Only through the study of the past we can fully understand present times. However, “deep time” an extremely important concept for a geologist, is not easily assimilated. The study of paleoclimates and paleoenvironments of the Earth through time, framed in their relative paleogeographic context, provide a solid, necessary basis for a student of geological sciences.
Curriculum
teacher profile teaching materials
• Hadean: the origin of the planet, core-mantle differentiation, the formation of the primordial atmosphere and ocean.
• Archean: the evolution of the Earth's crust, the earliest evidence of biological activity, and the characteristics of the reducing atmosphere.
• Proterozoic: the Great Oxidation Event, global glaciations (Snowball Earth), the "Garden of Ediacara" fauna, and the transition toward the Phanerozoic.
• Cambrian: global paleogeography following the breakup of the Rodinia supercontinent, the causes and the climatic, environmental, and geographic context of the Cambrian Substrate Revolution and the so-called "Cambrian explosion of life"; early (?) evidence of the "colonization" of land by plants and arthropods.
• Ordovician: transitional paleoclimatic and paleogeographic dynamics, and the climatic evolution toward the late Ordovician glaciation.
• Silurian: the restoration of greenhouse conditions, Caledonian orogeny.
• Devonian: plant diversification on land, the "conquest" of land by terrestrial tetrapods, and the late Devonian paleoenvironmental crises.
• Carboniferous: Pangea, the great forests, coal accumulation, climate change, and the late Paleozoic glaciation.
• Permian: the completion of the Pangea supercontinent, widespread continental aridity, and the Permian-Triassic biological crisis.
• Triassic: the initial fragmentation of Pangea, the establishment of the Mesozoic greenhouse/hothouse, the Carnian Pluvial Event, and major biological shifts (dinosaurs, pterosaurs, birds, mammals, scleractinian reefs, "marine reptiles").
• Jurassic: the opening of the Tethys and the Central Atlantic.
• Cretaceous: the peak greenhouse interval, global high sea levels, oceanic anoxic events, and the environmental catastrophe at the K/Pg boundary.
• Paleogene: the early Cenozoic climate optimum (PETM), the subsequent global thermal deterioration, and the onset of Antarctic glaciation.
• Neogene: the establishment of the modern climate, the Messinian salinity crisis.
• Quaternary: glacial and interglacial cyclicity regulated by orbital parameters, eustatic variations, and outlines of current climate change.
Earth System History, 4a edizione, S.M. STANLEY, J.A. LUCZAJ (2014)
Programme
• Introduction to the course and methodological framework of the discipline.• Hadean: the origin of the planet, core-mantle differentiation, the formation of the primordial atmosphere and ocean.
• Archean: the evolution of the Earth's crust, the earliest evidence of biological activity, and the characteristics of the reducing atmosphere.
• Proterozoic: the Great Oxidation Event, global glaciations (Snowball Earth), the "Garden of Ediacara" fauna, and the transition toward the Phanerozoic.
• Cambrian: global paleogeography following the breakup of the Rodinia supercontinent, the causes and the climatic, environmental, and geographic context of the Cambrian Substrate Revolution and the so-called "Cambrian explosion of life"; early (?) evidence of the "colonization" of land by plants and arthropods.
• Ordovician: transitional paleoclimatic and paleogeographic dynamics, and the climatic evolution toward the late Ordovician glaciation.
• Silurian: the restoration of greenhouse conditions, Caledonian orogeny.
• Devonian: plant diversification on land, the "conquest" of land by terrestrial tetrapods, and the late Devonian paleoenvironmental crises.
• Carboniferous: Pangea, the great forests, coal accumulation, climate change, and the late Paleozoic glaciation.
• Permian: the completion of the Pangea supercontinent, widespread continental aridity, and the Permian-Triassic biological crisis.
• Triassic: the initial fragmentation of Pangea, the establishment of the Mesozoic greenhouse/hothouse, the Carnian Pluvial Event, and major biological shifts (dinosaurs, pterosaurs, birds, mammals, scleractinian reefs, "marine reptiles").
• Jurassic: the opening of the Tethys and the Central Atlantic.
• Cretaceous: the peak greenhouse interval, global high sea levels, oceanic anoxic events, and the environmental catastrophe at the K/Pg boundary.
• Paleogene: the early Cenozoic climate optimum (PETM), the subsequent global thermal deterioration, and the onset of Antarctic glaciation.
• Neogene: the establishment of the modern climate, the Messinian salinity crisis.
