Work Placement I
First Co-op work placement (4 months) with an approved employer.
Restriction: open to ERSC Co-op students.
Work Placement II
Second Co-op work placement (4 months) with an approved employer.
Restriction: open to ERSC Co-op students.
Work Placement III
Third Co-op work placement (4 months) with an approved employer.
Restriction: open to ERSC Co-op students.
Work Placement IV
Optional Co-op work placement (4 months) with an approved employer.
Restriction: open to ERSC Co-op students.
Work Placement V
Optional Co-op work placement (4 months) with an approved employer.
Restriction: open to ERSC Co-op students.
Planet Earth
Earth as a member in the solar system, minerals and rocks, plate tectonics, volcanoes, and earthquakes; the fossil record and the history of life; glacial geology, geomorphology, earth surface processes; paleoclimates and future climate change; environmental geoscience, hydrologic cycle, soil-groundwater contamination, hazardous waste disposal and alternatives.
Lectures, lab or local field trip, 5 hours per week.
Prerequisite(s): any two of biology, chemistry, earth sciences, mathematics or physics beyond grade 11 or equivalent.
Note: students may not register concurrently in ERSC 1F90 or 1P92.
Completion of this course will replace previous assigned grade and credit obtained in ERSC 1F90, 1F95, 1P92 and 1P93.
Earth: The Dynamic Planet
Introduction to major Earth Science theories and basic geologic principles. Geography and land-based culture of aboriginal peoples in Northern Ontario. Role of both short- and long-term climate changes in the evolution of ecosystems.
Restriction: permission of the instructor.
Geology and the Environment
Intended primarily for non-science majors. Current hypotheses about the history of planet Earth; the significance of understanding modern environments in interpreting ancient settings and predicting future developments. Topics include earthquake prediction, hazardous waste disposal, floods, erosion, landslides, glaciations, global climate change and historical geology.
Lectures, lab, 2 hours per week.
Note: lab offered on line. Students may not register concurrently in ERSC 1F01 or 1P92. Secondary school sciences are not a prerequisite. Students achieving an exceptional level of performance in ERSC 1F90 may, at the discretion of the department, register in upper year courses.
Completion of this course will replace previous assigned grade and credit obtained in ERSC 1F01, 1F95, 1P92 and 1P93.
Extreme Earth
Extreme low frequency events and the geological record of their causes and effects, including earthquakes, volcanic eruptions, climatic change and impacts with extraterrestrial bodies.
Lectures, 3 hours per week.
Note: students may not register concurrently in ERSC 1F01 or 1F90. Secondary school sciences are not a prerequisite.
Completion of this course will replace previous assigned grade and credit obtained in ERSC 1F01, 1F90 and 1F95.
Co-op Reflective Learning and IntegrationI
Provide student with the opportunity to apply what they've learned in their academic students through career-oriented work experiences at employer sites.
Restriction: open to EVGS and ERSC Co-op students.
Prerequisite(s): SCIE 0N90.
Corequisite(s): ERSC 0N01.
Note: students will be required to prepare learning objectives, participate in a site visit, write a work term report and receive a successful work term performance evaluation.
Co-op Reflective Learning and Integration II
Provide student with the opportunity to apply what they've learned in their academic studies through career-oriented work experiences at employer sites.
Restriction: open to EVGS and ERSC Co-op students.
Prerequisite(s): SCIE 0N90.
Corequisite(s): ERSC 0N02.
Note: students will be required to prepare learning objectives, participate in a site visit, write a work term report and receive a successful work term performance evaluation.
Co-op Reflective Learning and Integration III
Provide student with the opportunity to apply what they've learned in their academic studies through career-oriented work experiences at employer sites.
Restriction: open to EVGS and ERSC Co-op students.
Prerequisite(s): SCIE 0N90.
Corequisite(s): ERSC 0N03.
Note: students will be required to prepare learning objectives, participate in a site visit, write a work term report and receive a successful work term performance evaluation.
Co-op Reflective Learning and Integration IV
Provide student with the opportunity to apply what they've learned in their academic studies through career-oriented work experiences at employer sites.
Restriction: open to EVGS and ERSC Co-op students.
