Earth History and Crustal Materials

Three credits · Undergraduate

An overview of the evolution of planet Earth from its origin some 4.6 billion years ago to the present. Students will examine changes in the distribution and character of continents and ocean basins, mountain ranges, continental glaciers and other features of the Earth’s surface, in light of plate tectonic theory, while studying the evolution and composition of the Earth’s crust by learning the origin, composition, classification and identification of igneous, sedimentary, and metamorphic rocks. Laboratory study of rocks in hand sample. Prerequisite: EESC 171 or 173 or permission. Three credits and lab.