The course provides you with a basic understanding of the Earth’s physical environment, including such major elements as the solar electromagnetic radiation that heats the planet and moves gases and liquids over the planet surface, and the flow of heat from the Earth’s interior that shows up in short-term features such as volcanoes and earthquakes and in long-term features such as the slow movement of continental plates across the upper layers of the Earth’s crust. Major topics include the Earth’s features, mapping the Earth’s surface, the Earth’s energy balance, weather and climate, ocean circulation, minerals and rocks, plate tectonics, weathering and mass wasting, hydrology, landform creation, and soils.
