Humans are intimately connected with the physical environment, even though we have only been present for a fraction of the vast history of the Earth. We strive to understand how the Earth has evolved since its formation over 4 billion years ago and what types of processes have fostered these changes. Our knowledge of the Earth is critical, not only for piecing together its history, but also to aid in the understanding of issues relevant to our present-day lives, such as: availability of natural resources, pollution, climate change, and natural hazards.
During this course, we will perform a general survey of the physical Earth. We will examine the minerals and rocks of which the solid Earth is composed, the processes that generate Earth's landforms, natural hazards associated with geologic processes, geologic time, and surface processes (e.g., glaciers, streams, groundwater).
Final Exam (May 17: 10:30-12:30)
The final exam will be on materials presented during the final quarter of the course (lectures and materials in chapters 16, 15, 18, 19, 12). The exam will be comprehensive and will include material from the entire course. To get the most recent copies of the study guides click at left.
The field trip to Great Falls (MD) took place on Saturday April 22. About 100 students attended on a morning that set a record for rainfall at Dulles Airport (over 3 inches of rain). The field trip was teh only opportunity for extra credit in the course. To see some photos from previous trips, click here.