• Quaternary: glacial and interglacial cyclicity regulated by orbital parameters, eustatic variations, and outlines of current climate change.
Prerequisiti
Basics of Palaeontology addressed in the course of Palalaeontology and LabCore Documentation
The reference textbook is:Earth System History, 4a edizione, S.M. STANLEY, J.A. LUCZAJ (2014)
Attendance
Attendance is mandatory. To be admitted to the exam, students are required to attend at least two-thirds of the scheduled lectures. The methods for verifying attendance will be communicated by the professor at the beginning of the course. Any exceptions or exemptions are governed by the Regulations of the respective Degree Courses and the competent academic bodies.Type of evaluation
The assessment consists of an oral exam designed to verify the student's understanding of the topics covered during lectures. The student will be required to illustrate a period of Earth's history, highlighting its various characteristics (paleobiodiversity, paleoclimate, paleoenvironments, paleogeography, etc.) in an organic and integrated manner. From the main topic, secondary questions will follow, either related to the syllabus or aimed at verifying the student's synthesis and reasoning skills. Evaluation criteria and determination of the final grade. The final grade, expressed on a 30-point scale (out of 30), is based on: • accuracy and completeness of knowledge; • ability to connect the acquired knowledge; • independence demonstrated in individual insights; • clear presentation and correct use of technical terminology. teacher profile teaching materials
• Hadean: the origin of the planet, core-mantle differentiation, the formation of the primordial atmosphere and ocean.
• Archean: the evolution of the Earth's crust, the earliest evidence of biological activity, and the characteristics of the reducing atmosphere.
• Proterozoic: the Great Oxidation Event, global glaciations (Snowball Earth), the "Garden of Ediacara" fauna, and the transition toward the Phanerozoic.
• Cambrian: global paleogeography following the breakup of the Rodinia supercontinent, the causes and the climatic, environmental, and geographic context of the Cambrian Substrate Revolution and the so-called "Cambrian explosion of life"; early (?) evidence of the "colonization" of land by plants and arthropods.
• Ordovician: transitional paleoclimatic and paleogeographic dynamics, and the climatic evolution toward the late Ordovician glaciation.
• Silurian: the restoration of greenhouse conditions, Caledonian orogeny.
• Devonian: plant diversification on land, the "conquest" of land by terrestrial tetrapods, and the late Devonian paleoenvironmental crises.
• Carboniferous: Pangea, the great forests, coal accumulation, climate change, and the late Paleozoic glaciation.
• Permian: the completion of the Pangea supercontinent, widespread continental aridity, and the Permian-Triassic biological crisis.
• Triassic: the initial fragmentation of Pangea, the establishment of the Mesozoic greenhouse/hothouse, the Carnian Pluvial Event, and major biological shifts (dinosaurs, pterosaurs, birds, mammals, scleractinian reefs, "marine reptiles").
• Jurassic: the opening of the Tethys and the Central Atlantic.
• Cretaceous: the peak greenhouse interval, global high sea levels, oceanic anoxic events, and the environmental catastrophe at the K/Pg boundary.
• Paleogene: the early Cenozoic climate optimum (PETM), the subsequent global thermal deterioration, and the onset of Antarctic glaciation.
• Neogene: the establishment of the modern climate, the Messinian salinity crisis.
• Quaternary: glacial and interglacial cyclicity regulated by orbital parameters, eustatic variations, and outlines of current climate change.
Earth System History, 4a edizione, S.M. STANLEY, J.A. LUCZAJ (2014)
Programme
• Introduction to the course and methodological framework of the discipline.• Hadean: the origin of the planet, core-mantle differentiation, the formation of the primordial atmosphere and ocean.
• Archean: the evolution of the Earth's crust, the earliest evidence of biological activity, and the characteristics of the reducing atmosphere.
• Proterozoic: the Great Oxidation Event, global glaciations (Snowball Earth), the "Garden of Ediacara" fauna, and the transition toward the Phanerozoic.
• Cambrian: global paleogeography following the breakup of the Rodinia supercontinent, the causes and the climatic, environmental, and geographic context of the Cambrian Substrate Revolution and the so-called "Cambrian explosion of life"; early (?) evidence of the "colonization" of land by plants and arthropods.
• Ordovician: transitional paleoclimatic and paleogeographic dynamics, and the climatic evolution toward the late Ordovician glaciation.
• Silurian: the restoration of greenhouse conditions, Caledonian orogeny.