Prerequisite(s): SCIE 0N90.
Corequisite(s): ERSC 0N04.
Note: students will be required to prepare learning objectives, participate in a site visit, write a work term report and receive a successful work term performance evaluation.
Co-op Reflective Learning and Integration V
Provide student with the opportunity to apply what they've learned in their academic studies through career-oriented work experiences at employer sites.
Restriction: open to EVGS and ERSC Co-op students.
Prerequisite(s): SCIE 0N90.
Corequisite(s): ERSC 0N05.
Note: students will be required to prepare learning objectives, participate in a site visit, write a work term report and receive a successful work term performance evaluation.
The History of the Earth
Principles of paleontology, classical stratigraphy, sequence stratigraphy. The origin and evolution of life and the history of the Earth.
Lectures, lab, 5 hours per week.
Prerequisite(s): ERSC 1F01 or 1F90.
Completion of this course will replace previous assigned grade and credit obtained in ERSC 2P32.
Introduction to Meteorology
(also offered as GEOG 2P04)
Principles, structure, composition and processes of the atmosphere; its energy budget, moisture balance and motion. Weather forecasting in middle and low latitudes, forecasting techniques and special problems in applied meteorology.
Lectures, lab, 4 hours per week.
Restriction: open to ERSC (single or combined), GEOG (single or combined) and GEOG (Honours)/BEd (Intermediate/Senior) majors until date specified in Registration guide. After that date open to ERSC (single, combined or general studies), GEOG (single or combined), GEOG (Honours)/BEd (Intermediate/Senior), GHUM, SOSC majors, ERSC and GEOG minors until date specified in Registration guide.
Prerequisite(s): ERSC 1F01, GEOG 1F91 or permission of instructor.
Completion of this course will replace previous assigned grade and credit obtained in TREN 2P04.
Earth Surface Processes
(also offered as GEOG 2P05)
Earth surface processes and geomorphology within global environments. A dynamic and physically based account of processes and the Earth's surface, linking the fields of sedimentology, physical geography and fluid mechanics.
Lectures, lab, field work, 5 hours per week.
Restriction: open to ERSC (single or combined), GEOG (single or combined) and GEOG (Honours)/BEd (Intermediate/Senior) majors until date specified in Registration guide.
Prerequisite(s): ERSC 1F01 or GEOG 1F91.
Completion of this course will replace previous assigned grade and credit obtained in TREN 2P05.
Foundations of Geomatics
(also offered as GEOG 2P07 and IASC 2P07)
Introduction to spatial, metric, graphic and other concepts common to cartography, remote sensing and geographic information systems (GIS). Properties of digital maps and air photos and satellite imagery. Principles of map compilation and design. Practical experience in computer mapping, image interpretation and GIS analysis.
Lectures, lab, 4 hours per week.
Restriction: open to ERSC (single or combined), GEOG (single or combined), (Honours)/BEd (Intermediate/Senior) and IASC (single or combined) majors until date specified in Registration guide.
Prerequisite(s): one of ERSC 1F01, GEOG 1F90, 1F91 or permission of the instructor.
Introduction to Oceanography
Overview of the oceans, their origin, composition, circulation, geology and biota, from the coastal zone to the abyss. Importance of oceanography to humans, history of oceanography, overview of marine hazards and resources, ocean-atmosphere interactions and the global climate.
Lectures, lab, 5 hours per week.
Restriction: open to ERSC (single or combined) majors until date specified in Registration guide.
Prerequisite(s): one of ERSC 1F01, 1F90, BIOL 1F90, GEOG 1F91.
Completion of this course will replace previous assigned grade and credit obtained in GEOG 2P15.
Sedimentology
Basic clastic sedimentology (grain size, shape, porosity/permeability, fabric) including fundamentals of unidirectional and oscillatory water flows, sediment transport under such flows and resulting sedimentary structures. Clastic rock classification.
Lectures, lab, 5 hours per week.
Prerequisite(s): ERSC 1F01 or GEOG 1F91.
Completion of this course will replace previous assigned grade and credit obtained in GEOG 2P16.
Earth Science Methods
(also offered as GEOG 2P17)
Introduction to the study and description, in the field and the lab of, sedimentary, igneous and metamorphic rocks; structural analysis of geological maps.
