Course Outline
Course Outline - The Physical Setting / Earth Science
1 Introduction to Earth’s Changing Environment
- Observations
- Density
- The Changing Environment
- Human Interaction with the Environment
2 Measuring Earth
- Size and Shape of Earth
- Spheres of Earth
- Locating Positions on Earth
- Fields
- Mapping Earth’s Surface
3 Earth in the Universe
- Origin and Age of the Universe
- Structure of the Universe
- Solar System
4 Motions of Earth, Moon, and Sun
- Apparent Motions of Celestial Objects
- Models That Help Explain Apparent Celestial Motions
- Actual Earth Motions
- Earth and Moon Motions and Time
- Actual Motions of Earth’s Moon
5 Energy in Earth Processes
- Electromagnetic Energy
- Transfer of Energy
- Transformation of Energy
- Temperature and Heat
- Heat Energy and Changes of State
- Earth’s Energy Supply
6 Insolation and the Seasons
- Solar Radiation and Insolation
- Variation of Insolation
- Heat Budget and Climate Change
- Seasons
7 Weather
- Atmospheric Temperature
- Atmospheric Pressure and Density
- Wind
- General Circulation of the Air in the Troposphere
- Atmospheric Moisture
- Air Masses and Fronts
- Storms and Severe Weather
- Weather Prediction and Probability
8 Water and Climate
- The Water Cycle
- Climate
9 Weathering and Erosion
- Weathering
- Erosion
10 Deposition
- Factors Causing Deposition
- Sorting of Sediments and Deposition
- A Model of an Erosional-Depositional System
- Characteristic Features of the Chief Depositional Agents
11 Earth Materials—Minerals, Rocks, and Mineral Resources
- Minerals
- Rocks
- Mineral Resource
12 Earth’s Dynamic Crust and Interior
- Small Scale Crustal Changes
- Earthquakes and Igneous Activity, Including Volcanoes
- A Model of Earth’s Interior
- Plate Tectonics
13 Interpreting Geologic History
- Relative Dating of Rocks and Events
- Correlation
- Geologic History From the Rock Record
- Absolute Dating of Rocks Using Radioactive Decay
- Evolution of Earth and Life
14 Landscape Development and Environmental Change
- Measuring Landscape Characteristics
- Landscape Regions
- Factors of Landscape Development
- Bedrock
- People, Environmental Change, and Landscapes