NSC 111 Earth Science Survey

A survey of geology, oceanography, meteorology and astronomy. Topics include: the nature of science; the origin and properties of minerals and rocks; dynamic properties of the crust (such as weathering, faulting, flooding, and glaciation); plate tectonics; topographic map skills; fossil formation and significance; dating the earth’s rocks; winds, cloud-formation, precipitation, and weather patterns; interpretation of weather maps and forecasting the weather; topography of the ocean floor and its relation to plate-tectonic models; factors affecting ocean currents and the significance of ocean currents to world climate; coastal landforms; ancient Greek, Ptolemaic, Copernican, and modern (‘big bang’) cosmologies; apparent motions of the moon, sun, and stars; and basic properties of the planets and the stars. Laboratory fee: $87. 4 hour(s). LAB