DEPARTMENT OF EARTH SCIENCES

ERSC 1F01 PLANET EARTH

(Fall/Winter Terms 20152016)
Instructors:

Prof. N. Blamey

Fall Term: SeptemberDecember, 2015

Office: MC D413
e-mail:nblamey@brocku.ca, ext. 3365

Prof. F. McCarthy

Winter Term: JanuaryApril, 2016

Office: MC D418
e-mail:fmccarthy@brocku.ca, ext. 4286

Senior Lab Co-ordinator/Instructor:

Astride Silis
Office: MC D420
e-mail: asilis@brocku.ca, ext. 3703
Please use your Brock student e-mail account to communicate with instructors and include
ERSC 1F01 in the subject line.
Any questions related to lab material or lab scheduling should go directly to the Senior lab
instructor/coordinator. Questions pertaining to lecture material should be directed to the relevant
lecture instructor
Lectures: Thursdays, 5:007:00 pm, Room AS203
Lab 1: Mondays 25 pm, MC D309, Lab 2: Tuesdays 25pm, MC D309, Lab 3: Wednesdays 25
pm, MC D309, Lab 4: Thursdays 25 pm, MC D309, Lab 5: Friday 25 pm, MC D309.
Textbook (highly recommended):

ERSC 1F01 aims to give science students a background in the broad range of subjects
studied in the field of Earth Sciences. The daily news commonly includes stories of geological
events that have a profound impact on our lives. Such events vary from devastating earthquakes
to a wide variety of environmental concerns that affect our local region and even global climate.
The course includes a component of Earth history, and how our understanding of the Earth and
life on it has changed over the 4.5 billion years since it formed.
ERSC 1F01 is a full (1.0) credit course comprising one two-hour lecture per week, plus a
weekly 3 hour lab, where students gain practical experience with topics covered during lectures.

ERSC 1F01 GRADE DISTRIBUTION:

Lecture Component* (60%)
Fall Mid-Term Exam ............................................................................ 10%
Progress Exam (December - To be scheduled by Registrars office) ... 20%
Winter Mid-Term Exam ........................................................................ 10%
Final Exam (April - To be scheduled by Registrars office) ................... 20%
Lab component (40%)
Fall term: Laboratory Assignments, Lab Quiz ...................................... 18.5%
Winter Term:
Laboratory Assignments, Lab Quiz, Field Trip assignment .................. 21.5%
Total (Lecture and Lab components)= 100%

*In addition to requiring an overall minimum of 50% in the course, students must also achieve a
minimum of 50% in the lecture component to pass the course, i.e. grades for the Fall Mid-Term
Exam, Progress Exam, Winter Mid-Term Exam, and Final Exam when added together must reach
a minimum of 30 (out of a total weight of 60).

Please Note: Completion of ERSC 1F01 Planet Earth will result in a replacement of credit and
grades previously assigned for ERSC 1F90, ERSC 1P92, ERSC 1P93 and ERSC 1F95.

IMPORTANT DATES FOR ERSC 1F01

Fall 2015
Wednesday, September 9
First day of Fall/Winter Session, duration 1 and duration 2, day and evening sections,
Undergraduate program.
Tuesday, September 22
Last day for duration 1 and duration 2 late registration and course changes without permission
of the instructor. Brock Registration System closes for duration 1 and duration 2 adds; last day
to drop courses without financial penalty. After this date, manual course change requests are
required.
Monday, October 12 Friday, October 16
Monday, Thanksgiving Day. University closed. Fall Break Week.
Tuesday, December 8
Last day of lectures, Fall Term.
Wednesday, December 9 Thursday, December 10
Snow Day/Reading day. A snow day may be used to cover classes missed because of adverse
weather (if needed). Otherwise, it will be a reading day. The day of the week missed will
determine the replacement schedule for classes.
Friday, December 11 Tuesday, December 22
Progress examinations for duration 1 courses.

Thursday, December 24 at noon until Sunday, January 3, 2016

Christmas and New Year holiday. University closed.

Winter 2016

Monday, January 4
First day of Winter Term, Undergraduate programs. University re-opens
Friday, January 15
Last date for withdrawal without academic penalty and last day to change from credit to audit
status for duration 1 courses.
Monday, February 15
Family Day. University closed (no classes).
Tuesday, February 16
President's Holiday. Administrative offices closed; Limited service may be available.
Monday, February 15 to Friday, February 19
Reading Week. No classes will be held in undergraduate programs.
Friday, March 25
Good Friday holiday. University closed (no classes).
Monday, April 4
Last day of Fall/Winter Session duration 1 and duration 3 classes. The schedule will be that of
a Friday.
Tuesday, April 5 and Wednesday, April 6
Snow/Reading day. The day of the week missed will determine the replacement schedule for
classes.
Thursday, April 7 to Wednesday, April 20
Final examinations for Fall/Winter duration 1 and duration 3 courses.

