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 |
Policies and Procedures
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- Academic Integrity Policy
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- Special Consideration Policy
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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
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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