History of the Earth
Textbook Readings and Review Questions
Prof. V.J. DiVenere
Dept. of Earth and Environmental Science
C.W. Post Campus - Long Island University
Here are some explicit readings and review questions from Stanley, Earth System History, 2nd ed.
Some of the lecture notes on the web also list relevant text book pages and figures.
Climate and Environment - Chapter 4
- read esp. p. 85-87 (The Atmosphere)
- and p. 95 (Winds Drive Ocean Currents)
- see also reference to textbook in lecture notes
Review Qs: p. 101, 6, 8
Sedimentary Environments - Chapter 5
- read esp. p. 108 (glacial) through 114 (meandering rivers)
- and 138 - 148 (marine environments)
- see also reference to textbook in lecture notes
- Chapter Summary
- Review Questions, p. 127, 1-4, 9, 12-13
Correlation and Dating of the Rock Record- Chapter 6
- read p. 129-144
see also lecture notes for correlated text pages
Review Questions, p. 151, 1-3, 5, [6-7], 12
Evolution and the Fossil Record - Chapter 7
- read esp. p. 153-160 and 171-173
- Chapter Summary
- Review Questions, p. 175, 1, 2, 11
The Carbon Cycle and Climate - Chapter 10
- read 224-238 (minus section on carbon isotopes)
- Chapter Summary
- Review Questions 1-2, 4-9, 12
Origin of the Earth, Oceans, Atmosphere, and the first Continents in the Archean- Chapter 11
- read 247-262 and 264-265, 270
The Origin and Growth of Laurentia, Rodinia, Gondwana - Chapter 12
- read 287-295 (minus section on Middle Proterozoic Rifting)
Origin of Life and Early Evidence For Life in the Archean - Chapter 11
- read 262-270
Proterozoic Life and Evolution of the Atmosphere - Chapter 12
- read 278-286 and 288-289
The Cambrian Revolution and Early Paleozoic Animal Life - Chapter 13
- read esp. 299-312
The Appalachian Orogen - Chapters 13, 14, 15
- Cambrian paleogeography: 312-313
- Taconic Orogeny: 318-322
- Taconic clastic wedge & Acadian Orogeny: 344-350
- Appalachian (Alleghenian) Orogeny & Ouachita Orogeny: 372-378
Late Paleozoic glaciation: 366-367, 369-370
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Evolution of Vertebrates and Invasion of the Land - Chapters 14, 15
- evolution of fish: 333-337
- invasion of the land: 337-343
- Late Pz terrestrial life: 360-369
- Permian extinctions: 372, 374-376
The Breakup of Pangea - Chapters 16, 17
- Breakup of Pangea: 405-406
- Rift Basins (Newark Basin): 409-410
- New Continents and Oceans: 428-430
The Western Cordillera - Chapters 14, 16, 17, 18, 19
- Antler Orogeny: 351-352
- Jurassic orogenies and Magmatism: 410-413
- Foreland Basin: 414
- Sevier Orogeny: 437-438
- Laramide Orogeny: 460-463
- Basin and Range: 489-494
- San Andreas Fault: 494 and figures 19-26 thru 19-29
The Alpine-Himalayan Mountain Belt - Chapters 19
- 499-502
Life in the Mesozoic - Chapters 16, 17
- Mesozoic life: esp. 387-404
- Cretaceous life: 423 (Flowering Plants) - 428
- K-T extinctions: 433-437
Cretaceous Greenhouse to Cenozoic Icehouse Climate - Chapters 17, 18, 19, 20
- High Cretaceous Sea Level: 430-431
- Cretaceous Greenhouse Climate: 431-433
Early Cenozoic warmth; Eocene-Oligocene cooling: 455-460
- Thermal isolation of Antarctica: 458-459
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- Deterioration of Cenozoic Climate: 477-488
- Closure of Isthmus of Panama: 484-487
- Late Cenozoic glacial cycles: 480-488
- Holocene Climate: 515-520; 522-523; 525-537
Life in the Cenozoic - Chapters 18, 19, 20
- Cenozoic life: esp. 448-454
- Hominid evolution: 502-512
- Extinction of Large Mammals: 521-525
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