GEOS 254
Gulf of California Tectonics and Coastal Ecosystems Spring 2016
Division III Writing Skills
Cross-listed ENVI 254
This is not the current course catalog

Class Details

The coastal zone on Mexico’s Baja California peninsula extends more than 1,000 km from northwest to southeast within the Gulf of California, but the composite length including indented bays and the circumference of more than 40 islands amounts to almost 3,000 km. The ecosystems developed along the shores of this tectonically active and expanding seaway include rocky shores, coastal sand dunes, coral reefs, clam beds, and huge banks of unattached coralline red algae known as rhodoliths. Sequestration of calcium-carbonate (CaCO3) is one factor that all the ecosystems share in common. The products of these limestone-producing systems are surprisingly monumental in physical scale, given the brief 5.5 Ma during which they evolved. Why are these systems so prolific and what physical factors control their biogeography within the context of each island, embayment, or headland? What role is played by changing climate, particularly with respect to patterns of atmospheric and marine circulation associated with El Niño Southern Oscillation (ENSO) cycles traceable back through the Pleistocene and Pliocene? These questions are holistic in scope, and the answers are deeply rooted in the wider region¿s dynamic geological history. The tools used to answer such questions range from the petrographic microscope in examination of tiny bioclastic grains to satellite images in the analysis of landscapes. The object of this course is to demonstrate how a wide range of disciplines in physical geology, geomorphology, paleontology, and ecology combine to provide a broad but balanced picture of a complex region. While not mandatory, all participants are eligible for a 10-day field excursion to the lower Gulf of California near Loreto in Baja California Sur (Mexico) during Spring Break.
The Class: Format: weekly meetings for tutorials
Limit: 10
Expected: 10
Class#: 4004
Grading: no pass/fail option, no fifth course option
Requirements/Evaluation: evaluation will be based on five written papers and weekly participation in discussions.
Extra Info: may not be taken on a pass/fail basis; not available for the fifth course option
Prerequisites: any 100-level course in GEOS; GEOS 201 (Geomorphology) or Geos 212 (Paleobiology) strongly recommended
Enrollment Preferences: sophomores and/or Geosciences majors
Materials/Lab Fee: textbook approx. $25; excursion to Gulf of California at no cost to students
Distributions: Division III Writing Skills
Notes: This course is cross-listed and the prefixes carry the following divisional credit:
GEOS 254 Division III ENVI 254 Division III
Attributes: ENVI Natural World Electives

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