G 202 Earth's Surface Systems

Surface geologic processes. Includes landforms and hazardous geological systems, rocks and minerals, geologic and topographic maps, remote sensing, erosion, deposition, weathering, soils, mass wasting, streams, groundwater, coasts, glaciers, deserts, climate, and plate tectonics. Take G 201 and 202 in any order. Lab included.

Credits

4

Course Learning Outcomes

Upon successful completion of this course, the student will be able to:
1. Describe, explain, and interpret the processes of physical and chemical weathering
2. Classify, explain, and analyze fluvial systems, mass wasting, glacial, coastal, and desert landforms and processes and evaluate land-use policy
3. Diagram and apply groundwater models; analyze recurrence intervals, measure and graph fluvial variables
4. Evaluate and question media reports about geologic hazards and evaluate case studies about them
5. Examine processes of erosion and deposition and stream and glacial flow and apply them to case studies of streams, mass wasting, coastal processes, dune migration, and glacial retreat and advance
6. Apply the theory of plate tectonics to Earth’s surface processes
7. Interpret flood recurrence interval data and evaluate methods of mitigating flood hazards
8. Classify mass-wasting events by analyzing specific case studies from around the world, and analyze factors involved in mass wasting
9. Analyze streams using the graded stream model, interpret depositional models for fluvial systems, and recognize geomorphic features associated with streams
10. Analyze factors that influence coastal depositional systems, erosional features, and geomorphology
11. Survey glacial and eolian processes, coastal dune systems and desertification; and evaluate the effects of climatic change on deserts and glaciers