Topics and Learning Outcomes
| Topics | After reading this unit and completing the assigned readings in Physical Geology and the associated exercises and questions, you should be able to: |
| 5-1 Shoreline Processes | Explain how waves are formed, and define their important parameters. Describe how waves change as they approach shallow water, and explain the concepts of longshore currents and longshore drift. Describe the landforms of coastal deposition. Explain the processes and landforms of coastal erosion. Describe the implications of anthropogenic sea level rise.
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| 5-2 Climate Change | Explain the roles of climate forcings and climate feedbacks. Summarize the properties of greenhouse gases and their role in controlling the climate. Describe some of the mechanisms of anthropogenic climate change and some of the consequences of that change. List some of the steps that individuals can take to limit climate change.
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| 5-3 Geological History of Western Canada | Discuss the Precambrian history of the continent Laurentia and the evolution of western Canada during the late Proterozoic and the Paleozoic. Describe the accretion of exotic terranes to western Canada during the Mesozoic, and describe the origins of the Rocky Mountains. Discuss the origins of the intrusive igneous rocks of the Coast Range. Describe the current tectonic framework of western Canada and its relationship to earthquakes and volcanism.
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Reading
Read Chapters 17, 19, and 21 in Physical Geology.