• Devonian: plant diversification on land, the "conquest" of land by terrestrial tetrapods, and the late Devonian paleoenvironmental crises.
• Carboniferous: Pangea, the great forests, coal accumulation, climate change, and the late Paleozoic glaciation.
• Permian: the completion of the Pangea supercontinent, widespread continental aridity, and the Permian-Triassic biological crisis.
• Triassic: the initial fragmentation of Pangea, the establishment of the Mesozoic greenhouse/hothouse, the Carnian Pluvial Event, and major biological shifts (dinosaurs, pterosaurs, birds, mammals, scleractinian reefs, "marine reptiles").
• Jurassic: the opening of the Tethys and the Central Atlantic.
• Cretaceous: the peak greenhouse interval, global high sea levels, oceanic anoxic events, and the environmental catastrophe at the K/Pg boundary.
• Paleogene: the early Cenozoic climate optimum (PETM), the subsequent global thermal deterioration, and the onset of Antarctic glaciation.
• Neogene: the establishment of the modern climate, the Messinian salinity crisis.
• Quaternary: glacial and interglacial cyclicity regulated by orbital parameters, eustatic variations, and outlines of current climate change.
Prerequisiti
Basics of Palaeontology addressed in the course of Palalaeontology and LabCore Documentation
The reference textbook is:Earth System History, 4a edizione, S.M. STANLEY, J.A. LUCZAJ (2014)
Attendance
Attendance is mandatory. To be admitted to the exam, students are required to attend at least two-thirds of the scheduled lectures. The methods for verifying attendance will be communicated by the professor at the beginning of the course. Any exceptions or exemptions are governed by the Regulations of the respective Degree Courses and the competent academic bodies.Type of evaluation
The assessment consists of an oral exam designed to verify the student's understanding of the topics covered during lectures. The student will be required to illustrate a period of Earth's history, highlighting its various characteristics (paleobiodiversity, paleoclimate, paleoenvironments, paleogeography, etc.) in an organic and integrated manner. From the main topic, secondary questions will follow, either related to the syllabus or aimed at verifying the student's synthesis and reasoning skills. Evaluation criteria and determination of the final grade. The final grade, expressed on a 30-point scale (out of 30), is based on: • accuracy and completeness of knowledge; • ability to connect the acquired knowledge; • independence demonstrated in individual insights; • clear presentation and correct use of technical terminology. teacher profile teaching materials
• Hadean: the origin of the planet, core-mantle differentiation, the formation of the primordial atmosphere and ocean.
• Archean: the evolution of the Earth's crust, the earliest evidence of biological activity, and the characteristics of the reducing atmosphere.
• Proterozoic: the Great Oxidation Event, global glaciations (Snowball Earth), the "Garden of Ediacara" fauna, and the transition toward the Phanerozoic.
• Cambrian: global paleogeography following the breakup of the Rodinia supercontinent, the causes and the climatic, environmental, and geographic context of the Cambrian Substrate Revolution and the so-called "Cambrian explosion of life"; early (?) evidence of the "colonization" of land by plants and arthropods.
• Ordovician: transitional paleoclimatic and paleogeographic dynamics, and the climatic evolution toward the late Ordovician glaciation.
• Silurian: the restoration of greenhouse conditions, Caledonian orogeny.
• Devonian: plant diversification on land, the "conquest" of land by terrestrial tetrapods, and the late Devonian paleoenvironmental crises.
• Carboniferous: Pangea, the great forests, coal accumulation, climate change, and the late Paleozoic glaciation.
• Permian: the completion of the Pangea supercontinent, widespread continental aridity, and the Permian-Triassic biological crisis.
• Triassic: the initial fragmentation of Pangea, the establishment of the Mesozoic greenhouse/hothouse, the Carnian Pluvial Event, and major biological shifts (dinosaurs, pterosaurs, birds, mammals, scleractinian reefs, "marine reptiles").
• Jurassic: the opening of the Tethys and the Central Atlantic.
• Cretaceous: the peak greenhouse interval, global high sea levels, oceanic anoxic events, and the environmental catastrophe at the K/Pg boundary.
• Paleogene: the early Cenozoic climate optimum (PETM), the subsequent global thermal deterioration, and the onset of Antarctic glaciation.
• Neogene: the establishment of the modern climate, the Messinian salinity crisis.
• Quaternary: glacial and interglacial cyclicity regulated by orbital parameters, eustatic variations, and outlines of current climate change.
