- Earth Materials

Catalog description

An exploration of the nature, compositions, and origins of Earth materials (i.e., rocks, minerals, mineraloids) that are central to understanding Earth system history. Students will study the attributes of the minerals, rocks, and soils of Earth's lithosphere focusing on petrogenic processes within the context of the tectonic history of North America. Field and laboratory work will provide students with the skills and methodologies required to prepare Earth materials for study and to conduct their own petrographic analyses. Lectures, discussions, and in-class student team presentations teach the concepts and insights required to interpret petrogenic processes and tectonic environments of Earth materials.