References
Topics for each class session are listed below. The readings listed in the table refer to the following:
Stanley, Steven M. Earth System History. New York: W. H. Freeman & Co., 1999. (On reserve in Lindgren Library.)
Kump, Lee R., James F. Kasting, and Robert G. Crane. The Earth System. Upper Saddle River, N. J.: Prentice Hall, 1999.
| 1 |
Overview of Course; Time Scales; The Big Bang; Origin and Compositions of the Solar System, Earth and Moon; Creation and Distribution of the Chemical Elements |
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| 2 |
Earth Segregation; Formation and Composition of Early Atmosphere; Characteristics of the 'Habitable Zone' |
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| 3 |
Geologic Evidence for Antiquity of Life |
Stanley, pp. 320-323 |
| 4 |
Theories about the Origin of Life |
Stanley, pp. 306-311 |
| 5 |
Anaerobic Metabolism, Energy Yields, Deep Biosphere |
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| 6 |
Oxygenic Photosynthesis; The Rise of Atmospheric O2 |
Stanley, pp. 257-269 and 323-325 |
| 7 |
Life's Three Domains; Evolution of Algae; Fossil and Biogeochemical Evidence for Their Presence and Evolution through Geological Time |
Stanley, Chap. 3 |
| 8 |
Biogeochemical Carbon Cycle |
Kump et. al., Chap. 7 |
| 9 |
Proterozoic Ocean Chemistry
(Guest Lecturer: Dr. Yanan Shen, Harvard University) |
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| 10 |
The Cambrian Explosion and the Evolution and Radiation of Metazoans
(Guest Lecturer: Professor Andrew Knoll, Harvard University) |
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| 11 |
Long-Term Climate Cycles #1: Faint Young Sun Paradox; CO2-Climate Connection; Proterozoic Glaciations |
Stanley, pp. 269-282 and 325-329 |
| 12 |
Long-Term Climate Cycles #2: Permian Glaciations, The rise of Vascular Plants; Mesozoic Warmth, Cenozoic Cooling; Evolution of Vascular Plants and Ruminants |
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| 13 |
Mass Extinctions #1; PC-C Boundary, P-T Boundary |
Stanley, Chap. 7 and pp. 341-360, 369-386 |
| 14 |
Mass Extinctions and Re-radiation #2; K-T Boundary, LPTM. Volcanism, Carbon Cycle Perturbation or Impact? |
Stanley, Chap. 7 and pp. 341-360, 369-386 |
| 15 |
Biogeochemical Tracers #1: Fractionated Isotopes |
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| 16 |
Biogeochemical Tracers #2: Lipid Biomarkers |
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| 17 |
Biogeochemical Tracers #3: Sedimentary Records of Life and Environment |
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| 18 |
The Fate of Buried Organic Carbon; Petroleum and Natural Gas Occurrence and Distribution |
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| 19 |
Biogeomorphology: Plants and The Landscape
(Guest Lecturer: David Mohrig) |
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| 20 |
Long-term Climate Cycles |
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| 21 |
Methane Hydrates; Formation, Distribution, Potential Role in C-Cylce and Subsurface Ecosystems Dependent upon Them |
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| 22 |
Pleistocene Glaciations, Holocene Climate; Abrupt Climate Change; Anthropogenic Forcing of Climate |
Kump et al., Chap. 11
Stanley, pp. 526-536
Stanley, Chap. 20 |
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Assigned Readings
Catling D. C., K. J. Zahnle, and C. P. McKay. "Biogenic Methane, Hydrogen Escape, and the Irreversible Oxidation of Early Earth." Science 293 (2001): 839-843.
Kasting, J. F. "Earth's Early Atmosphere." Science 259 (1993): 920-926.
Holland, H. D. "Evidence for Life on Earth More than 3850 Million Years ago." Science 275 (1997): 38-39.
Owen, T., R. D. Cess, and V. Ramanathan. "Enhanced CO2 Greenhouse to Compensate for Reduced Solar Luminosity on Early Earth." Nature 277 (1979): 640-642.
Walker, J. C. G., P. B. Hays, and J. F. Kasting. "A Negative Feedback Mechanism for the Long-term Stabilization of Earth's Surface Temperature." J. Geophys. Res. 86 (C10) (1981): 9776-9782.
Recommended Readings
Ahrens, T. J. "The Origin of the Earth." Phys. Today (August, 1994): 38-45.
Holland, H. D. "When did the Earth's Atmosphere become Oxic? A Reply." Geochem. News 100 (July, 1999): 20-22.
Holland, H. D., B. Lazar, and M. McCaffrey. "Evolution of the Atmosphere and Oceans." Nature 320 (1986): 27-33.
Jenkins, G. S., H. G. Marshall, and W. R. Kuhn. "Precambrian Climate: The Effects of Land Area and Earth's Rotation Rate." J. Geophys. Res. 98(D5) (1993): 8785-8791.
Karhu, J., and S. Epstein. "The Implication of the Oxygen Isotope Records in Coexisting Cherts and Phosphates." Geochim. Cosmochim. Acta 50 (1986): 1745-1756.
Kasting, J. F., D. H. Eggler, and S. P. Raeburn. "Mantle Redox Evolution and the Oxidation State of the Archean Atmosphere." J. Geol. 101 (1993): 245-257.
Kump, L. R., and H. D. Holland. "Iron in Precambrian Rocks: Implications for the Global Oxygen Budget of the Ancient Earth." Geochim. Cosmochim. Acta 56 (1992): 3217-3223.
Origin of Life
Schopf, J. W., A. B. Kudryavtsev, D. G. Agresti, T. J. Widowiak, and A. D. Czaja. "Laser-Raman Imagery of Earth's Earliest Fossils." Nature 416 (2002): 73-76.
(Defends biogenicity of 3.5 Ga fossils from Apex chert, W. Australia.)
Brasier, M. D., O. R. Green, A. P. Jephcoat, A. K. Kleppe, M. J. Van Kranendonk, J. F. Lindsay, A. Steele, and N. V. Grassineau, "Questioning the Evidence for Earth's Oldest Fossils." Nature 416 (2002): 76-81.
(Geochemical and morphologic evidence against biogenicity of Apex microfossils.)
Dalton, R. "Squaring up over Ancient Life." Nature 417 (2002): 782-784.
(Dramatized (tabloid!) report of Brasier-Schopf battle over biogenicity of Apex "fossils".)
Gee, H. "That's Life?" Nature 416 (2002): 28.
(Further commentary on debate over Apex fossils.)
van Zuilen, M. A., A. Lepland, and G. Arrhenius. "Reassessing the Evidence for the Earliest Traces of Life." Nature 418 (2002): 627-630.
(Molecular and isotopic evidence for cyanobacteria and oxygenic photosynthesis 2.7 Ga)
Cody, G. D., N. Z. Boctor, T. R. Filley, R. M. Hazen, J. H. Scott, A. Sharma, H. S. Yoder Jr. "Primordial Carbonylated Iron-sulfur Compounds and the Synthesis of Pyruvate." Science 289 (2000): 1337-1340.
Shen, Y., and D. E. Canfield. Isotopic Evidence for Microbial Sulphate Reduction in the Early Archaean Era." Nature 410 (2001): 77-81.
Wächtershäuser, G. "Life as We Don't Know It." Science 289 (2000): 1307-1308. (van Zuilen, Lepland et al. 2002)