Geology 4L: Final Paper

Goal: To understand the spheres that make up the Earth system and the processes through which they interact.

Using what you have learned this semester in Geology 4L, choose an event or process about which you are interested in learning more (e.g. Mount Saint Helen eruption, supervolcano eruptions, wildfires, increasing CO2 levels in the atmosphere, the formation of diamonds, Hurricane Maria, a large meteor impact). Make sure to pick a topic that that is large enough to affect at least four of Earth’s spheres that we discussed this semester (i.e. atmosphere, geosphere, hydrosphere, biosphere, cosmosphere).

Your paper should: 1) focus on how your chosen event or process affects each sphere and 2) include as many connections as possible to what you have learned in the Geology 4L labs. 3) Include information on how this event affects/is affected by human activity. Use the diagram below to help you think about the types of interactions that could occur.

I encourage you to think creatively and to incorporate the expertise of your major and what you have learned in other classes into your project if it fits into the scope of the project.

Paper Requirements:

• Follow GSA or a similar format for style and citations (whatever format you choose, be consistent!) A quick guide to GSA format can be found here: https://www.sjsu.edu/geology/docs/gsa_format_guidelines.pdf
• Papers should have a title, reference page, be around 500 to 700 words, and double spaced.
• Use at least three reputable references to gather information for your paper. You will need to include a reference page and use in-text citations in the body of your paper. Some examples of acceptable references are:

• News articles
• Science journals
• Peer-reviewed papers
• Textbooks or reference books on your subject of choice

Science videos from sources like PBS, BBC, National Geographic, etc.

***Wikipedia, blogs, unpublished papers, etc. are not acceptable sources for information about your subject.

Plagiarism will not be tolerated. Make sure your paper is in your own words and properly cited. You will submit your paper via Canvas with TurnItIn (a plagiarism-checking software)