Course syllabus for:

Intended student audience: This course is designed for students with variable backgrounds in geology, from the interested novice to geology majors. An intro course in geology or physical geography is highly suggested. The course will be particularly useful to those involved in teaching earth science as plate tectonics is the central framework with which we make sense of much of the what we see occurring geologically. It will be of interest to anyone seeking a better understanding of how the earth works.

Course Objective: To learn they large scale dyanmics of the earth's surface: e.g. how oceans grow and shrink, how continents are shuffled around, how mountain belts evolve, why volcanism and earthquakes occur where they do, and much more. This in turn tells us about the inner workings of the earth.

Suggestion of how to use web site: In the lecture notes questions are often posed. These questions are linked to answers. Before clicking right away to get the answers you will learn much more if you first try to answer them on your own, and then go to the supplied answers. Since much of science is the art of answering questions, this will give you practice in doing so.

Course Content:

• Week 1: When the earth moves: an introduction to vertical and horizontal tectonics through history of geologic thought.
• Week 2: The hidden half - seafloor spreading.
• Week 3: Parting the continents - continental rifting.
• Week 4: Oceanic crust recyling centers - subduction zones and arc complexes.
• Week 5: The rising mantle leachate - arc complexes.
• Week 6: Sweeping the oceans - suspect and exotic terranes.
• Week 7: Closing the ocean basin and welding continents - collision zones.
• Midterm during Week 8.
• Week 8: A global tour of collision zones.
• Week 9: Slip-sliding away - the character of continental transforms.
• Week 10: Effect of plate tectonics on the history of life.
• Week 11: When did it start - early forms of tectonism.
• Week 12: Pangea, Gondwanaland and the supercontinent hypothesis:
• Week 13: Driving forces:
• Week 14 & 15 : In class presentations on the plate history of a given area.

Grading:

• Midterm: 30% of final grade.
• Final : 30% of final grade
• 10 page paper and 15 minute presentation: 30% of final grade.
• participation in in-class labs: 10% of final grade.

Text: Keary, P., & Vine, Frederick J., 1996, Global Tectonics, 2nd edition, Blackwell Science, Oxford, 333 p.

If you have any questions please do not hesitate to contact me. 554 4807 Thanks.

Course materials for Plate Tectonics, GEOL 3700, University of Nebraska at Omaha. Instructor: H. D. Maher Jr., copyright. This material may be used for non-profit educational purposes with appropriate attribution of authorship. Otherwise please contact author.