Overview
Extra credit is available by turning in a written 3-page report based on one of the geological topics listed below. Please do your own research and writing; no two reports can be based on exactly the same material. The reports are due by 5 pm on Friday Nov 13. The report should be approximately 3 pages in length (double-spaced, typewritten) and include three sections:
Section 1: An introduction describing the topic being considered, and its significance to the Earth Sciences and/or society.
Section 2: A discussion of the scientific approaches and data used to investigate the topic and the results.
Section 3: A summary of the conclusions and optionally any follow-on work that either the authors or you think might be useful.
It is optional, but often a good idea to include one or two figures with captions written by you as part of the report (not included in the 3 pages of text); the figures should be referenced in the text and relevant to the discussion. I also recommend tying your report to material discussed in our textbook if that seems appropriate. You should provide citations for statements made in the report, and the sources for any figures you include, and you should provide a bibliography.
Effect on your grade: a satisfactory effort will result in an increase of 1/3 of a grade unit after all is curved. Since that is a generous grade boost, I do require a well-written report based on good sources, i.e., good grammar, well thought out sentences and paragraphs rather than stream-of-conciousness narrative. As USC students, I expect that you have mastered basic writing skills. It is a good idea to to edit your writing multiple times (four is not too many), and read it out loud.
Topics (choose one):
1700 Cascadia Earthquake - tectonic setting, effects, how it was discovered
Lake Toba - tectonic setting, process of formation, global significance (size and effects), comparison with Yellowstone caldera
North Anatolian Fault - tectonic setting, major quakes on it and their effects
Note that you need not discuss all of the possible subtopics listed for each topic.