ACCOMMODATIONS POLICY
As part of Brock Universitys commitment to a respectful work and learning environment, the
University will make every reasonable effort to accommodate all members of the University
community with disabilities. If you require academic accommodations related to a documented
disability to participate in this course, you are encouraged to contact Services for Students with
Disabilities in the Student Development Centre (4th Floor, Schmon Tower, ex. 3240). You are also
encouraged to discuss any accommodations with the instructor well in advance of due dates and
scheduled assessments.
Short term accommodations arising from illness or other temporary impairment may be discussed
with an appropriate member of the course team (see above). Any request for such
accommodations must include appropriate documentation of the circumstances or situation on

which the request is based (e.g., medical documentation, proof of compassionate considerations
such as a death of a family member, etc.)
You may wish to discuss any academic accommodations with the Instructor (for matters pertaining
to the lecture portion of the course, including midterm tests and exams) and the Senior Lab
Coordinator / Instructor (for matters pertaining to laboratories or assignments associated with the
course).

RESPECTFUL WORK AND LEARNING POLICY

Brock University is committed to building and maintaining a diverse and inclusive community
where our students, staff, faculty, course participants, volunteers and visitors can work and learn
in an environment that respects the dignity and worth of members of the Brock Community. Each
individual has the right to participate, learn and work in an environment that promotes equal
opportunities and prohibits all forms of harassment and discrimination. Each individual has the
responsibility for his/her own behavior and actions and for recognizing and supporting the right of
all individuals to dignity at work and study and to maintain an environment in which this can
flourish.

ACADEMIC INTEGRITY
Academic integrity is a core value of the academic mission of Brock University, and is defined as
the pursuit of knowledge and scholarship through the provision of academic programs and a
learning environment of the highest quality. It is in the interest of the Universitys academic
mission that every student adheres to the highest standards of scholarly integrity. As such,
academic dishonesty is taken seriously: engaging in behaviors that are in breach of, or otherwise
seek to abuse the Universitys academic policy will not be tolerated.
All students should become familiar with Brock's Academic Integrity Policy which is available at:
http://www.brocku.ca/academicintegrity/
Fall Lecture Schedule (2015)
Date
September 10

Topic
Planet Earth and the Solar System

Textbook Reference
Ch. 1, p. 129

September 17

Minerals the building blocks of rocks

Ch. 2, p. 3054

September 24

Igneous Rocks

Ch. 3, p. 5583

October 1

Volcanoes and volcanic processes

Ch. 4, p. 84107

October 8

Weathering, Sediments & Soils

Ch. 5, p. 107130

October 15

Fall Break week NO LECTURES

October 22

Sedimentary rocks, Sedimentary Environments

Ch. 6, p. 131154

October 29
November 5

Midterm Test (Surnames A L, 5:00

5:50PM; M Z, 6:00 6:50 PM)
Metamorphic rocks; the Rock Cycle

Ch. 7, p. 162182

November 12

Crustal Deformation Structural Geology

Ch. 9 p. 204224

November 19

Earthquakes and the Earths Interior; tsunami

Ch. 10 p. 286347

November 26

Plate Tectonics and Paleomagnetism

Ch. 12, p. 271290

December 3

Mountain Building & Continental Frameworks;

Ch. 13, p. 291309

Review

FALL TERM (2015) ERSC 1F01 LAB SCHEDULE

Week Of

Lab

September 7, 2015
September 14, 2015
September 21, 2015
September 28, 2015
October 5, 2015
October 12, 2015
October 19, 2015
October 26, 2015
November 2, 2015
November 9, 2015
November 16, 2015
November 23, 2015
November 30, 2015
December 7, 2015

No labs this week

Minerals I (Week 1 of 2)
Minerals II (Week 2 of 2)
Igneous Rocks
Sedimentary Rocks and Depositional
environments
Fall Term Reading Week (No labs this week)
Metamorphic Rocks
Earthquakes Online lab + Study week for quiz
Mineral and Rock Quiz
Topographic Maps and Contouring
Strike and Dip
Folds
Faults
No labs this week

Lab Grade
Distribution
(%)
1.5%
1.5%
1.5%

1.5%
1.5%
5.0%
1.5%
1.5%
1.5%
1.5%

Winter Lecture Schedule (2016)

Date
January 7

Topic
Geologic Time

Textbook Reference
Ch. 8, p. 182203

January 14

Fossils; History of Life; Uniformitarianism

Ch. 6, p. 155160

January 21

The Ocean Floor

Ch. 11, p. 252270

January 28

Shorelines, Hurricanes

Ch. 19, p. 427444

February 4

Groundwater, Water Resources

Ch. 16, p. 359381 +

330332

February 11

Running Water, Flooding

Ch. 15, p. 332358

February 18

Reading week NO LECTURES

February 25

Midterm Test (Surnames A L, 5:00

5:50PM; M Z, 6:00 6:50 PM)

