ERTH 101: Introduction to Geology

This course is a study of the principles of physical geology, the composition and structure of the earth, and the processes shaping the earth’s surface. We’ll study geology as it affects our lives and shapes our landscape including volcanoes, earthquakes, tsunamis, and other processes such as weathering and mountain building that evolve or act over extremely long time periods. The course also explores the very nature of science and scientific inquiry through the unifying theory of plate tectonics, a dramatic example of how new evidence and understanding can revolutionize a scientific discipline.