Geobiology

Computer-generated image of Earth with continents aggregated together.

This is a paleographic reconstruction of the Earth 260 million years ago - a computer simulation showing where the continents were likely located at this point in history. (Image courtesy of Ron Blakey. Used with permission.)

Instructor(s)

MIT Course Number

12.007

As Taught In

Spring 2013

Level

Undergraduate

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Course Description

Course Features

Course Description

This course introduces the parallel evolution of life and the environment. Life processes are influenced by chemical and physical processes in the atmosphere, hydrosphere, cryosphere and the solid earth. In turn, life can influence chemical and physical processes on our planet. This course explores the concept of life as a geological agent and examines the interaction between biology and the earth system during the roughly 4 billion years since life first appeared.

Other Versions

Related Content

Roger Summons, and Tanja Bosak. 12.007 Geobiology. Spring 2013. Massachusetts Institute of Technology: MIT OpenCourseWare, https://ocw.mit.edu. License: Creative Commons BY-NC-SA.


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