March 3

Mass wasting: the work of gravity & overview of

Ch. 14, p. 310328

hazards & risk assessment

March 10

Glaciers and Glaciation; Ice Ages and Climate

Ch. 17, p. 382409

Change
March 17

Deserts, Wind, Drought

Ch. 18 p. 410426

March 24

Energy Resources; Atmospheric and other

Ch. 20, p. 467400

Environmental Impacts
March 31

Economic and Environmental Impact of

Ch. 20, p. 445466

Resource Exploitation

WINTER TERM (2016) ERSC 1F01 LAB SCHEDULE

Week Of

December 28, 2015

January 4, 2016
January 11, 2016
January 18, 2016
January 25, 2016
February 1, 2016
February 8, 2016
February 15, 2016
February 22, 2016
February 29, 2016
March 7, 2016
March 14, 2016
March 21, 2016
March 28, 2016

Lab

Lab Grade
Distribution
(%)

No Labs University re-opens Monday,

January 4th, 2016
(Prof. F. McCarthy begins lecturing)
Sequence Diagrams
Paleontology
Oceanography
Coasts
Groundwater
Flooding
No Labs Family Day, Presidents Holiday
and Reading Week
Rivers and Mass Wasting
Glaciation
Acid Rain/Soils
Lab Quiz
FIELD TRIP Charles Daly Park
(Friday lab Field trip week or if Weather
delay)

1.5%
1.5%
1.5%
1.5%
1.5%
1.5%

1.5%
1.5%
1.5%
5.0%
3.0%

INTRODUCTION TO ERSC 1F01 LABS

1) Laboratory exercises for ERSC 1F01 will consist of in lab assignments, lab quizzes, and field
trips. The labs are held in the Mackenzie Chown (MC) Building, Room D309.
2) The lab component of ERSC 1F01 for practical purposes essentially runs independently of the
lecture component. Any questions related to lab material or lab scheduling should go
directly to the Senior lab instructor/coordinator. Questions pertaining to lecture material
should be directed to the lecture instructor.
3) Lab information is posted on Sakai/Isaak. It is the students responsibility to ensure that labs
are printed and brought with you to your registered lab section, before the start of the lab. The
lab instructors will not provide copies of the lab.

4) Lab assignments are due at the end of the lab period (unless otherwise specified). Attendance
for the entire scheduled duration of the lab section is required for complete marks.
5) Labs begin at 2:00 pm and are scheduled for 3 hours. Some labs may take the full three hours
to complete. Other labs may run for a shorter duration. Please do not make arrangements for
other activities before the end of the lab (5 pm).
6) Plan to arrive for the lab shortly before 2:00 pm. There will normally be an introduction lasting
3045 minutes and the remaining time will be devoted to completing the lab assignment. It is
important that you attend the introduction since information necessary to complete the assignment
will be discussed during this time. If you arrive after 2:15 pm you will have missed too much
information and you will be asked to leave that lab. Do not arrive late!
7) A field trip to study areas of local geological interest will take place during the regularly
scheduled lab section periods. The total time for the field trip is expected to run approximately 2.5
to 3 hours, including travel to and from the site. Attendance and participation in the field trip is
required for complete marks. In order to cover the cost of transportation for the field trips (i.e. bus
rental), the Department has instituted a field trip levy. A field trip voucher must be purchased
through the bookstore and handed in to your senior lab instructor.
8) Do not switch lab sections without prior approval from the senior lab instructor/coordinator.
Contact information is available at the top of this outline.
9) If a lab assignment, lab quiz or field trip is missed, it is the students responsibility to contact the
Senior Lab Instructor/Coordinator as soon as possible after the missed lab. Please note that it is
Department and University policy to require medical documentation (i.e. A doctors note) for
missed assignments. A make-up lab section may be assigned during the same week. If no
supporting documentation can be provided, a mark of zero (0) will be assigned for the lab.

10) Scheduling and timing may make it impractical to schedule make up labs. The student is still
responsible for all material that was covered during the missed lab and should contact the senior
lab instructor/coordinator and make arrangements with a classmate to obtain information that was
covered.

LAB ASSIGNMENT LATE POLICY

All in-lab assignments are due at the end of the lab period unless otherwise specified.
Labs that are not handed in at the end of the scheduled lab period will have 10% deducted from
the final mark of the lab assignment per day up until 5 days (including the weekend) (or 50%)
have passed. After 5 days a mark of zero (0 %) will be given for the assignment.
No labs or assignments will be accepted for marking (i.e. student shall receive a mark of 0% on
the assignment) after the assignment has already been marked and handed back to students.