Guide in PDF format

Geological Record of Global Change

Code: 101043
Credits: 6

2026/2027

Degree programme	Type	Course
Geology	OP	3

Contact lecturer

Name :: Ramon Mercedes Martin
Email :: ramon.mercedes@uab.cat

Teaching staff

: Oriol Oms Llobet
: Gumer Galan Garcia
: Judit Marigo Cortes
: Ramon Mercedes Martin
: Angel Hernandez Lujan
: Marta Roige Taribo

Group languages

You can consult this information at the end of the document.

Prerequisites

None

Objectives

Overview of Earth history and life on Earth through global changes that can be gained from the geological and paleontological record.

Learning outcomes

CM01 (Plan the set of techniques required to solve problems related to plate tectonics, large-scale sedimentation, and climate change.) Plan the set of techniques required to solve problems related to plate tectonics, large-scale sedimentation, and climate change.
KM01 (Explain the field of knowledge and the main objectives of study of the different disciplines encompassed by geology.) Explain the field of knowledge and the main objectives of study of the different disciplines encompassed by geology.
KM02 (Describe the endogenous and exogenous processes capable of modifying the physical geography of the planet and the distribution of geological materials in the Earth's crust, including the interpretation of the geochemical and petrological record.) Describe the endogenous and exogenous processes capable of modifying the physical geography of the planet and the distribution of geological materials in the Earth's crust, including the interpretation of the geochemical and petrological record.
KM04 (Estimate the temporal order of magnitude of the different geological processes.) Estimate the temporal order of magnitude of the different geological processes.
SM02 (Use geology knowledge to clearly and effectively communicate the most important events of a particular geological period to an expert and amateur audience.) Use geology knowledge to clearly and effectively communicate the most important events of a particular geological period to an expert and amateur audience.

GEOCHEMICAL AND PETROPHIC RECORD OF GLOBAL CHANGES

Topic 1: Useful parameters in the estimation of environmental variables (\"proxies\"): Fundamentals, applications and limitations.

CHANGES ON A GLOBAL SCALE AND TRIGGERS

Topic 2: Astronomical factors: Orbital variations.

Topic 3: Astronomical factors: solar variations, impacts.

Topic 4: Terrestrial factors: suborbital variations, examples.

Topic 5: Terrestrial factors: Volcanism, continental drift and Evolution of the oceans.

GEOLOGICAL HISTORY AND FOSSIL RECORD OF GLOBAL CHANGES

Topic 6: Precambrian. Chemical conditions. Lithological record, continental distribution. Fossil record. The fauna of Ediacara.

Topic 7: Lower Paleozoic. Paleogeographic and paleoclimatic evolution. Evolution of the fossil record. Late Ordovician crisis.

Topic 8: Upper Paleozoic. Paleogeographic and paleoclimatic evolution. Evolution of fossil record. Upper Devonian crisis.

Topic 9: Global changes and extinctions at the P / T limit. Triassic. Continental distribution. Changes in the fossil record. Upper Triassic crisis.

Topic 10: Jurassic. Distribution of seas and continents. Fossil records. Oceanic anoxic events in the Jurassic.

Topic 11: Cretaceous. Paleogeographic and climatic evolution and the fossil record. Crete. Anoxic oceanic events in the Cretaceous.

Item 12: Extinctions at the K / Pg Limit.

Topic 13: The Paleogene-Neogen. The Messinian salinity crisis.

Item 14: From the Pliocene to the Holocene.

Learning activities and methodology

Title	Hours	ECTS	Learning outcomes
tutoring	17	0.68	SM02
Seminars (synthesis projects)	9	0.36	KM01, KM02, KM04, SM02
works derived from practices and seminars	15	0.6	KM01, KM02, KM04
Laboratory practices	16	0.64	CM01, KM01, KM02, KM04
Homework	62	2.48	CM01, KM02, KM04, SM02
Theroretical classes	26	1.04	KM01, KM02, KM04

THEORY CLASSES AND SEMINARSThe student acquires the competences of the subject attending the theoretical classes, that will be in the form of master classes, and the seminars, with more active participation of the student. The material used in the classes and seminars will be available in the Virtual Campus of the subject. This material should serve the student to complement the notes he takes in classes and seminars.Since the subject does not have specific textbooks, it is advisable to regularly consult the books, articles and websites of the bibliography and those that teachers can indicate throughout the course, to consolidate and expand the contents of the subject.

LABORATORY PRACTISES

IN the laboratory practises the student will reinforce the i¡understanding of the theoretical lessons. As in theoretical lessons and seminars the audiovisual metyarial will be available at Virtual Campus. The student will be released the zprocedures to develop the practical work . Some practises will require to carry out several exercises that will have to be delivered as requested by the teacher or to undergo oral dissertation.

In this subject a reasonbe use of Artificial Intelligence (AI) will be allowed.

Annotation: within the schedule set by the centre or degree programme, 15 minutes of one class will be reserved for students to evaluate their lecturers and their courses or modules through questionnaires.

