Course Outline

Mapping Earth’s Surfaces

• Latitude/Longitude

• Topographic maps

Astronomy

• Earth’s motions and cycles

• Seasons

• Stars, Planets, The Solar System

• Eccentricity of orbit

• The universe and its expansion

Weather and Climate

• Weather systems (air masses,

fronts, hurricanes) and hazards

• Geographic factors

• Human influence

Surface Processes

• Weathering, erosion, and

deposition

Rocks and Minerals

• The Rock Cycle

Plate Tectonics and Earth’s Interior

• Earth’s interior layers

• Plate boundaries

• Volcanoes, hot spots, and

earthquakes

Geologic History

• Radioactive decay

• Sequence of events

Rocks and Minerals

• The Rock Cycle

Plate Tectonics and Earth’s Interior

• Earth’s interior layers

• Plate boundaries

• Volcanoes, hot spots, and

earthquakes

Geologic History

• Radioactive decay

• Sequence of events