Students

EESC2150 – Mass extinctions and the hidden history of Earth

2022 – Session 2, In person-scheduled-weekday, North Ryde

General Information

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Unit convenor and teaching staff Unit convenor and teaching staff
Olivier Alard
John Alroy
Credit points Credit points
10
Prerequisites Prerequisites
EESC1150 (or GEOS112 or GEOS1110 or GEOS125 or GEOS1120 or GEOS126 or GEOS1130)
Corequisites Corequisites
Co-badged status Co-badged status
Unit description Unit description

252 million years ago life on our planet was nearly exterminated: 96% of marine life and over 70% of terrestrial life went extinct. The causes for this mass extinction are still debated. In this unit we explore the geological history of this event. You will visit the site of the extinction boundary on a field trip and develop geological skills to understand the paleoenvironment and Earth processes that were changing at this time. You will interrogate continental reconstructions to uncover why there were glaciers near Sydney in the Permian and delve into the mantle to understand volcanoes, large igneous provinces and their devastating hazards. You will discuss how and why the magnetic field was changing at this time and investigate sediments and geochemistry to understand the link between Earth's interior and the surface. Through this analysis, we will try to understand one of the biggest questions in Earth Science: what caused the Permo-Triassic mass extinction? You will develop your skills in field work and geological mapping, rock and mineral identification in hand samples and under the microscope, viewing and probing global datasets and continent reconstructions, analysing geochemical data, and synthesising data to address scientific questions. This is a topical elective for those interested in how geoscience informs current and future environmental crises.

Important Academic Dates

Information about important academic dates including deadlines for withdrawing from units are available at https://www.mq.edu.au/study/calendar-of-dates

Learning Outcomes

On successful completion of this unit, you will be able to:

  • ULO3: integrate scientific data from multiple sources to solve real-world problems and effectively communicate scientific information to experts and non-experts.
  • ULO1: observe, understand and record geological information in the field to map rocks and structures and interpret geological history including mass extinctions.
  • ULO4: develop team work, problem solving and project management skills to assess geological settings in Earth's past.
  • ULO2: identify and analyse common sedimentary, metamorphic and igneous rocks to deduce how they formed.

General Assessment Information

Late Assessment Submission are not accepted for this unit unless a Special Consideration has been submitted and approved.

Assessment Tasks

Name Weighting Hurdle Due
Final exam 40% No week 13
Weekly Quizzes 15% No every week
Literature Review 20% No 05/10/2022
Field Report 25% No 28/09/2022

Final exam

Assessment Type 1: Examination
Indicative Time on Task 2: 17 hours
Due: week 13
Weighting: 40%

 

Final examination that requires the application of skills and knowledge developed in this unit.

 


On successful completion you will be able to:
  • integrate scientific data from multiple sources to solve real-world problems and effectively communicate scientific information to experts and non-experts.
  • identify and analyse common sedimentary, metamorphic and igneous rocks to deduce how they formed.

Weekly Quizzes

Assessment Type 1: Quiz/Test
Indicative Time on Task 2: 11 hours
Due: every week
Weighting: 15%

 

Short weekly quizzes that test knowledge of lecture and workshop material and may be online or in class. See iLearn for a detailed list of quizzes in this unit.

 


On successful completion you will be able to:
  • integrate scientific data from multiple sources to solve real-world problems and effectively communicate scientific information to experts and non-experts.
  • identify and analyse common sedimentary, metamorphic and igneous rocks to deduce how they formed.

Literature Review

Assessment Type 1: Literature review
Indicative Time on Task 2: 20 hours
Due: 05/10/2022
Weighting: 20%

 

A summary, interpretation or an evaluation of research findings in a field of study. See iLearn for details of the literature review.

 


On successful completion you will be able to:
  • integrate scientific data from multiple sources to solve real-world problems and effectively communicate scientific information to experts and non-experts.

Field Report

Assessment Type 1: Case study/analysis
Indicative Time on Task 2: 20 hours
Due: 28/09/2022
Weighting: 25%

 

A report comprising multiple components that may include preparation for going in the field, field-based tasks and analysis of data collected in the field. See iLearn for details.

 


On successful completion you will be able to:
  • integrate scientific data from multiple sources to solve real-world problems and effectively communicate scientific information to experts and non-experts.
  • observe, understand and record geological information in the field to map rocks and structures and interpret geological history including mass extinctions.
  • develop team work, problem solving and project management skills to assess geological settings in Earth's past.
  • identify and analyse common sedimentary, metamorphic and igneous rocks to deduce how they formed.

1 If you need help with your assignment, please contact:

  • the academic teaching staff in your unit for guidance in understanding or completing this type of assessment
  • the Writing Centre for academic skills support.

2 Indicative time-on-task is an estimate of the time required for completion of the assessment task and is subject to individual variation

Delivery and Resources

Face to Face - Workshops

Unit Schedule

Workshop#1   Introduction: Mass extinction events and the (violent) history of Earth
Workshop#2    Geochronology
Workshop#3   Volcanoes and Large Igneous Provinces
Workshop#4   Reading Sedimentary rocks (+ Anoxic Evemts)
Workshop#5   Paleoenvironments,  Reconstructing paleoenvironments from sedimentary rocks
    Materials for Litterature review(s) available on i-learn 
Workshop#6   (1) How Body Fossils and Trace Fossils are Formed, (2) The Geological Time Scale, and Where It Comes From, (3) Biostratigraphy: Defining Time Scales with Fossils
Workshop#7   (1) Mass Extinctions in the Fossil Record, (2) Diversification in the Fossil Record, (3) Marine Ecosystems: The Invertebrate Fossil Record'
Field Work  

 South Coast - 4 days (≈20-25/09/2022)

Workshop#8  

Impacts,  meteorites, relationships between the Earth and solar system object

Workshop#9   Terrestrial Ecosystems: Before the Dinosaurs, The Age of Dinosaurs, The Age of Mammals
Workshop#10   Debate - (1) What kill the dinosaure -  (2) the 6th mass Extinction?
Workshop#11   CO2-Atmosphere evolution and impact on the biosphere Climate: Snowball Earth
Workshop#12   Revision (face to face or on-line)
Week#13   final EXAM On-Line

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Students seeking more policy resources can visit Student Policies (https://students.mq.edu.au/support/study/policies). It is your one-stop-shop for the key policies you need to know about throughout your undergraduate student journey.

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Macquarie University students have a responsibility to be familiar with the Student Code of Conduct: https://students.mq.edu.au/admin/other-resources/student-conduct

Results

Results published on platform other than eStudent, (eg. iLearn, Coursera etc.) or released directly by your Unit Convenor, are not confirmed as they are subject to final approval by the University. Once approved, final results will be sent to your student email address and will be made available in eStudent. For more information visit ask.mq.edu.au or if you are a Global MBA student contact globalmba.support@mq.edu.au

Academic Integrity

At Macquarie, we believe academic integrity – honesty, respect, trust, responsibility, fairness and courage – is at the core of learning, teaching and research. We recognise that meeting the expectations required to complete your assessments can be challenging. So, we offer you a range of resources and services to help you reach your potential, including free online writing and maths support, academic skills development and wellbeing consultations.

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Changes since First Published

Date Description
28/07/2022 added the Late Assessment Submission section : "Late assessments are not accepted in this unit unless a Special Consideration has been submitted and approved."

Unit information based on version 2022.02 of the Handbook