Outline#
Attention
Course last offered Fall 2023.
Course Description#
In this course, we will explore geological processes in a wide range of oceanic environments: mid-ocean ridges, mid-plate volcanoes and hot spots, coastlines, continental margins and abyssal plains. The lectures, readings, and your writing will cover seminal scientific works and recent journal publications.
This course is a science writing course. Clear writing is one of the most important skills in science as it clarifies our own understanding of a topic and provides a pathway to communicate our ideas to others. You will be required to submit writing and revisions to your writing almost every week. Your final grade in this course will largely reflect your ability to demonstrate your understanding of marine geology through your writing.
Learning Outcomes#
Below is a list of some specific knowledge and skills you can expect to gain through this course. This term you will:
- be able to use physics to explain many of the physical features of ocean basins
- learn how to use the surface of the ocean to map the height and position of seamounts
- understand how the plume theory is necessary to explain many seafloor features that can not be explained by simple plate tectonics
- interpret sea-level histories from coastal sedimentary outcrops from the last interglacial period
- be able to predict the viscous and elastic consequences of ice-loading during glacial-interglacial cycles
- become a more effective science communicator
- learn through writing workshops how to improve the clarity and precision of your writing