Lectures, lab, field trips, 5 hours per week.
Prerequisite(s): ERSC 1F01 or GEOG 1F91.
Introduction to Mineralogy and Mineral Associations
Introduction to mineral identification, composition, and structure; crystal systems, symmetry operations; crystal growth and defects.
Lectures, lab, 6 hours per week.
Prerequisite(s): ERSC 1F01.
Note: 4U/M Chemistry recommended.
Optical Mineralogy
Properties of light and its interaction with mineral grains: reflection, refraction, polarization, interference phenomena, extinction, colour and pleochroism. Refractometry; isotropic, uniaxial and biaxial optics; interpretation of interference figures. Transmitted light petrography in the identification of and familiarization with major rock-forming minerals in grain mounts and in thin section.
Lectures, lab, 6 hours per week.
Prerequisite(s): ERSC 2P21.
Environmental Geoscience
Natural geological processes and anthropogenic impacts, flooding, landslides, earthquakes, volcanic activity, global warming and climate change. Hydrogeology and human activity, surface and groundwater supply and use, solid waste and hazardous waste disposal. Mineral and energy resources, pollution and alternatives. Professional environmental geosciences practices.
Lectures, seminar, 4 hours per week.
Prerequisite(s): ERSC 1F01.
Structural Geology
Measurement and effects of stress and strain. Genesis of brittle and ductile structures and their classification. Methods of structural analysis.
Lectures, lab, 5 hours per week.
Prerequisite(s): ERSC 2P17.
Completion of this course will replace previous grade in ERSC 2P01.
Paleontology and Paleobiology
Biodiversity and ecosystems through geologic time; micro and macro evolution in paleobiology and evolutionary biology; large scale environmental change and the fossil record; functional morphology; phylogenetic and cladistic analysis of the fossil record.
Lectures, lab, 5 hours per week.
Prerequisite(s): ERSC 2P03.
Completion of this course will replace previous assigned grade and credit obtained in ERSC 2P32.
Geographic Information Systems
(also offered as GEOG 3P05 and IASC 3P05)
Principles and use of computer-based systems for capturing, managing, manipulating, analysing and displaying data relating to the Earth's surface emphasizing raster applications. Practical work using ArcGIS.
Lectures, lab, 5 hours per week.
Restriction: open to ERSC (single or combined), GEOG (single or combined), GEOG (Honours)/BEd (Intermediate/Senior) and IASC majors until date specified in Registration guide. After that date open to ERSC (single, combined or general studies), GEOG (single or combined), GEOG (Honours)/BEd (Intermediate/Senior), IASC (single or combined), GHUM, SOSC majors, ERSC, GEOG and IASC minors until date specified in Registration guide.
Prerequisite(s): ERSC 2P07 or permission of the instructor.
Remote Sensing
(also offered as GEOG 3P07)
Theory and practice of remote sensing. Multispectral, hyperspectral, thermal, radar and laser imaging of the Earth's surface from airborne and spaceborne platforms. Image interpretation and image-analysis techniques.
Lectures, lab, 4 hours per week.
Restriction: open to ERSC (single or combined), GEOG (single or combined) and GEOG (Honours)/BEd (Intermediate/Senior) majors until date specified in Registration guide. After that date open to ERSC (single, combined or general studies), GEOG (single or combined), GEOG (Honours)/BEd (Intermediate/Senior), GHUM, SOSC majors, ERSC and GEOG minors until date specified in Registration guide.
Prerequisite(s): ERSC 2P07 or permission of the instructor.
Chemical and Carbonate Sedimentology
Genesis of Evaporites; petrography and cathodoluminescence of carbonate grains; skeletal structures and chemistry; recent carbonate environments; evolution of carbonate mounds; chemical theory of carbonate grains; textural, structural and chemical limestone diagenesis; dolomitization, silicification and pyritization of carbonate grains.
Lectures, tutorial, 3 hours per week.
Prerequisite(s): ERSC 2P17 and 2P21 or permission of the instructor.
Completion of this course will replace previous assigned grade and credit obtained in ERSC 3P10.
