MAPPING ASPECTS OF THE ATMOSPHERE, BIOSPHERE, HYDROSPHERE, AND LITHOSPHERE ON IMAGINARY GLOBAL CONTINENTAL GEOMETRIES: A TEACHING TOOL IN EARTH SYSTEM PROCESSES

The interrelatedness of the many aspects of the geosciences is an important concept to introduce in an undergraduate geoscience curriculum. The synthesis capstone project presented here has served to integrate the generalized geospatial and geochronological pattern-based learning of a traditional introductory earth history course with an active and process-based exercise in hypothesis production. In this exercise, each student is presented with (1) a unique and imaginary global continental configuration and (2) a general categorization of the global climate scheme (greenhouse vs. icehouse). Students then work through cause/effect relationships in how various earth processes would behave on the continental framework and hypothesize biotic and abiotic patterns to be mapped on the imaginary globe. Presentation and discussion of each student's unique imaginary world and his/her interpretation of the various mappable parameters engages students in each other's reasoning and creative thought processes while promoting group learning and increasing scientific communication skills. Students then propose field measurements that would test their hypotheses. Examination of the evidence and procedures used in the retrodiction of actual global paleogeographic scenarios is then placed in the context of this project for critical discussion. In practice, students have responded enthusiastically to the opportunity to develop unique geographic interpretations of an imaginary paleogeographic framework using their understanding of modern earth systems. They come to better understand the effects of continentality, oceanic barriers and corridors, and other aspects of the physical distribution of land and sea in dictating the geographic patterns of many variables.