Hultgren Geology

Welcome to Geology!  Many people mistakenly think this course is just about rocks.  While Earth materials are a part of our study, we are really heading toward the goal of understanding our home.  Geology is like a detective story and my goal is to teach you about the questions you can ask in order to understand the way the Earth works.  You will become Earth detectives, learning how to observe and think about processes and forces acting on the Earth and to critically evaluate the evidence in support of those processes.  Hopefully, you will learn the ways in which we, as humans can change the face of the earth and how we can make decisions that may prevent detrimental changes from taking place.  This planet is all we have and we need to know how it works if we want a quality of life, not just for us but for generations yet to be born.  You will also learn ways in which forces bigger than all of us and out of our control shape the Earth as we know it and how they shaped the Earth billions of years ago.  Geology is scientifically unique because it draws on our knowledge of the physical, chemical, mathematical and biological world to help us say something about the world we live on.  So, no matter what your background, you have something to contribute to this class.