Paleoecology and Biostratigraphy

The goal of this course unit is to acquire, reinforce, and synthesize concepts and knowledge in evolutionary paleontology, sedimentology, and paleoecology, and to apply them to the fossil record. Taken together, these concepts provide the keys to inferring the stratigraphic context and past environments in which extinct organisms lived.

Not required, but recommended: Introductory Course in Earth Sciences (S5, equivalent to HLST508 in the LMD5 program)

Additional information:

• Brief description of the concepts covered in fourth grade:

Introduction to paleontological techniques and methods; principles, methods, and significance of stratigraphy; dating methods related to stratigraphy (biostratigraphy, magnetostratigraphy); stratigraphic correlations 

Paleoenvironments: characterization of present-day environments (marine, terrestrial) and their fossil analogs; paleoenvironmental reconstruction (Proterozoic–Pleistocene) using fossils, sediment characteristics, and sedimentary structures

• Summary description of the tutorial sessions and the number of hours associated with each session

TD1: Techniques for Drawing Outcrops and Fossils

TD2: Use of Geological Maps in Paleontology and Fieldwork Preparation

TD3 and 4: Processing of data collected during the field trip—calculation of thicknesses, stratigraphic log, etc.

• Brief descriptions of the lab sessions and the number of hours associated with each session

Taxa and marker assemblages in stratigraphy:

Assignment 1: Biostratigraphy – Paleozoic

TP2: Biostratigraphy – Mesozoic

TP3: Biostratigraphy – Cenozoic

TP4: Marine Paleoenvironments

TP5: Continental Paleoenvironments

• Description of the topics/hands-on activities covered during your field trip(s) and details on the destinations/sites

Application of all concepts covered in lectures, tutorials, and lab sessions; paleoenvironmental and faunal changes during the Mesozoic and Cenozoic eras in the vicinity of Pic Saint-Loup.

=> Apply the fundamental concepts and technologies of sedimentology and paleontology to address a problem in the field and/or analyze a research paper or presentation;

=> Identify and select various specialized resources to research a topic;

=> Analyze and synthesize data for use 

=> Develop an argument using logic and critical thinking;

=> Know how to successfully carry out a project as part of a group.