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所在平台: Coursera |
课程主页: https://www.coursera.org/learn/deep-time-discovering-an-ancient-earth
课程评论：没有评论
课程名称：深时：探索古老的地球 概述：自从我们的祖先踏上非洲草原以来，人类便开始探索和思考这个世界。如今，对许多人来说，科学是理解自然的工具，它带领我们从亚原子世界走向遥远的星系。通过地质学这一学科，科学使我们能够回溯时间的迷雾，窥见以数十亿年为单位的过去，这段时间被称为“深时”。 加入我们的探索之旅吧！我们将学习科学和地质学的起源，地球的海洋、大气和岩壳。随后我们将关注地质学家如何研究落基山脉的兴起与衰落，并以思考科学的力量及其固有责任和代价作为结尾。 证书获得者需通过几个短小的评估和讨论题来证明其掌握情况，并有能力教授或应用所学材料。 课程大纲： 1. **科学与地质学的深时探索** 描述：人类可能是第一个提出并开始回答关于周围世界重大问题的物种：我们是谁？我们在哪里？我们何时存在？本模块首先介绍科学的基本概念及其起源，接着探讨地球科学（地质学）的历史开端，以及它从一开始就指向一个古老的地球，即深时的概念。最后，该模块将介绍岩石和矿物年龄的确定方法，包括定性方法和同位素方法。 2. **起源：从星星到行星、大陆、海洋和大气** 描述：科学的力量在于它能够窥见深时的最遥远深处。第二个模块将带领我们快速回顾宇宙、星星、行星，以及地球最初的海洋、大气、岩壳和生命的起源。我们将深入北美大陆的基础，使用岩石和矿物分析、放射性定年、地震学等方法，了解北美及大陆是如何随时间而发展的。 3. **北美的海洋与古代山脉** 描述：本模块将讲述北美的故事，从前寒武纪进入显生宙（即古生代、中生代、新生代）。通过岩层来解读这段故事，我们将复习一些地质学的术语，以及岩石循环的概念。我们还将访问（通过讲座和虚拟视频实地考察）显著的巨大不整合面，这是第一层壳化石下方的巨大间隙。我们将考虑气候和构造运动如何影响海平面变化最后在晚古生代，当盘古超级大陆形成时，古老的落基山脉开始崛起。 4. **现代落基山脉的形成** 描述：进入落基山脉的历史最后阶段（中生代与新生代），地质记录提供了更清晰的细节，揭示了山脉隆起、海洋侵入、气候变化和化石记录的时间与位置。现代落基山脉是由于隆起、侵蚀，再次隆起和最终受到冰川雕刻的结果。最后，我们将回归科学本身——它不仅是重建自然与过去的工具，还承载着评估真理和审视我们生活与当今世界中的主张的责任。 注：各模块中包括去佛尔德附近的弗拉格斯塔夫山的虚拟视频实地考察。
Name:Science and Geology in Search of Deep Time
Description:We might well be the first species to ask, and even begin to answer, some big questions about the world around us: Who are we? Where are we? and When are we? Geology joins some heavy hitters, like evolutionary biology and cosmology, when it comes to providing major insights, particularly into the latter question.This first module begins with a look at science in general, how it works and where it came from. We then address the historical beginnings of a “science of the earth” (geology) and how, from its very inception, it pointed towards an earth of immense age, the business of Deep Time. The module wraps up with an introduction to the assessment of rock and mineral age determination using both qualitative and isotopic methods.
Name:Origins: Stars to Planets, Continents, Oceans, and Atmospheres
Description:The power of science is no better exemplified than through its ability to peer into the most remote depths of Deep Time. In this second module we take a cursory “highlight trip” through a host of very ancient and key origins, from the universe itself to stars and planets, and then to Earth’s first oceans, atmosphere, crust, and life. We take a literal deep dive into the underpinnings of the North American continent, the so-called Precambrian basement. Using rock and mineral analysis, radiometric dating, seismology, and the treasure trove of deep-earth materials brought to the surface by kimberlitic “diamond-pipe” eruptions, geologists have put together an understanding of how North America, and continents in general, grow through time.
Name:Seas and Ancient Mountains of North America
Description:We tackle the story of North America, as it emerges from the Precambrian into the Phanerozoic Eon (i.e., Paleozoic, Mesozoic, Cenozoic Eras). The story is read from the book of rock layers, and as such we review some of the language of geology—rocks and the rock-cycle. We VISIT (via both lecture and virtual-video-field trip) the puzzling yet pervasive Great Unconformity, an enormous gap in the rock record that sits directly below the first strata with shell fossils. We consider the marine waters that washed onto and off the land, as climate and tectonics drove changes in sea-level. Lastly, as the Pangea Super-Continent coalesced in the Late Paleozoic, we see the rise of the Ancestral Rocky Mountains. Note: This module contains the first two of three Video Field Trip Outings to Flagstaff Mountain, near Boulder, Colorado.
Name:The Rise of the Modern Rocky Mountains
Description:Moving into the final phase of Earth history in the Rocky Mountains, the Mesozoic and Cenozoic Eras, the geological record provides greater resolution and reveals, with rather exceptional detail, the location and timing of mountain uplifts, ocean incursions, changing climate, and the fossil record. The modern Rocky Mountains turn out to be a consequence of uplift, erosion, and then renewed uplift with a final sculpting via glacial ice. We conclude by coming full circle, back to science itself— recognizing it as more than simply a tool for reconstructing nature and the past, but also carrying a charge of responsibility for assessing truth and evaluating claims within our own lives and the present world. Note: This module begins with the third and final Video Field Trip Outing to Flagstaff Mountain, near Boulder, Colorado.
Ever since our ancestors ventured onto the African savanna, human beings have searched, explored, and wondered about the world. Nowadays, and certainly for most, science is the vehicle that takes us along a path towards understanding nature. It can bring us from sub-atomic realms to the most distant galaxies. Largely through the discipline of geology, science allows us to push back the mists of time and peer into a past measured in billions of years, and aptly referred to as “Deep Time.” Climb on board! This is a journey of discovery—we'll learn about the origins of science and geology itself, to our planet’s oceans, atmosphere, and crust. The focus then turns to how geologists have probed the rise and fall of the Rocky Mountains, and we conclude by considering not only the power of science but also acknowledging its inherent price and responsibility. Certificate earners demonstrate proficiency through a few short assessments and discussion prompts and are prepared to teach or apply the material.
