Week

Theme & text chap.

Wednesday class

Friday class

Lab

Week 1

Sep. 5 &  7

A

-

Long-term factors that drive the earth’s climate: solar evolution, tectonism, continental locations, weathering, volcanism, sea-floor spreading, ocean currents.

Medium-term climate drivers (Milankovitch cycles), and feedbacks: albedo, atmospheric composition, ocean current changes

no lab

Week 2

Sep. 12 & 14

B

1

No class

Past glaciations: 3000 & 2400 Ma, Snowball Earth, Paleozoic, Mesozoic and Cenozoic glaciations, evidence for past glaciations.

Track the Permian glaciation

Week 3 Sep. 19 & 21

C

-

Understanding Cenozoic glaciations: Ocean sediments, ice cores, isotopes.  (Reminder regarding Whistler trip)

Studying Cenozoic glaciations: Tree rings, coral growth rings, speleothems, glacial sediments, sea-level changes.

Whistler field trip

Week 4

Sep. 26 & 28

A

-

Milankovitch cycles in the glacial record, Glacials & interglacials, stadials & interstadials

Climate feedbacks (greenhouse gases, albedo, ocean currents), sea-level change

Atlantic

See-saw

Week 5 Oct. 3 & 5

C

-

The Sangamonian/Eemian interglacial, the last glacial maximum.

The last deglaciation, Younger Dryas, the present interglacial.

Start on Whistler poster

Week 6

Oct. 10 &12

C

2

Continental glaciers in Antarctica and Greenland.

Continental glaciers in Arctic Canada (Devon Is.), Svalbard and Iceland (Vatnajokull).  Alpine glaciers around the world.

Abyss area field trip

Week 7

Oct. 17 &19

C

2

Alpine glaciers in British Columbia, Alberta and Yukon.

Anthropogenic climate change and glacial retreat, the next glaciation

Gravel pit field trip

Week 8

Oct. 24 & 26

E

3

Cold- versus warm-base glaciers, forces within ice sheets

Accumulation versus ablation, equilibrium line.

Field trip for strat. column

Week 9

Oct. 31 & Nov. 2

D

5&6

Erosion mechanisms and features beneath continental and alpine glaciers

Deposition in areas of continental glaciation (eskers, drumlins, ground moraine, terminal moraines, kettles etc.)

Lichen chronology

Week 10

Nov. 7 & 9

D

7,8,9

Deposition in areas of alpine glaciation (lateral moraines, eskers, kames, outwash) 

Characteristics of glacial diamictons (e.g., lodgement vs ablation till, importance of bedrock type)

Identify run-of-river sites

Week 11

Nov. 14 & 16

D

10

Glacio-fluvial deposits, glacio-lacustrine and glacio-marine deposits

No class (BCGS day)

Week 12 Nov. 21 & 23

F

12

C-14, lichen, Pb-210, fission  track, ash layers, etc.

Erosion in areas of alpine glaciation, instability of glacial deposits

Complete whistler poster

Week 13 Nov. 28 & 30

F

-

Glaciation and run-of-river hydro in BC

Sampling tills (e.g., Lac de Gras), eskers, boulders (e.g., Athabasca Basin) , lakes

no lab