Stratigraphy
Fundamentals of lithostratigraphy, biostratigraphy, chronostratigraphy, magnetostratigraphy, geochronology and introduction to the International Stratigraphic Guide; geological time scale, Milankovitch and sub-Milankovitch cyclicity, subsurface geology techniques and correlation, sequence stratigraphy, geological history of southern Ontario.
Lectures, lab, seminar, 5 hours per week.
Prerequisite(s): ERSC 2P16.
Completion of this course will replace previous assigned grade and credit obtained in ERSC 3P10.
Applied Climatology
(also offered as GEOG 3P13)
Studies in selected topics from the field of energy and moisture exchanges, air pollution, climatic change, climatic impact assessment and bioclimatology. Human impact on the climate along with applied microclimatological investigations and climatic data analysis.
Lectures, lab, 4 hours per week.
Restriction: open to ERSC (single or combined), GEOG (single or combined) and GEOG (Honours)/BEd (Intermediate/Senior) majors until date specified in Registration guide. ERSC (single or combined), GEOG (single or combined, GEOG (Honours)/BEd (Intermediate/Senior), BA General Studies, BSc General Studies majors, ERSC and GEOG minors until date specified in Registration guide.
Prerequisite(s): ERSC 2P04 or permission of the instructor.
Igneous and Metamorphic Petrology
Igneous rocks: nomenclature and classification; magmatic processes. Application of one, two and three component phase diagrams to interpret the formation of igneous rocks. Metamorphic rocks: types, classification, mineral parageneses. Labs include the study of rocks in thin section, their mineralogy, textures, origin and classification.
Lectures, lab, 6 hours per week.
Prerequisite(s): ERSC 2P22 and CHEM 1F92.
Glacial Geomorphology/Geology
(also offered as GEOG 3P24)
Introduction to glaciology; glacial processes, glacial deposits; their genesis and sedimentology. Relationship of glacial processes to landforms and surface topography. Glacial systems and facies associations. Applied aspects of glacial geology, such as drift exploration.
Lectures, lab, field work, 5 hours per week.
Prerequisite(s): ERSC 2P05.
Quaternary Geology
(also offered as GEOG 3P25)
Glaciations in the geological record, causes of glaciations, biotic responses to climatic changes, eustatic and isostatic sea level changes in response to glaciation, Quaternary stratigraphy and correlation of glacial and non-glacial events, application of Quaternary geology to economic and environmental problems, methods of paleoclimatic reconstruction.
Lectures, lab, 5 hours per week.
Prerequisite(s): ERSC 2P03, 2P16, 3P24 or permission of the instructor.
Glacial Soils and Sediments
(also offered as GEOG 3P26)
Applied aspects of glacial deposits. Geotechnical and pedochemical properties and structural attributes of glacial soils and sediments. Micromorphology, glacial soil discontinuity analyses. Introductory aspects of soil mechanics. Drift exploration. Landfill problems and issues related to glacial soils and sediments.
Lectures, lab, 5 hours per week.
Prerequisite(s): ERSC 3P24.
Geochemistry
Formation of the elements; nucleo-synthesis and cosmic abundances; classification of elements; crystal chemistry, bond energy, crystal defects and elemental partitioning/distribution; kinetic chemistry, elemental diffusion, nucleation and transformation; aqueous geochemistry, water-mineral interactions; Gibbs free energy and the formation/weathering of igneous, metamorphic and sedimentary rocks; introduction to isotope geochemistry.
Lectures, tutorial, 4 hours per week.
Prerequisite(s): CHEM 1F92.
Biodiversity
(also offered as GEOG 3P33)
Dispersal and migration, adaptation; speciation, extinction; ecological interaction, species invasion, plant and animal introductions, habitat fragmentation and application of biogeographical theory to conservation biology, and human impacts on fire regimes.
Lectures, lab, field work, 6 hours per week.
Prerequisite(s): one of BIOL 2P05, 2Q04, GEOG (ERSC) 2P09 or permission of the instructor.
Biomonitoring and Environmental Stress Assessment
(also offered as GEOG 3P35)
Use of biodiversity indicators, field methods and passive and active sensors to assess environmental quality. Collection and analysis of quantitative and qualitative data to investigate urban air and water pollution and forest health.
