GPRE FOR MIN. SCORE OF 1