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

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
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