MEA493/592 [002] “Geo- and thermochronology”
Instructor: Dr. Maggie Curry
Preqs: None listed, but probably upper level undergrads with some basic chemistry and/or geology would do best. Or, a willingness to learn!
3 credit hours
M-W 3-4:15 (place TBD)
Broad pitch: Radioisotopes are an essential and widely used tool in the Earth and Environmental Sciences to (1) measure dates, rates, and timescales, and (2) trace processes. They are found not only in rocks and minerals, but also water, ice, the atmosphere, soils, and biological materials. They are useful from human timescales to billions of years. Geochronology is a transformative tool with applications ranging from geosciences, to paleontology/archeology, forensic sciences, evolutionary biology/ecology, environmental sciences, soil studies, and more.
General knowledge/skills gained:
- Theory of radioactive decay and the age equation
- Hands-on experience taking a rock through the process of separation to constituent minerals
- Collection and interpretation of real geochronologic data
- Hands-on introductions to numerical modeling, in a forward and inverse sense
- Hands-on experience with published toolkits for processing, interpreting, and visualizing radioisotopic data
Assessment: 5-6 problem sets and a final project. No exams.
Course Topics:
- History of geochronology and radioisotope fundamentals
- Core content:
○ Geochronology: the fundamentals in action
○ Thermochronology: leveraging complexities
- Potential topical modules, chosen for relevance to student research.
○ U-series dating
○ Cosmogenic Radionuclides (14C, 10Be, etc)
○ Radiocarbon dating and applications to archeology and forensic studies
○ Radiation-damage methods
○ Petrochronology
○ Detrital geochronology
○ Ar/Ar geo-thermochronology