GEO 105 - Shaping the Earth

5 Credits

Explore the geologic processes that contribute to making Earth’s unique and varied landscapes! This class investigates how plate tectonics works to build up Earth’s surface through folding, faulting, volcanism, and mountain-building, then studies how waves, wind, gravity, groundwater, rivers, and glaciers act to erode, modify and shape different environments.

Course Note Previously GEOL 105.
FeesScience Lab Support Fee

Quarters Typically Offered
Fall Day
Winter Day, Evening
Spring Day

Designed to Serve Designed for transfer students as well as general students who need an elective to satisfy distribution requirements.
Active Date 20240322T08:51:36

Grading Basis Decimal Grade
Class Limit 28
Contact Hours: Lecture 55
Total Contact Hours 55
Degree Distributions:
AA

Science

Course Outline

Principles of geology including plate tectonics.
Surface processes and landforms: streams, flooding, groundwater, caves, Karst, glaciers, waves and nearshore currents, wind weathering, deserts, local landforms
May include: tectonic processes and landforms: volcanoes, geologic structures and mountain building

Student Learning Outcomes
Students will explain the theory of plate tectonics and the scientific evidence used to support it.

Students will articulate the importance of plate tectonics to the creation and destruction of landscapes through scientific analysis of their observations of major features of the Earth’s continents and oceans.

Students will describe how weathering, mass wasting, streams, groundwater, waves, wind, and glaciers function and relate them to the surface features and landforms created by each.

Students will compare and contrast erosion, transport, and deposition of sediment by various geologic surface processes and describe the cause of these differences.

Students will identify Earth’s surface features and landforms and discuss their origin and evolution as dependent on geologic structure, geologic processes, and the current stage of landscape development.

Students will explain geologic time and recognize the relatively slow rate of most geologic processes.

Students will articulate examples of the impacts of geoscience on everyday life using appropriate detail and terminology to describe geologic processes.

Students will complete activities by applying the scientific method, making relevant calculations, and using appropriate detail and terminology.

Students will distinguish between observations/data and interpretations.

Students will create geologically reasonable hypotheses based on learned knowledge to explain observations of rocks and features.