Foundations of Earth Science

About this book

Ideal for undergraduates with little or no science background, Foundations of Earth Science provides a student-friendly, highly visual, non-technical survey of our physical environment with balanced, up-to-date coverage of geology, oceanography, astronomy, and meteorology. Foundations of Earth Science is the brief, paperback version of the best-selling Earth Science by Lutgens and Tarbuck, and designed for introductory courses in Earth science. The new Eighth Edition facilitates active learning by incorporating learning objectives throughout each chapter to provide students with a structured learning path. The learning path is tied to chapter objectives, giving students opportunities to demonstrate their understanding at the end of each section.

Contents

Introduction to Earth Science

Unit I EARTH MATERIALS
1. Matter and Minerals
2. Rocks: Materials of the Solid Earth

Unit II SCULPTURING EARTH’S SURFACE
3. Landscapes Fashioned by Water
4. Glacial and Arid Landscapes

Unit III FORCES WITHIN
5. Plate Tectonics: A Scientific Revolution Unfolds
6. Restless Earth: Earthquakes and Mountain Building
7. Volcanoes and Other Igneous Activity

Unit IV DECIPHERING EARTH’S HISTORY
8. Geologic Time

Unit V THE GLOBAL OCEAN
9. Oceans: The Last Frontier
10. The Restless Ocean

Unit VI EARTH’S DYNAMIC ATMOSPHERE
11. Heating the Atmosphere
12. Moisture, Clouds, and Precipitation
13. The Atmosphere in Motion
14. Weather Patterns and Severe Weather

Unit VII EARTH’S PLACE IN THE UNIVERSE
15. The Nature of the Solar System
16. Beyond the Solar System

Customer Reviews

Biography

Frederick Lutgens and Edward Tarbuck have been good friends and colleagues since 1970. Between them, they have more than 57 years of experience teaching geology to undergraduates, and both have been recognized with awards as excellent and inspiring professors. They share a special interest in introducing geology to beginning students and a belief in the value of field experiences for students of all levels. Lutgens and Tarbuck published their first college text, Earth Science, in 1976. That book, winner of the McGuffy Award from the Text and Academic Authors Association, is now in its fourteenth edition. In 1983, as the first edition of Earth was being prepared, gifted geology illustrator Dennis Tasa joined the author team. Since then the three have collaborated on more than twenty projects. Not only do Tarbuck, Lutgens, and Tasa work well together creatively; they also enjoy spending time in the Sangre de Cristo Mountains near Tasa's New Mexico studio. Tarbuck enjoys downhill skiing in Colorado, fly fishing near his childhood home in Northern Minnesota, and spending time in the Cascades. Lutgens is an avid runner, and when he can make the time, truly enjoys hiking the canyons of the Colorado Plateau. Although Lutgens and Tarbuck think alike on many issues, they don't agree on everything. Lutgens is devoted to jazz and classical music, whereas Tarbuck prefers pop artists or a good country station.