Table of Contents

1 Introducing Geology, the Essentials of Plate Tectonics, and Other Important Concepts 2 Earth's Interior and Geophysical Properties 3 The Sea Floor 4 Plate Tectonics 5 Mountain Belts and the Continental Crust 6 Geologic Structures 7 Earthquakes 8 Time and Geology 9 Atoms, Elements, and Minerals 10 Volcanism and Extrusive Rocks 11 Igneous Rocks, Intrusive Activity, and the Origin of Igneous Rocks 12 Weathering and Soil 13 Mass Wasting 14 Sediment and Sedimentary Rocks 15 Metamorphism, Metamorphic Rocks, and Hydrothermal Rocks 16 Streams and Floods 17 Ground Water 18 Deserts and Wind Action 19 Glaciers and Glaciation 20 Waves, Beaches, and Coasts 21 Geologic Resources 22 The Earth's Companions Appendices A-G Glossary Index

About the Author

Diane Carlson is a professor at California State University - Sacramento. Carlos Plummer is a professor at California State University - Sacramento.