GEOS5315 - The Earth: An Overview

GEOS 5315 The Earth: An Overview (3 semester hours) Nucleosynthetic processes, condensation of the solar system and the formation of the Earth-Moon system. Tectonic and magmatic processes driven by internal heat. The minerals of igneous rocks. Modes of emplacement and eruption of igneous rocks. Rock weathering and the external, sun-driven processes of erosion, transport and deposition. Biogenic sediments. Continental collisions, mountain building, rock deformation and metamorphism. Methods of dating and correlating rocks. A history of the Earth through time. Current problems and trends in the geosciences. Field trip. (3-0) Y