I. General Information

1. Course Title:
Minnesota Geology

2. Course Prefix & Number:
ESCI 1421

3. Course Credits and Contact Hours:

Credits: 3

Lecture Hours: 2

Lab Hours: 2

Internship Hours: 0

4. Course Description:

This is an introduction to the unique geologic history of Minnesota. The course is designed for the science and non-science major yearning for insight into the varied and interesting geology of Minnesota. The course includes the geologic history, mineral resources, rocks, waters and local geology. Environmental concerns pertinent to Minnesota will also be considered. Field trips outside of scheduled class and lab time are required.

5. Placement Tests Required:

Accuplacer (specify test):

Reading 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:

Anoka-Ramsey Community College, NATS 1003 Geology, 4 credits
Bemidji State University, EAS 109 The Geologic Environment, 3 credits

III. Course Purpose

2. MN Transfer Curriculum (General Education) Courses - This course fulfills the following goal area(s) of the MN Transfer Curriculum:
Goal 3 – Natural Sciences

IV. Learning Outcomes

1. College-Wide Outcomes

College-Wide Outcomes/Competencies	Students will be able to:
Demonstrate written communication skills	Demonstrate written communication skills in laboratory reports and other assignments.
Demonstrate reading and listening skills	Demonstrate their understanding of contemporary geoscience literature and recordings of professional geologists.
Apply abstract ideas to concrete situations	Correctly explain laboratory and field observations in the context of contemporary geoscientific theories.
Work as a team member to achieve shared goals	Work with lab teams to accomplish a common geoscientific goal.

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

• Demonstrate understanding of the theoretical foundations that are used in interpreting Minnesota's geological history.  MnTC Goal 3
• Apply standard field practices to test hypothesis relevant to the geology of Minnesota.  MnTC Goal 3
• Examine, measure and evaluate environmental issues relevant to society's use of Minnesota's geological environment.  MnTC Goal 3
• Apply the principles of rock formation and the rock cycle to interpret laboratory specimens.
• Interpret underlying geologic processes using surface observations.
• Demonstrate an understanding of the processes of weathering, transport, and deposition.
• Apply the theory of the North American mid-continental rift to describe the current landscape of northeastern Minnesota.
• Investigate features of glacial landscapes and interpret their formation history.
• Describe the role of humans in modern geologic processes.

V. Topical Outline

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

1. Lecture Sessions

1. 1.  Course Introduction:  Where Minnesota fits in the larger context of Earth history.
• An applied introduction to rocks and minerals
• Plate Tectonics
• The principles of geologic dating and the fossil record
2. Geologic History of Minnesota
• Early Precambrian Time (4,500 to 2,500 Million Years Ago
• The original crust of the Earth?
• Ancient volcanism
• Granitic emplacement and orogenies.
• Middle Precambrian Time (2,500 to 1,600 Million Years Ago)
• Weathering, transportation, and deposition of ancient sediments on a plant-free world
• Iron formations and the oxygenation of Earth’s atmosphere
• An unstable crust and the Penokean Orogeny.
• Late Precambrian Time (1,600 to 600 Million Years Ago)
• The rifting of North America – the volcanic rocks of Lake Superior
• The Duluth Complex-a geologic puzzle.
• Post-Precambrian Time (600 to 2 Million Years Ago)
• Shallow seas, transcontinental arches, embayments – ancient beach sands criss-crossing the state
• Life on Earth, North America, and Minnesota – A question of changing climate through vast stretches of time
• Why are there no dinosaur bones in Minnesota?
• Interpreting marine fossil evidence locked in Minnesota’s sedimentary rocks
• Quaternary Time (2 Million Years Ago to the Present)
• The processes of glacial erosion and deposition
• The theory of ice ages
• Minnesota’s glacial history in the context of the great global climatic swings
• A glaciated landscape – the aftermath of an ice age
3. Minnesota’s Mineral Wealth
• Metallic Minerals
• The origin, discovery, and production of Minnesota’s iron ores
• The taconite process, environmental concern and the future of iron mining in Minnesota
• Copper, Zinc, Uranium, Gold, Silver
• Nonmetals, Fuels, and Water
• Aggregates and clay
• Stone
• Fuel, Coal, Oil, and Gas
• Water
4. Regional Geology and places of geologic interest.
• Northeastern Minnesota
• Northwestern Minnesota
• Central Minnesota
• Southwestern Minnesota
• Southeastern Minnesota

2. Laboratory/Studio Sessions

1. Precambrian Structural Geology at Jay Cooke State Park
2. Studying the basalt lava flows at Gooseberry Falls State Park
3. Continental Rifting from Split Rock Lighthouse, Vantage Point
4. Studying North Shore volcanic rock at Tetagouche State Park
5. The Duluth-Complex rocks at Magney Park, West Duluth
6. A Duluth Complex Anorthosite exposure at Carleton Peak, Cook County
7. Lake Superior agates on Lake Superior beaches, Cook County
8. A study of glacial rebound from the Duluth-Superior overlook at Enger Tower
9. Greenstone, the Laurentean Divide, and the Soudan Iron Mine.
10. Analyzing sediments from the Brainerd Pitted Outwash Plain
11. Glacial Lake Agassiz – Identifying ancient beaches and lake bottom in Clay and Norman counties
12. The Driftless Area in Winona and Houston Counties.
13. The Mille Lacs Moraine via the headwaters of the Rum river, Ogechie lake, and Kathio State Park.
14. Southwest Minnesota, Redwood Falls clay and boulder exposures, the Minnesota River Valley at Granite Falls, and the Morton Gneiss.
15. The vast St. Peter sandstone exposure at Ramsey County regional Park, Minnehaha Falls, and Indian Mounds overlook.
16. Travelling the Ripley Esker.