Group Project

Overview

Each group will present for one class period on a chosen chapter of Geology of Boulder County. Your group is responsible for teaching the class for one hour by summarizing the chapter, analyzing the geology of the time period, explaining what life was like at the time, and giving the class an assessment.

Questions to Answer
  1. What geological time periods and absolute time span are you covering?
  2. What are the geological concepts that are important for us to understand? Explain them.
  3. Where was Colorado at the time?
  4. What are the local rocks from that time and what story do they tell? Climate, environment, plate tectonics, etc.
  5. Where are the local rocks in Boulder's cross section?
  6. What was the life like in Boulder and around Colorado at that time?
  7. What activities will you use to engage students in learning?
  8. What will your assessment of class learning be?
Readings
  1. The main information for your presentations will come from the chapter of Geology of Boulder County. The electronic copies are on schoology. Implement several reading strategies with your group that we went over in class to help you share the information with the class.






















Information for Each Presentation

  1. Chapter 4-Into the Mountains and Back in Time-The Precambrian Rocks-Stevie, Jaden
    1. Present September 12
    2. Time-Archean Eon, Proterozoic Eon; 4500mya-542mya
    3. Geologic Concepts-plate tectonics, rock cycle, igneous rocks, metamorphic rocks, North American Craton, Wyoming Province, Colorado Province, volcanic activity, subduction zone, batholith, pluton, island arc, subduction, abiogenesis
    4. Local Rocks-Biotite Gneiss, Shist, Conglomeratic Quartzite, Boulder Creek Granodiorite, Quartz Monzonite, Granite Gneiss, Silver Plume Granite, Iron Dike, Gabbro/Diabase
    5. Resources: Geology of Boulder County p.42-53, Messages in Stone p.48-55, Historical Geology p.147-188, Precambrian Life
  2. Chapter 5-The 1.5 Billion Year Gap-The Great Unconformity-Sky, Quil, Gabe
    1. Present September 16
    2. Time-Cambrian Period, Ordovician Period, Silurian Period, Devonian Period, Mississippian Period; 542mya-318mya
    3. Geologic Concepts-Unconformity, non-conformity, disconformity, erosion, faults, sedimentary rocks, transcontinental arch, clastic sediment, continental seas, continental shelf, diatreme
    4. Local Rocks-Green Mountain Kimberlite, Sawatch Quartzite?
    5. Resources-Geology of Boulder County p.55-61, Messages in Stone p.55-60, Historical Geology p.231-242, 250-266, Ordovician Marine Life Video, Silurian Plant Life-Cooksonia,  Devonian Spider Video, Colorado Devonian Forest Video, Colorado Devonian Marine Life Video,
  3. Chapter 6-The Crest of the Wave-The Flatirons-Dara, Nick
    1. Present September 23
    2. Time-Pennsylvannian Period; 318mya-300mya
    3. Geologic Concepts-sedmintary rock, mudstone, sandstone, conglomerate, graded bedding, sorting, alluvial fan, akrosic, feldspar, quartz, mineral, orogeny, Pangaea, Anscestral Rockies, Anscestral Front Range, fluvial deposits, continental drift, adularia, dip, equator, cross bedding
    4. Local Rocks-Fountain Formation-Akrosic sandstone conglomerate
    5. Resources-Geology of Boulder County p.62-75, Messages in Stone p.61-64, Historical Geology p.243-245, 266-267, Fountain Formation Depositional Environment Video
  4. Chapter 7-University Buildings and Ancient Windstorms-Rosa, Ezra, Maria
    1. Present September 26
    2. Time-Permian Period, Triassic Period; 299mya-200mya
    3. Geologic Concepts-Paleozoic Era, Mesozoic Era, mass extinction, stramatolites, conifers, Pangaea, redbeds, niche, facies, evolution, eolian, hogbacks, sand dune, cross-bedding, sorting, sabkha 
    4. Local Rocks-Inglside Formation-sandstone, Lyons Formation-sandstone, Lykins Formation-limestone, dolomite, Jelm Formation-sandstone
    5. Resources-Geology of Boulder County p.77-85, Messages in Stone p.64-66, Historical Geology p.266-268,296-318, Lyons Formation Depositional Environment Video, Lykins Formation Depositional Environment Video, Triassic Depositional Environment Video,
  5. Chapter 8-Jurrassic Park- D, Miranda, Jeffrey
    1. Present September 30
    2. Time-Jurassic Period; 200mya-145mya
    3. Geologic Concepts-dinosaurs, uranium, hogback, reptile, amphibian, conifer, cycad, fern, marine deposit,
    4. Local Rocks-Sundance Formation-sandstone, Morrison Formation-sandstone, siltstone, mudstone, limestone, claystone
    5. Resources-Geology of Boulder County p.87-90, Messages in Stone p.67, Historical Geology p.296-318, Morrison Depositional Environment Video,
  6. Chapter 9-Undersea Boulder-The Cretaceous Period-Julia, Anna, Cameron
    1. Present-October 7
    2. Time-Cretaceous Period; 145my-65mya
    3. Geologic Concepts-mass extinction, iridium, Western (Cretaceous) Interior Seaway, angiosperms, placental mammals, marsupial mammals, sea level, sea floor spreading, Sevier Orogeny, sedimentary rock, epeiric sea, climatic cycles, erosion, deposition, delta, prodelta, shelf, slope, basin, prograde, retrograde, fault, growth faulting, normal fault, horst, graben
    4. Local Rocks-Dakota Fomration-Lytle Formation-claystone, conglomerate, sandstone; Middle Dakota Group: skull creek shale; Upper Dakota Group-muddy sandstone; Benton Group-shale; Niobrara-Fort Hays limestone, smoky hill shale, black shale; Pierre Shale Formation-shale, Hygiene sandstone; Fox Hils Formation-sandstone; Laramie Formation-sandstone, siltstone
    5. Resources-Geology of Boulder County p.91-123, Messages in Stone p.68-71, Historical Geology p.296-318,Early Cretaceous Environment Video, Cretaceous Marine Environment Video, Late Cretaceous Swamp Environment Video, After the Impact Video
  7. Chapter 10-The Rise and Exhumation of the Front Range-Anna, Caleb, Matthew
    1. Present-October 10
    2. Time-Tertiary Period; 65mya-1.8mya
    3. Geologic Concepts-modern Front Range, uplift, Paleocene epoch, Eocene epoch, plate tectonics, uplift, Laramide Orogeny, Farallon plate, magma, thrustbelt, Rocky Mountain erosion surface, geomorphology, paleosoil, paleobotany, Hoosier Fault, volcanism, Maxwell Fault, Boulder Fault, stock, pluton, sill, dacite, Colorado Mineral Belt
    4. Local Rocks-Valmont Dike Alkali Basalt, Flagstaff Sill Granodiorite
    5. Resources-Geology of Boulder County p.124-144, Messages in Stone p.71-76, Historical Geology p.371-390, Paleocene Rainforest Environment Video, Oligocene Redwood Forest Environment Video, Colorado Flyover 57 MYA Video,
  8. Chapter 11-The Quaternary-Glaciation, Alluvial Deposits, Stream Cutting, and Terraces-Nora, Loraina, Grace
    1. Present-October 14
    2. Time-Quaternary Period; 1.8mya-Present
    3. Geologic Concepts-glaciation, alluvial deposits, stream cutting, river terraces, cirque, rock glacier, moraine, u-shaped valley, cirque, canyon incision rate
    4. Local Rocks-Rocky Flats Alluvium, Verdos Alluvium, Slocum Alluvium
    5. Resources-Geology of Boulder County p.145-153, Messages in Stone p.77-91, Historical Geology p.390-394, Pleistocene Dune Field Environment, Pleistocene Ice Age Summer Environment, Latest Pleistocene Glaciers of Colorado Part 1, Late Pleistocene Glaciers of Colorado Part 2,

