EASC 108: Exploring the Solar System
| Credits: | 3 |
Pre-requisites: | None |
Lecture (hrs/week): | 3 |
| Terms: | Fall, Spring |
Co-requisites: | None |
Lab (hrs/week): | 0 |
| Instructors: | Williams-Jones, Pearce | Breadth - Science | |||
| Course Notes: | |||||
Description:
This course is designed to give students an introduction to the geology of our Solar System through a comparative survey of the planets. Emphasis will be on the geology of the Earth and how we can use this knowledge to learn more about the neighbouring planets. A wealth of accessible information now exists from which we can attempt to reconstruct the geological history of each planetary surface in our Solar System. Comparative planetology will be used to explore such topics as the structure and origin of the solar system, the origin and fate of the Earth, the importance of water in the solar system, the formation and geological history of planetary lithospheres and atmospheres.
Course Topics- Brief introduction to physical geology
- Formation of our Solar System
- Geological history of the Earth and other planets
- Terrestrial planets vs. the Gas giants
- Tectonism and Volcanism of the terrestrial planets
- Meteorites, asteroids, comets and planetesimals
"The Planetary System, 3/E" by David Morrison & Tobias Owen, (Addison Wesley, 2003, 0-8053-8734-X)
Note: This course cannot he used by EASC majors or minors credit towards EASC required or optional courses or as optional Science course requirements.