EARTH MATERIALS: A SYSTEMS APPROACH
Introduction to earth systems and earth materials that form as a result of earth processes. Focus on identification of igneous, sedimentary, metamorphic, and structural rock types in hand sample, core, and outcrop. Topics include: structure and composition of the earth; fundamentals of mineralogy and crystallography; magmatism; sedimentary deposition; metamorphism and deformation; water and the hydrosphere; mineral deposits; energy resources; basic principles of rock mechanics.
Topics
- structure and composition of the earth
- fundamentals of mineralogy and crystallography
- magmatism
- sedimentary deposition
- metamorphism and deformation
- water and the hydrosphere
- mineral deposits
- energy resources
- basic principles of rock mechanics
Topics explicitly listed in official catalogue description
Prerequisites & course information
Requisites: None Course Designation: Core GenEd - Natural Science & Wellness + Lab Breadth - Physical Science Level - Elementary L&S Credit - L&S Liberal Arts and Science Repeatable for Credit: No Learning Outcomes: 1. Identify all major rock types and the minerals that constitute them. Audience: Undergraduate 2. Provide characterization of rocks (e.g., types of schists) based on quantitative mineral composition and fabric. Audience: Undergraduate 3. Articulate how all rock types are related to plate tectonic processes and fit into the rock cycle. Audience: Undergraduate 4. Characterize the basic physical (density, porosity, permeability, fracture patterns) and chemical (pH, susceptibility of weathering and dissolution) properties of different rock types. Audience: Undergraduate Learning Outcomes: 1. Identify all major rock types and the minerals that constitute them. Audience: Undergraduate 2. Provide characterization of rocks (e.g., types of schists) based on quantitative mineral composition and fabric. Audience: Undergraduate 3. Articulate how all rock types are related to plate tectonic processes and fit into the rock cycle. Audience: Undergraduate 4. Characterize the basic physical (density, porosity, permeability, fracture patterns) and chemical (pH, susceptibility of weathering and dissolution) properties of different rock types. Audience: Undergraduate
Sources
- Course catalogue ↗2026-2027