Assessment

Continuous assessment activities

Title	Weight	Hours	ECTS	Learning outcomes
releasing of works from done in seminars	20%	1	0.04	CM01, KM01, KM02, KM04, SM02
Laboratory practices	10%	0	0	KM01, KM02, KM04, SM02
written test	70%	4	0.16	KM02, KM04, SM02

The evaluation of the subject is conditioned and may undergo modifications depending on health incidents, but in principle will consist of:

- 2 partial tests, with dates already fixed in the schedules of the subject, and a test of final recovery of each failedpart, also with date fixed in the schedules. 70%.

- The repeaters have the option to do a final examination of the contents of the subject or take part in the two partial tests and the recovery, explained in the previous section.

- To pass the subject a minimum grade of 4 is required on the part of each teacher.

- Evaluation of the participation and presentation of works in the corresponding session of the seminars. 20%

- Continuous evaluation of supervised activities. 10%

Bibliography

REFERENCES

Albarede, F. 2009. Geochemistry. An introduction. Cambridge.

Behringer, W. 2010. A cultural history of climate. Polity Press. 295 pp.

Bowen, R. 1994. Isotopes in the Earth Sciences. Chapman & Hall.

Brannen, P. (2024). Los finales del mundo: Una historia de las grandes extinciones del pasado, y lo que podemos aprender de ellas. Shackleton books. 400 pàgines

Cacho, I. 2010. Els climes de Catalunya. El passat. En J.E. Llebot Ed., Segon informe sobre el canvi climàtic a Catalunya, p. 13-39. Ed. Generalitat de Catlunya i Institut d’Estudis Catalans. http://www15.gencat.cat/cads/AppPHP/images/stories/publicacions/informesespecials/2010/sicccat/informe_per_captols/01_els_climes_de_catalunya._el_passat.pdf

Condie, K.C. 2011. Earth as an evolving Planetary System. Academic Press. 574 pp.

Cowen, R. 2000. History of Life. Blackwell Science. Oxford. 432 p. ISBN0632 04444 6 (56 Cow)

Dodd, R., Stanton. Jr. 1990. Paleoecology, concepts and applications. John Wiley and Sons.

Donovan, S.K. (ed.) 1989. Mass Extinctions. Processes and Evidence. Belhaven Press. London. 265 p. ISBN 1 85293 059 4 (56.017.4 Mas)

Doyle, P., Bennett, M.R., Baxter, A.N. 2001. The key to Earth History. Wiley. 293 p. ISBN 0 471 49215 9

Dunbar, C.O. 1963. Geologia Histórica. Compañía Editorial Continental S.A. 556 p.

Erwin, D.H. 2005. Extinction. How life on Earth Nearly Ended 250 Milion Years Ago. Princeton University Press. 296 pp.

Fagan, B. 2000.The little ice age. How climate made history 1300 – 1850. Basic books. 246pp. Existeix una versió en català.

Fagan, B. 2004. The long summer. How climate changed civilizations. Basic books, 284 p.

Fagan, B. 2008. The great warming. Climate change and the rise and fall of civilizations. Bloomsbury Press.282 pp.

Gradstein, F.M., Ogg, J.G., Schmitz, M., Ogg, G. 2012. The Geological Time Scale 2012. Elsevier 1176 p. ISBN 0444594485.

Hallam, T. 2005. Catastrophes and lesser calamities: the causes of mass extinction. Oxford University Press. 226 p. ISBN 0 19 280668-8

Halliday, T. (2022). Otros mundos: viaje por los ecosistemas extintos de la Tierra. Debate. 416 páginasKnoll, A.H., Canfield, D.E., Konhauser, K.O. 2012. Fundamentals of Geobiology. John Wiley & Sons. 464 p. ISBN 1118280865.

Knoll, H. A. (2022). Breve historia de la Tierra: cuatro mil millones de años en ocho capítulos. Editorial Pasado y Presente. 240 pàgines

Koeberl, Ch., MacLeod, K.G. ed. 2002. CatastrophicEvents andmass extinctions: impacts and beyond. The Geological Society of America. Special paper, 356. 746 p. ISBN 0813723566

Kummel, B. 1970. History of the Earth. W.H. Freeman and Company. 706 p. ISBN 0 7107 0249 5

Lethiers, F. 1998. Évolution de la biosphère et évenéments géologiques. Gordon and Breach Science Publications GIB. 321 p. ISBN 90 5699 124 8 (551 Let)

Levin, H. 2013. The earth through time.Wiley. 567 pp.

Ogg, J.G., Ogg, G., Gradstein, F.M. 2008. The concise Geologic Time Scale. Cambridge University Press 177 p. ISNB 978 0 521 89849

Oms, O. 2012. Registre geològic dels fenòmens astronòmics. Història Natural dels PaÏsos Catalans, suplement ‘La Terra a l’Univers’ pg. 286-300.Ed. EnciclopèdiaCatalana.

