EESC 171

An introduction to the processes driving Earth’s geosphere and its evolution through time. The course provides students with the framework to understand how plate tectonics has shaped and continues to reshape Earth’s surface, including continental landmasses, oceans, climate, life, and the occurrence and distribution of Earth’s resources. Topics include plate tectonic theory, Earth’s composition and internal structure, geologic time, crustal deformation and mountain building, earthquakes, volcanoes, the origin of the ocean and atmosphere, linking geological processes, paleoclimates, and extinction events, and the role of Earth’s resources in modern society. Three credits and tutorial.