Physical Geology

Catalog description

<p><span style="color: #0000ff;">GEM STAMPED: GEM 4:&nbsp;SCIENTIFIC WAYS OF KNOWING</span></p> This course investigates the composition of the Earth and the external and internal processes that shape it. Within the context of plate tectonics, it explores the origins of rocks and minerals and dynamic processes such as volcanic and magmatic activity, seismicity, and crustal deformation that are driven by the continual release of the Earth's internal heat. It also examines how air, wind, water, and ice move in response to gravity and energy from the Sun, sculpting Earth's surface by eroding, transporting, and depositing rock materials. Lab exercises will include rock/mineral identification, applied geologic problems, and local field trips.