Pomerol, Ch. 1973. Ère Cénozoique, stratigraphie et paleogéographie. Doin éd. 270 p. ISBN 2 7040 0005 0

Pomerol, Ch. 1975. Ère Mésozoïque, stratigraphie et paléogéographie. Doin éd. 383 p. ISBN 2 7040 0057 3

Pomerol, Ch., Babin, Cl. 1977. Précambrien. Ère Paléozoique, stratigraphie et paléogeographie. Doin éd. 430 p. 2 7040 0081 6

Reguant, S. 1986. Geologia Històrica.Ketres. 140 p.

Reguant, S. 2005. Historia de la Tierra y dela Vida. Ariel. 355 p. ISBN 84 344 8071 9 ( )

Riba,O., Reguant, S. 1986. Una taula dels temps geològics. Institut d'Estudis Catalans. 127 p.

Skelton, P. W. (ed). 2003. The Cretaceous World. Cambridge University Press. 360 p. 0 521 53843 2

Stanley, S.M. 1987. Earth and life through time. W.H. Freeman & Company. 690 p. ISBN 0 7167 2035 3

Taylor, P.D. (ed). 2004. Extinctions in the History of Life. Cambridge University Press. 189 p. ISBN 0 521 84224 7 (56 exc)

Uriarte, A. 2003. Historia del clima de la Tierra. Servicio Central de Publicaciones del Gobierno Basco. 306 p. ISBN 84 457 2097 1

Walliser, O.H. (ed). 1996. Global Events and event stratigraphy in the Phanerozoic. Springer. 333 p. ISBN 3540590560

SUPPLEMENTARY REFERENCES

Barthel, K.W., Swinburne, N.H.M., Morris, S.C. 1994. Solnhofen, a study in Mesozoic palaeontology. Cambridge University Press. 236 p. ISBN 0 521 33344 7

Briggs, D.E.G., Crowther P.R. 2003. Palaeobiology II. Blackwell Publishing. 583 p. ISBN 0 632 05149 3

Briggs, D.E.G., ErwinD.H., Collier, F.J. 1994. The fossils of the Burgess Shale. Smithsonian Institution Press. 238 p. ISBN 1 56098 659 X

Fortey, R. 2006. Trilobites,testigos de la evolución. Laetoli. 309 p. ISBN 84 934862 3 X

Fortey, R. 2004. Earth, an intimate history. Random House inc. ISBN: 0375406263

Hallan, A. 1973. Atlas of Palaeogeography. Elsevier Scientific Publishing Company. 531 p. ISBN 0 4444 40975 0

Levi-Setti, R. 1993. Trilobites. The University of Chicago Press. 342 p. ISBN 0 226 47451 8

Palmer, D., Rickards, B. 1991. Graptolites, writing in the rocks. The Boydell Press. 165 p. ISBN 0 85115 262 7

Simpson, G.G. 1985. Fósiles e historia de la vida. Biblioteca Scientific American. Labor. 240 p. ISBN 84 7593 006 9 (56 Sim)

Skelton, P.W. (ed.) 1993. Evolution: a biological andpalaeontological approach. Addison-Wesley, Wokingham. 1064 p. ISBN 0201544237 (575 Evo)

Skelton, P.W., Spicer, B. Rees, A. 1997. Evolving life and the Earth. TheOpen University. Milton Keynes. 199 p. ISBN 0 7492 8185 5 (56 Ske)

Whittington, H.B. 1992. Trilobites. The Boydell Press. 145 p. ISBN 0 85115 311 9

Xian-Guang, H., Aldridge, R.J., Bergström, J., Siveter, David j., Siveter, Derek J., Xiang-Hong, F. 2004. The Cambrian fossils of Chengjiang, China. Blackwell Publishing. 233 p. ISBN 9781405167192

WEB PAGES

IUGS. International Union of Geological Sciences. www.iugs.org

ICS. International Commission on Stratigraphy. www.stratigraphy.org

PALEOMAP PROJECT. Christoffer R. Scotese. www.scotese.com

RON BLAKE MAPS. Global Paleogeography. https://deeptimemaps.com/

GÉRARD STAMPFLI: EARTH DYNAMICS. Tethyan plate tectonics. Global paleotectonic reconstruction. https://www.unil.ch/iste/en/home/menuinst/recherche/geology-and-geodynamics-of-mountain-belts/gerard-stampfli.html

EARTH IMPACT DATABASE. http://www.passc.net/EarthImpactDatabase/

Software

Course groups and languages

The information provided is provisional until November 30. After this date, you will be able to consult the language of each group through this link. To access the information, you will need to enter the course CODE

Type of teaching	Group	Language	Semester	Shift
(TE) Theory	1	Catalan	first semester	afternoon
(PLAB) Practical laboratories	1	Catalan	first semester	afternoon
(SEM) Seminars	1	Catalan	first semester	morning-mixed