Earth System History, 4a edizione, S.M. STANLEY, J.A. LUCZAJ (2014)
Programme
• Introduction to the course and methodological framework of the discipline.• Hadean: the origin of the planet, core-mantle differentiation, the formation of the primordial atmosphere and ocean.
• Archean: the evolution of the Earth's crust, the earliest evidence of biological activity, and the characteristics of the reducing atmosphere.
• Proterozoic: the Great Oxidation Event, global glaciations (Snowball Earth), the "Garden of Ediacara" fauna, and the transition toward the Phanerozoic.
• Cambrian: global paleogeography following the breakup of the Rodinia supercontinent, the causes and the climatic, environmental, and geographic context of the Cambrian Substrate Revolution and the so-called "Cambrian explosion of life"; early (?) evidence of the "colonization" of land by plants and arthropods.
• Ordovician: transitional paleoclimatic and paleogeographic dynamics, and the climatic evolution toward the late Ordovician glaciation.
• Silurian: the restoration of greenhouse conditions, Caledonian orogeny.
• Devonian: plant diversification on land, the "conquest" of land by terrestrial tetrapods, and the late Devonian paleoenvironmental crises.
• Carboniferous: Pangea, the great forests, coal accumulation, climate change, and the late Paleozoic glaciation.
• Permian: the completion of the Pangea supercontinent, widespread continental aridity, and the Permian-Triassic biological crisis.
• Triassic: the initial fragmentation of Pangea, the establishment of the Mesozoic greenhouse/hothouse, the Carnian Pluvial Event, and major biological shifts (dinosaurs, pterosaurs, birds, mammals, scleractinian reefs, "marine reptiles").
• Jurassic: the opening of the Tethys and the Central Atlantic.
• Cretaceous: the peak greenhouse interval, global high sea levels, oceanic anoxic events, and the environmental catastrophe at the K/Pg boundary.
• Paleogene: the early Cenozoic climate optimum (PETM), the subsequent global thermal deterioration, and the onset of Antarctic glaciation.
• Neogene: the establishment of the modern climate, the Messinian salinity crisis.
• Quaternary: glacial and interglacial cyclicity regulated by orbital parameters, eustatic variations, and outlines of current climate change.
Prerequisiti
Basics of Palaeontology addressed in the course of Palalaeontology and LabCore Documentation
The reference textbook is:Earth System History, 4a edizione, S.M. STANLEY, J.A. LUCZAJ (2014)
Attendance
Attendance is mandatory. To be admitted to the exam, students are required to attend at least two-thirds of the scheduled lectures. The methods for verifying attendance will be communicated by the professor at the beginning of the course. Any exceptions or exemptions are governed by the Regulations of the respective Degree Courses and the competent academic bodies.Type of evaluation
The assessment consists of an oral exam designed to verify the student's understanding of the topics covered during lectures. The student will be required to illustrate a period of Earth's history, highlighting its various characteristics (paleobiodiversity, paleoclimate, paleoenvironments, paleogeography, etc.) in an organic and integrated manner. From the main topic, secondary questions will follow, either related to the syllabus or aimed at verifying the student's synthesis and reasoning skills. Evaluation criteria and determination of the final grade. The final grade, expressed on a 30-point scale (out of 30), is based on: • accuracy and completeness of knowledge; • ability to connect the acquired knowledge; • independence demonstrated in individual insights; • clear presentation and correct use of technical terminology. teacher profile teaching materials
• Hadean: the origin of the planet, core-mantle differentiation, the formation of the primordial atmosphere and ocean.
• Archean: the evolution of the Earth's crust, the earliest evidence of biological activity, and the characteristics of the reducing atmosphere.
• Proterozoic: the Great Oxidation Event, global glaciations (Snowball Earth), the "Garden of Ediacara" fauna, and the transition toward the Phanerozoic.
• Cambrian: global paleogeography following the breakup of the Rodinia supercontinent, the causes and the climatic, environmental, and geographic context of the Cambrian Substrate Revolution and the so-called "Cambrian explosion of life"; early (?) evidence of the "colonization" of land by plants and arthropods.
• Ordovician: transitional paleoclimatic and paleogeographic dynamics, and the climatic evolution toward the late Ordovician glaciation.
• Silurian: the restoration of greenhouse conditions, Caledonian orogeny.
• Devonian: plant diversification on land, the "conquest" of land by terrestrial tetrapods, and the late Devonian paleoenvironmental crises.