Lab, 3 hours per week.
Restriction: students must have a minimum of 10.0 overall credits and permission of the Department.
Prerequisite(s): one of ERSC 1F01, BIOL 1F90, GEOG (ERSC) 2P09 or permission of the instructor.
Note: three weekend field trips in September. Students are expected to pay their expenses.
Geography of Water Resources
(also offered as GEOG 3P83)
Physical and human factors affecting patterns of use and development of water resources. Emphasis on patterns of supply and demand, approaches to development and management of the resource, problems and alternative strategies.
Lectures, lab, 4 hours per week.
Restriction: open to ERSC (single or combined), GEOG (single or combined) and GEOG (Honours)/BEd (Intermediate/Senior) majors until date specified in Registration guide. After that date open to ERSC (single, combined or general studies), GEOG (single or combined), GEOG (Honours)/(Intermediate/Senior), GHUM, SOSC majors, ERSC and GEOG minors until date specified in Registration guide.
Prerequisite(s): one of ERSC 1F01, GEOG 1F90, 1F91, 2P02, 2P13 or permission of the instructor.
Ecology of a Changing Planet
(also offered as BIOL 3P85 and GEOG 3P85)
Impact of environmental change and human activity on ecosystems. Topics include climate change and global warming, habitat fragmentation, extinction, invasive species, conservation biology and the management of ecological integrity.
Lectures, lab, 5 hours per week.
Prerequisite(s): one of BIOL 2P05, 2Q04, GEOG (ERSC) 2P09.
Volcanology
Survey of volcanoes, their distribution, forms, composition, eruptive products and styles, and potential hazards.
Lectures, lab, 6 hours per week.
Prerequisite(s): ERSC 2P05 and 2P21; one of CHEM 1F92, MATH 1P97, 1P98, one-half PHYS credit numbered 1P21 to 1P93.
Completion of this course will replace previous assigned grade and credit obtained in GEOG 3P90.
Advanced Field Methods in Quaternary Science
(also offered as GEOG 3P92)
Introduction to Quaternary landscape evolution in Alaska. Mapping of active glacial margins, analysis of stagnant ice terrain, paleosol mapping, relative dating techniques, glacial hydrology, subglacial sediment sampling, surface exposure dating and lake/bog coring. Collecting, recording and interpreting field data and preparing a comprehensive field report.
Lectures, 1 hour per week; fieldwork, 2 weeks.
Restriction: permission of the Department.
Note: lectures will be held at Brock University during winter term and fieldwork will be held in Alaska during spring/summer session. Students must be a minimum of 18 years of age, have a valid passport and are expected to pay their own expenses.
Advanced Igneous Petrology
Igneous petrogenesis, with emphasis on the physical chemistry of igneous processes; igneous rock complexes; studies of a number of petrologically important areas.
Lectures, lab, 6 hours per week.
Prerequisite(s): ERSC 3P21.
Advanced Geographic Information Systems
(also offered as GEOG 3P95)
Further study of geographic information systems emphasizing vector and database applications and advanced analytical operations. Practical work using ArcGIS and MapInfo Professional.
Lectures, lab, 5 hours per week.
Restriction: open to ERSC (single or combined), GEOG (single or combined) and GEOG (Honours)/BEd (Intermediate/Senior) majors until date specified in Registration guide. ERSC (single or combined), GEOG (single or combined), GEOG (Honours)/BEd (intermediate/Senior), BA General Studies, BSc General Studies majors, ERSC and GEOG minors until date specified in Registration guide.
Prerequisite(s): ERSC 3P05.
Special Topics in Earth Sciences I
Selected issues and various methods of inquiry related to faculty expertise.
Restriction: open to ERSC (single or combined) majors with a minimum 70 percent major average, a minimum of 10.0 overall credits and permission of the chair and supervising instructor.
Special Topics in Earth Sciences II
Selected issues and various methods of inquiry related to faculty expertise.
Restriction: open to ERSC (single or combined) majors with a minimum 70 percent major average, a minimum of 10.0 overall credits and permission of the chair and supervising instructor.
