I. General Information

1. Course Title:
Geology of National Parks

2. Course Prefix & Number:
ESCI 1400

3. Course Credits and Contact Hours:

Credits: 3

Lecture Hours: 3

Lab Hours: 0

Internship Hours: 0

4. Course Description:

This introductory course is a survey of the principles of geology, thematically centered on the processes that shaped the continent of North America, with special emphasis on the National Parks and Monuments of the United States. It includes topics such as plate tectonics, mountain building, volcanoes, faults and faulting, erosion by water, wind, and ice, ice ages, glacial landscapes, fossilization, and geologic time. Students will apply newly acquired geologic skills to case studies of individual national parks.

5. Placement Tests Required:

Accuplacer (specify test):

NReading College Level CLC or Reading College Level

Score:

6. Prerequisite Courses:

There are no prerequisites for this course.

9. Co-requisite Courses:

There are no corequisites for this course.

II. Transfer and Articulation

1. Course Equivalency - similar course from other regional institutions:

MN State University, Moorhead, GEOL 102 Geology in the National Parks, 3 credits
North Hennepin Community College, GEOL 1990 Geology of National Parks, 3 credits

2. Transfer - regional institutions with which this course has a written articulation agreement:

III. Course Purpose

1. Program-Applicable Courses – This course is required for the following program(s):

2. MN Transfer Curriculum (General Education) Courses - This course fulfills the following goal area(s) of the MN Transfer Curriculum:

• Goal 3 – Natural Sciences
• Goal 10 – People and the Environment

IV. Learning Outcomes

1. College-Wide Outcomes

College-Wide Outcomes/Competencies	Students will be able to:
Demonstrate written communication skills	Demonstrate ability to explain in writing geoscientific principles, using discipline specific terminology, in a way that is consistent with theoretical underpinnings of the principle in question.
Demonstrate reading and listening skills	Demonstrate reading and listening skills with contemporary geologic literature and recordings of professional geologists.
Apply abstract ideas to concrete situations	Apply contemporary theory to geologic situations.

2. Course Specific Outcomes - Students will be able to achieve the following measurable goals upon completion of the course:

• Demonstrate an understanding of the theoretical underpinnings of geology as it applies to the continental geology of North America.  MnTC Goal 3
• Evaluate contemporary issues surrounding interpretation of national park geology, and the dilemma of park resource preservation and protection versus accessibility.  MnTC Goal 3
• Understand and discuss the deeper implications of the geologic concept of "deep time" versus the public's general tendency for a non-scientific approach to earth history.  MnTC Goal 3
• Juxtapose the national park system's preservation mandate with the fact that geologic processes are nonstatic, degradation of spectacular resources being a natural consequence of such processes.  MnTC Goal 3
• Distinguish the "concentration of impact" national park visitors have on park geology, as well as corollary impact by park staff in attempts at reducing visitor impact.  MnTC Goal10
• Describe the roles of public, private, for-profit, and not-for-profit stakeholders in maintaining the balance between geologic preservation and access.  MnTC Goal10
• Evaluate issues of pollution and geologic resource degradation in individual parks and what is being done.  MnTC Goal10
• Propose alternative approaches to geologic resource preservation in light of the national park's diametrically opposite responsibilities of preservation and providing access.  MnTC Goal10
• Visualize underlying geolic processes by analzing surface, surficial, and structural data.
• Perform basic geologic field investigations using modern geologic analytical methods.

V. Topical Outline

Listed below are major areas of content typically covered in this course.

1. Lecture Sessions

1. Scenery Developed by Weathering and Erosion of Flat-Lying Rocks: Grand Canyon NP, Zion NP, Bryce Canyon NP, Capitol Reef NP, Canyonlands NP, Arches NP, Mesa Verde NP, Petrified Forest NP, Badlands NP, Theodore Roosevelt NP, Kobuk Valley NP, Great Sand Dunes NP, Cuyahoga NP.
• Geologic time and the geologic time scale.
• Mineral, rocks, and classification of geologic materials.
• Sedimentary rocks and the concept of sedimentary environments.
• Plate tectonics, accretionary wedges, and terranes.
• Processes of weathering, erosion, deposition, mass wasting, stream erosion, how arches and natural bridges form.
• Fossilization, petrified wood, geodes, desert varnish, and caliche.
• Watersheds, fluvial environments, flood plains and sand dunes.
• Lab-Like Experience: Modeling a meandering river system using a stream table.
2. Caves and Reefs: Mammoth Cave NP, Wind Cave NP, Carlsbad Caverns NP, Guadalupe Mountains NP, Virgin Islands NP, Everglades NP, Biscayne NP, Dry Tortugas NP.
• The formation of limestone and dolomite.
• The role of groundwater in cave formation – solution weathering.
• Stratigraphy and geologic structures.
• Solutional and depositional features in caves.
• Fossil reefs
• Coral reefs.
• The geologic role of wetland ecosystems and mangrove swamps.
• Lab-Like Experience: Mapping an ancient reef using fossil assemblages
3. Landscapes Shaped by Continental or Alpine Glaciation: Voyageurs NP, Isle Royale NP, Acadia NP, Rocky Mountain NP, Waterton-Glacier International Peace Park, Gates of the Arctic NP, Yosemite NP, North Cascades NP, Olympic NP, Glacier Bay NP, Wrangell-St. Elias NP, Kenai Fjords NP, Denali NP.
• The theory of glacial ages.
• Types of glaciers.
• How glaciers form and move.
• Glacial erosion and deposition.
• Radiometric dating with Carbon-14.
• Lab-Like Experience: Determining glacial provenance with rock-counts.
4. Volcanic Features and Volcanic Activity: Mount Ranier NP, Crater Lake NP, Lassen Volcanic NP, Katmai NP, Lake Clark NP, Hawaii Volcanoes NP, Haleakala NP, The National Park of American Samoa, Yellowstone NP.
• Characteristics of Lava
• Classification of lava and extrusive rocks.
• Types of volcanoes and volcanic belts.
• Volcanic hazards.
• Hot spot theory.
• Hot springs and geysers.
• Lab-Like Experience: Distinguishing eruptive style by analysis of local volcanic rocks.
5. Landscapes and Structures in Areas of Complex Mountains.
• Geologic structures.
• Joints, faults, folds, and fault movements.
• Landforms in arid lands. Aeolian landscapes. Desert dunes.
• Playa lakes and bajadas.
• Climatic zones and precipitation.
• Drainage systems and divides.
• Hot springs.
• Lab-Like Experience: Crossbedding and ancient Aeolian environments.

2. Laboratory/Studio Sessions

Non-lab course. Lab-like experiences are listed in the topical outline above.