• Carboniferous: Pangea, the great forests, coal accumulation, climate change, and the late Paleozoic glaciation.
• Permian: the completion of the Pangea supercontinent, widespread continental aridity, and the Permian-Triassic biological crisis.
• Triassic: the initial fragmentation of Pangea, the establishment of the Mesozoic greenhouse/hothouse, the Carnian Pluvial Event, and major biological shifts (dinosaurs, pterosaurs, birds, mammals, scleractinian reefs, "marine reptiles").
• Jurassic: the opening of the Tethys and the Central Atlantic.
• Cretaceous: the peak greenhouse interval, global high sea levels, oceanic anoxic events, and the environmental catastrophe at the K/Pg boundary.
• Paleogene: the early Cenozoic climate optimum (PETM), the subsequent global thermal deterioration, and the onset of Antarctic glaciation.
• Neogene: the establishment of the modern climate, the Messinian salinity crisis.
• Quaternary: glacial and interglacial cyclicity regulated by orbital parameters, eustatic variations, and outlines of current climate change.
Earth System History, 4a edizione, S.M. STANLEY, J.A. LUCZAJ (2014)
Programme
• Introduction to the course and methodological framework of the discipline.• Hadean: the origin of the planet, core-mantle differentiation, the formation of the primordial atmosphere and ocean.
• Archean: the evolution of the Earth's crust, the earliest evidence of biological activity, and the characteristics of the reducing atmosphere.
• Proterozoic: the Great Oxidation Event, global glaciations (Snowball Earth), the "Garden of Ediacara" fauna, and the transition toward the Phanerozoic.
• Cambrian: global paleogeography following the breakup of the Rodinia supercontinent, the causes and the climatic, environmental, and geographic context of the Cambrian Substrate Revolution and the so-called "Cambrian explosion of life"; early (?) evidence of the "colonization" of land by plants and arthropods.
• Ordovician: transitional paleoclimatic and paleogeographic dynamics, and the climatic evolution toward the late Ordovician glaciation.
• Silurian: the restoration of greenhouse conditions, Caledonian orogeny.
• Devonian: plant diversification on land, the "conquest" of land by terrestrial tetrapods, and the late Devonian paleoenvironmental crises.
• Carboniferous: Pangea, the great forests, coal accumulation, climate change, and the late Paleozoic glaciation.
• Permian: the completion of the Pangea supercontinent, widespread continental aridity, and the Permian-Triassic biological crisis.
• Triassic: the initial fragmentation of Pangea, the establishment of the Mesozoic greenhouse/hothouse, the Carnian Pluvial Event, and major biological shifts (dinosaurs, pterosaurs, birds, mammals, scleractinian reefs, "marine reptiles").
• Jurassic: the opening of the Tethys and the Central Atlantic.
• Cretaceous: the peak greenhouse interval, global high sea levels, oceanic anoxic events, and the environmental catastrophe at the K/Pg boundary.
• Paleogene: the early Cenozoic climate optimum (PETM), the subsequent global thermal deterioration, and the onset of Antarctic glaciation.
• Neogene: the establishment of the modern climate, the Messinian salinity crisis.
• Quaternary: glacial and interglacial cyclicity regulated by orbital parameters, eustatic variations, and outlines of current climate change.
Prerequisiti
Basics of Palaeontology addressed in the course of Palalaeontology and LabCore Documentation
The reference textbook is:Earth System History, 4a edizione, S.M. STANLEY, J.A. LUCZAJ (2014)
Attendance
Attendance is mandatory. To be admitted to the exam, students are required to attend at least two-thirds of the scheduled lectures. The methods for verifying attendance will be communicated by the professor at the beginning of the course. Any exceptions or exemptions are governed by the Regulations of the respective Degree Courses and the competent academic bodies.Type of evaluation
The assessment consists of an oral exam designed to verify the student's understanding of the topics covered during lectures. The student will be required to illustrate a period of Earth's history, highlighting its various characteristics (paleobiodiversity, paleoclimate, paleoenvironments, paleogeography, etc.) in an organic and integrated manner. From the main topic, secondary questions will follow, either related to the syllabus or aimed at verifying the student's synthesis and reasoning skills. Evaluation criteria and determination of the final grade. The final grade, expressed on a 30-point scale (out of 30), is based on: • accuracy and completeness of knowledge; • ability to connect the acquired knowledge; • independence demonstrated in individual insights; • clear presentation and correct use of technical terminology.