ESS 210 Physical Geology

Michael Brown

Office: ATG 220

Telephone: 616-6058

E-mail: brown@ess.washington.edu

Office Hours: TBD

Planet Earth is likely to be your “space ship” for life. This course is an “occupants’ manual” providing a one-quarter background in Earth history, processes, and structure.  You will be able to describe and identify the most common rocks and minerals.   Furthermore, you will gain knowledge of

•the origin and actions of major earth processes including plate tectonics, volcanism, glaciation, weathering, and sedimentation

•the variability, complexity, and interdependency of Earth systems

•how analysis of the present permits inferences about past and future behavior and consequences.

•how we modify and are impacted by geologic processes including erosion, floods, groundwater, and earthquakes.

Spring Quarter 2009 Schedule

Lectures: MWF 2:30-3:20 JHN 111

Lab: TTH  8:30-10:20 or

               10:30-12:20       JHN 117

Why ESS 210?    You have a choice between this course and ESS 101.   ESS 210 was designed as an introductory earth science course for science and engineering majors. Students in ESS 210 are self-selected. They are self-motivated and enthusiastic about learning. Rigor in this course is associated with the breadth of material that must be comprehended. An ability to understand a conceptual framework spanning basic principals of physics and chemistry is needed. However, the course is not focused on quantitative exercise.  This course has a limited enrollment of 50.