Course Syllabus: Earth Science

The text book that we will be using for this class is Modern Earth Science, published by Holt, Rinehart, and Winston. In addition to the following outline, there are several useful internet links supplied on the textbook cover that may be used to clarify and/or supplement the information in the text.

We will have quarterly county tests, each of which covers one of the following units.

Unit I: Materials and Processes that Shape a Planet

Topics: Structure of the Earth Structure of an atom
Identification of minerals Characteristics of rocks
The "rock cycle" Principles of hydrology
Impact of natural agents on the Earth
Modern technology for studying the Earth

Chapters: 8 - 16

Unit II: Earth's History

Topics: Theory of plate tectonics Earthquakes and volcanoes
Theory of continental drift Relative vs. absolute age
Law of superposition Principle of uniformitarianism
The geologic time scale

Chapters: 4 - 7, 17 - 19

Unit III: Interactions of the Atmosphere and Hydrosphere

Topics: Heat transfer systems (conduction, convection, radiation)
Wind patterns and the Coriolis effect
Layers of the atmosphere
Elements of weather and weather patterns
Global oceanic circulation patterns
Factors that alter atmospheric and hydrologic conditions
The carbon cycle

Chapters: 20 - 26

Unit IV: Astronomy

Topics: Kepler's laws and Newton's universal law of gravitation
Life cycles of stars
Absolute magnitude and surface temperature of stars
Structure and evolution of galaxies
The Doppler effect and the Big-Bang theory
Nebular theory
Sun-Moon-Earth system
Characteristics of the sun
Effects of the movements of the Sun - Moon - Earth
Tides and Eclipses

Chapters: 27 - 30