Ore Geology
Mode of occurrence, distribution, genesis, evaluation of and exploration for metallic and industrial mineral deposits. Includes ore petrology and geochemistry as well as theory of ore deposition in hydrothermal systems.
Lectures, lab, seminar, 6 hours per week.
Prerequisite(s): ERSC 3P21.
Note: ERSC 3P31 is recommended.
Field Camp-Solid Earth
Two-week immersion course offered after final examinations in year 3 introducing students to collecting, recording and synthesizing field data, airphoto mapping, preparing geologic maps and reports. Field area, situated in northern Ontario, consists of Archaean, Proterozoic and Paleozoic lithologies.
Restriction: open to students with a minimum of 13.0 overall credits and permission of the Department.
Note: students are expected to pay their own expenses.
Field School-Quaternary Geology
(also offered as GEOG 3Q99)
Field and laboratory methods for analysis of Quaternary landscapes based on field sites including fluvial, hillslope, coastal, glacial, and biosphere examples.
Restriction: permission of the Department.
Prerequisite(s): ERSC 2P17.
Note: students are expected to pay their own expenses.
Thesis
Research on geological problems involving field or laboratory study under faculty supervision.
Restriction: open to ERSC (Honours) (single or combined) majors with a minimum of 13.5 overall credits and a minimum major average of 75 percent.
Note: submission and oral examination of thesis are required.
Advanced Structural Geology
Exploration of topics relevant to structural geology through the study of the scientific literature. Topics may vary.
Lectures, seminar, lab, 5 hours per week.
Prerequisite(s): ERSC 3P01.
Advanced Remote Sensing
(also offered as GEOG 4P07)
Theory and practice of in situ, airborne and spaceborne remote sensing. Emphasis on techniques used to study natural and human-made environments. Topics include data acquisition and preprocessing, image analysis, accuracy assessment and the production of information products. Image processing and analyses using commercially available image-analysis software.
Lab, 3 hours per week.
Restriction: open to ERSC (single or combined),GEOG (single or combined) and GEOG (Honours)/BEd (Intermediate/Senior( majors until date specified in Registration guide. Students must have approval to year 4 (honours).
Prerequisite(s): ERSC 3P07 or permission of the instructor.
Advanced Clastic Sedimentology
Team study of the subsurface geology of a selected area of a Lake Erie gas field. Drill cores and geophysical logs are used to correlate lithostratigraphic units and to construct structure contour maps and isopach maps of gas-bearing strata. Introduction to sedimentary facies models.
Lab, seminar, 4 hours per week.
Prerequisite(s): ERSC 2P16.
Advanced Geochemistry
Lithogeochemistry and spectroscopy, analytical methods in geochemistry, analysis and interpretation of stable and radioactive isotopes, aqueous geochemistry including equilibrium in real fluids, carbonate and silica equilibria, redox, metal solubility, geothermal, and fluid inclusions.
Lectures, 3 hours per week.
Prerequisite(s): ERSC 3P31.
Precambrian Geology
Archaean and Proterozoic evolution of the Earth examining: geology, tectonics, stratigraphy and history of the Precambrian; evolution of the Earth's crust; Precambrian time scale; evolution of life, oceans and atmosphere.
Lectures, seminar, 4 hours per week.
Prerequisite(s): ERSC 3P21.
Advanced Metamorphic Petrology
Synthesis of metamorphic textures, compositional variations and field characteristics with emphasis on the temperature-pressure relations of the metamorphic rocks and the role of fluids in metamorphism.
Lectures, lab, 6 hours per week.
Prerequisite(s): ERSC 3P21.
Mineral Identification and Petrography of Ore Minerals
Transmitted-light microscope, optical properties of sulphide and oxide minerals as well as metals, ore mineral textures and examination of ore minerals in several geological settings.
Lab, 3 hours per week.
Prerequisite(s): ERSC 2P21 and 3P98.
Note: ERSC 3P98 may be taken concurrently with ERSC 4P25.
Stream Structure and Function
(also offered as BIOL 4P26 and GEOG 4P26)
Exploration of the physical, chemical and biological characteristics of stream systems.
Seminar, lab, field work, 3 hours per week.