Research Resources for All Groups

  1. UC Museum of Paleontology Geologic Time Scale
  2. Ancient Denver Landscapes-DMNS
  3. Colorado Plate Tectonics Video Through Time
  4. Colorado Geology Videos

Rubric

Criteria A      
 B CIP
TimingGroup presents for the allotted time.
Group presents outside of allotted time by 5 minutes
Group presents outside of allotted time by 10 minutes
Group presents outside of allotted time by more than 10 minutes
Preparation
Group divides work evenly, uses time effectively, and practices ahead of time.
Group divides work, uses class time, and practices ahead of time.Group sometimes uses class time.
Group does not work together.
Geology
Group answers all questions related to geology with great depth and accuracy, uses rocks in instruction, and cites sources.
Group answers all questions related to geology with accuracy and uses rocks in instruction.
Group answers most questions related to geology.
Group does not answer the majority of questions related to geology
Life
Group explains life from the time with great depth and accuracy and cites sources.Group explains life from the time.
Group briefly talks about life from the time.Group does not talk about life from the time.
Activity   
Group has engaging, interactive, hands on activities to help students learn the material.
Group has engaging, interactive activity to help students learn the material.Group has some activity to help students learn the material.Group has no activity to help students learn the material.
Visual Aid
Group has visual aids including images, video, and rocks for all major concepts.
Group has visual aids including images, video, and rocks for most concepts.Group has visual aids for some concepts.
 Group has no visual aids.
 AssessmentGroup has an appropriate, engaging student assessment that addresses all major concepts.
Group has an appropriate student assessment that addresses most concepts.Group has a student assessment.
Group has no student assessment.