Earth Science

Catalog description

A study of the materials, principles, and processes that define and govern the Earth system.This course covers the fundamentals of geology: rocks, minerals, the rock cycle, geologic time, plate tectonics, earthquakes, volcanoes, geologic structures, weathering and erosion, hydrologic cycle, groundwater, glaciers and geologic hazards. Laboratory activities include mineral and rock identification, geologic structure and landform identification, interpretation of geologic maps and cross-sections, field geology, and other fundamental topics. This course satisfies the General Education requirement for Scientific Reasoning (previous area title: Science and Technology). Class meets 3hrs. lecture; 3 hrs. lab. Prerequisites: Writing Skills II (ENG-095) and Academic Reading III (ESL-098) or Reading Skills II (RDG-095); or Integrated ELL Level III (ELL-103); and a C or higher in Foundations of Mathematics (MAT-093) or exemption by placing into higher level courses.