Essential Earth opens students' eyes to the physical world around them, teaches how scientists explore it, and what we need to do to both protect ourselves from it (hazards) as well as protect it from us (global change). This is a focused introduction to the basics of geology that emphasizes the process of science.

Why We Study Geology
How We Study Geology
Plate Tectonics: The Unifying Theory
Earth Materials: Rocks and Minerals
Igneous Processes and Volcanism
Sedimentation: Rocks formed by Surface Processes
Deformation and Metamorphism
Timing the Geologic Record
History of Earth
The Climate System and Glaciation
Groundwater and the Hydrologic Cycle
Rivers, Deserts, and Coastlines: Transport by Water and Wind
Earthquakes
Energy Resources

THOMAS H. JORDAN, University of Southern California, USA.

JOHN GROTZINGER, California Institute of Technology, USA.