Overview
This course teaches how to reconstruct Earth's ancient past using physical, chemical, and biological proxies preserved in rocks. The learning outcomes include understanding ancient climate trends, evolutionary and extinction events, and the tools covered are physical, chemical, and biological proxies. The teaching method involves breaking down the content into sections covering different types of proxies. The intended audience for this course is individuals interested in Earth history, geology, climate science, and paleontology.
Syllabus
How we reconstruct Earth’s past
Why we study Earth’s past
How paleoclimate proxies work
Physical proxies
Chemical proxies
Stable isotope chemical proxies
Carbon isotope example
Oxygen isotope example
Sulfur isotope example
Trace element chemical proxies
Biochemical proxies biomarkers
Biological proxies fossils
Terrestrial biological proxies
Aquatic biological proxies
Honorable mention proxies
Taught by
GEO GIRL