Restriction: open to ERSC (single or combined), BIOL (single or combined), BIOL (Honours)/BEd (Intermediate/Senior), GEOG (single or combined) and GEOG (Honours)/BEd (Intermediate/Senior) majors until date specified in Registration guide. Students must have approval to year 4 (honours).
Prerequisite(s): one of BIOL 2P05, 2Q04, GEOG (ERSC) 2P09 or permission of the instructor.
Advanced Glacial Sedimentology
(also offered as GEOG 4P28)
Sedimentology of present day glacial environments and of Quaternary sediments. Thermo-mechanical principles of glacier physics as applied to past and present glacier ice conditions. Glacial lithofacies associations. Glacio-tectonics and diagenesis. Principles of glacial erosion, entrainment and deposition.
Lectures, lab, local field trip, 3 hours per week.
Prerequisite(s): ERSC 3P24 and 3P26.
Watershed Analysis
Hydrologic/watershed cycle; fundamentals and principles of watersheds-interaction of hydrosphere-lithosphere-biosphere; physical characteristics, effects and controls of stream sediments/contaminants/pollutants; aqueous geochemistry; introduction to watershed toxicology. Investigation of concerns with several watersheds. Major study and report of a local subwatershed.
Lectures, lab, local field work, 4 hours per week.
Prerequisite(s): one of ERSC 3P31, BIOL 3P71, 3P72, CHEM 2P42.
Note: students must supply their own safety equipment (safety glasses and lab coats).
Late Cenozoic Dinoflagellate Cysts
Biology and ecology of modern cyst-producing dinoflagellates, and the record of dinoflagellate cysts through the late Cenozoic including their morphology, taxonomy, paleoecology, biostratigraphy, molecular phylogeny and evolution. Topics include marine paleoenvironmental reconstruction, paleoceanography, paleoclimatology and oil industry applications.
Lectures, lab, seminar, 3 hours per week.
Prerequisite(s): ERSC 3P03 or permission of the instructor.
Petroleum Geology
Hydrocarbon exploration and exploitation, including physical and chemical properties of petroleum, methods of exploration, the subsurface environment, generation and migration of petroleum, reservoirs, traps and seals, sedimentary basins and petroleum systems with emphasis on Canada, nonconventional petroleum resources, and the economics and geopolitics of petroleum.
Lectures, lab, seminar, 4 hours per week.
Prerequisite(s): ERSC 3P12 (3P10).
Mining Geology
Mining operations, types of mining methods, geological mapping in open pit mines and underground mines (flat and inclined development), plotting of mapping and projection onto cross-sections, exploration drilling and logging (core and chip logging), and geological interpretation.
Lab, 3 hours per week.
Prerequisite(s): ERSC 3P98 and 3P99.
Note: ERSC 3P98 may be taken concurrently.
Hydrology
Distribution and variation of run-off, recurrence of floods and droughts; fluvial processes and sediment transport; limnology; hydrologic and water management techniques; fundamentals of groundwater geology; surface and groundwater interaction.
Lectures, lab, local field trip, 5 hours per week.
Prerequisite(s): ERSC 2P16 or permission of the instructor.
Introduction to Dendrochronology
(also offered as GEOG 4P80)
Fundamental principles of tree-ring analysis and applications to address contemporary issues in the fields of climate and environmental change, geomorphology, archaeology, and ecology.
Lectures, local field trip, 3 hours per week.
Restriction: open to ERSC (single or combined), GEOG (single or combined) and GEOG (Honours)/BEd (Intermediate/Senior) majors until date specified in Registration guide. Students must have approval to year 4 (honours).
Prerequisite(s): one of BIOL 2P05, 2Q04, GEOG (ERSC) 2P09 or permission of the instructor.
Ecosystems and Changing Disturbance Regimes
(also offered as BIOL 4P85 and GEOG 4P85)
Terrestrial ecosystem response to large-scale environmental change. Topics may include disturbance regimes, adaptation, alteration of biogeochemical cycles, invasive species and range shifts, carbon cycle feedbacks, predicting future climate and vegetation impacts, change detection, scaling-up and nonlinearity.
Lectures, seminar, 3 hours per week.
Prerequisite(s): ERSC 3P85 or permission of the instructor.