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Objectives

Lesson 1: The Planet Earth and How It Works

  • Earth's composition and internal layers

  • how thermal energy is transferred through Earth,

  • the initial evidence for continental drift

  • the evidence for current plate tectonic theory

Lesson 2: Volcanism and  Igneous Rocks

  • how igneous rocks form and how their texture reflects their origin

  • the factors that influence magma behavior

  • how volcanism is related to plate tectonic processes

Lesson 3: Weathering and Sedimentary Rocks

  • how chemical and physical weathering processes break rocks down at Earth’s surface

  • how a sedimentary rock’s characteristics can be used to infer its origin

Lesson 4: Metamorphic Rocks

  • how metamorphism occurs, as well as the different settings in which it occurs

  • the different origins of oil, natural gas, and coal

  • the many processes by which other natural resources are formed

Lesson 5: Rivers and Groundwater

  • how faults occur and how they are related to different types of stress

  • the many interactions between earthquakes and human society

Lesson 6: Rock Deformation and Earthquakes

  • how faults occur and how they are related to different types of stress

  • the many interactions between earthquakes and human society

Lesson 7: The Earth's Interior and Plate Tectonics

  • how seismic studies reveal Earth’s internal structure and composition

  • how paleomagnetism can record the formation and movement of plates

  • the basic concepts of plate tectonic theory

Lesson 8: Surface Processes, Glaciers and Deserts

  • the concepts of a river’s capacity and competence

  • how karst landscapes form

  • different factors that influence groundwater recharge and flow

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