One field trip. Offered in alternate years. Study of successive events leading to the present configuration of the continental masses, the evolution and development of life, accounting for the kinds and distribution of surface rocks and minerals and the interrelationships of plate tectonics. Geology 1000 or IDS 1700 topics course. Physical properties, origin, occurrence, geochemistry, atomic structures, and use of minerals.
Laboratory emphasizes the physical identification of minerals in hand samples.
Introduction to the genesis, global distribution, associations, compositions, and classifications of rocks. Laboratory emphasis is on macroscopic and microscopic identification of igeneous, sedimentary, and metamorphic rocks. Rock sequences, lithologic and paleontologic facies of various parts of the United States and basic sedimentological principles. Origin and classification of the structural features of the rocks comprising the earth s crust. A comprehensive study of the occurrence, distribution, and movement of water in the hydrosphere.