Catalog Course Search Details

 Department:    GEOL&

 Course #:    101

 Credits:    5

 Variable:     No

 IUs:    5.5

 CIP:    400601

 EPC:    n/a

 REV:    2024

 Course Description  

A survey of physical systems that give the Earth its structure. Emphasis on internal and surface processes, and applying physical sciences to explain Earth composition, forms, and past. Field trips may be required. Lab included.

 Prerequisite  

Prerequisite: ENGL 099 with a grade of "C" or higher (or placement into college-level English); and either placement into OR co-enrollment in OR completion of a college-level Math course with a grade of "C" or higher.

Contact Hours (based on 11 week quarter)

Lecture: 44

Lab: 22

Other: 0

Systems: 0

Clinical: 0

Intent: Distribution Requirement(s) Status:  

Academic Natural Sciences  

Equivalencies At Other Institutions

Learning Outcomes

After completing this course, the student will be able to:

1. Identify common rocks, minerals, and fossils, and know how they can be used to determine the history and processes of the Earth.
2. Describe how water, wind, ice and snow modify the surface of the Earth.
3. Show how the theory of plate tectonics is used to determine where and how mountain building, earthquakes, and mineral resources occur, how they evolve, and the rates at which geological processes occur.
4. Explain the basic structure of the interior of the Earth, and how this structure controls plate tectonics, Earth magnetism, and volcanism.
5. Describe how Earth systems (geosphere, atmosphere, hydrosphere, and biosphere) have evolved over geologic time.
6. Recognize how humans influence the physical processes and the resources of Earth, and what human actions portend for the future of Earth and human society.
7. Understand some the characteristics and history of our local geology (Washington State) that expresses the processes described in points 1 through 6 above.

General Education Learning Values & Outcomes

Revised August 2008 and affects outlines for 2008 year 1 and later.

Course Contents

1. Introduction of Basic plate tectonics framework and Mineralogy
2. Igneous Rocks, Volcanism
3. Metamorphism. Weathering.
4. Physical Chemistry of Water, Sedimentation
5. Geomorphology I: Global Climate, Mass-wasting, Groundwater
6. Geomorphology II: Rivers, Flooding, Glaciers, and Ice Ages
7. Geomorphology III: Shoreline processes, Deserts, Climate variability
8. Structural geology, Seismology, Local Earthquake Hazards
9. Plate Tectonics I: seismic and geomagnetic constraints, heat flow
10. Plate Tectonics II: refinements, local plate motion, effects on resource distribution.