ESCI 101: Dynamic Earth

4 credits

Course Content: Through the semester you will learn about Earth processes: what are the building blocks of Earth, why earthquakes and volcanoes occur where they do, why rivers are prone to flooding – Processes on the surface of the earth (floods, landslides) affect every day people, and so do the processes on the inside of the earth (earthquakes and volcanic eruptions). Additionally, Earth contains many resources that we use daily (rocks and minerals, oil) and you will learn about how some of those resources are formed. Once you understand some of the basics of how Earth works, you will be better informed citizens.

Textbook: Essentials of Geology 7th Edition, by Stephen Marshak, Norton publishers

Top Hat app: We will use Top Hat, an app you use on your phone to answer questions in class.

Laboratory: Every student should be registered for one of the lab sections on the USD campus. 

Course topics:

• Scientific Method

• Plate Tectonics

• Minerals

• Igneous Rocks

• Volcanoes

• Weathering & Soils

• Sedimentary Rocks

• Metamorphic Rocks

• Rock Deformation

• Earthquakes

• Geologic Time

• Mass Movements

• Streams & Floods

• Groundwater

• Glaciers

• Deserts

• Climate Change