HelpFeedback
Plummer Physical Geology
Information Center
Overview
Table of Contents
Preface
What's New
Features
Supplements
About the Authors
Earth Revealed
Reviewers


Student Edition
Instructor Edition
Physical Geology, 10/e

Charles C. Plummer, California State University at Sacramento
David McGeary, California State University at Sacramento
Diane H. Carlson, California State University at Sacramento

ISBN: 007252815x
Copyright year: 2005

Features



Features that will capture and maintain a student's attention include:
  • Each chapter begins with a statement of the purpose of the chapter and its relationship with other chapters. This is usually followed by a section showing how the chapter's material relates to Earth systems.
  • Geology is a visually oriented science. The book contains over 400 photographs and 370 illustrations. The art pieces are vital to understanding the concepts being discussed, so they must be straightforward and uncluttered, yet visually appealing. We strive to have the best photographs possible so they are the next best thing to seeing geology on a field trip.
  • "In Greater Depth" boxes discuss phenomena that are not necessarily covered in a geology course (e.g. Precious Gems) or present material in greater depth (e.g. Calculating the Age of a Rock).
  • "Environmental Geology" boxes discuss topics that relate the chapter material to environmental issues including impact on humans (e.g. Radon, a Radioactive Health Hazard).
  • "Planetary Geology" boxes compare features elsewhere in the solar system to their Earthly counterparts (e.g. Stream Features on the Planet Mars).
  • "Earth Systems" boxes are new in the 10th edition and highlight the interrelationships between the geosphere, the atmosphere, and other Earth systems (e.g. Oxygen Isotopes and Climate Change).
  • "Web" boxes summarize material that is further explained on the book's Online Learning Center.
  • The Internet has revolutionized the way we obtain knowledge and this book makes full use of its potential to help students learn. We have URLs for appropriate websites throughout the book-within the main body of text, at the end of many boxes and at the end of chapters. We have made the process student-friendly by having all websites that we mention in the book posted as links in this book's Online Learning Center website. (We also include all URLs in the textbook for those who wish to go directly to a site.)
  • Internet exercises are located on the text's Online Learning Center and allow students to investigate appropriate sites as well as raise interest for independent, further exploration on a topic. The Online Learning Center also includes additional readings and video resources. By placing these on the website, we can update them after the book has been published. We expect to add more sites and exercises to our website as we discover new ones after the book has gone to press. The Online Learning Center also features on-line quizzes, flashcards, animations and other interactive items to help a student succeed in a geology course.
  • Chapter resources include: Summaries bring together and summarize the major concepts of the chapter; Terms to Remember has all of the boldfaced terms covered in the chapter so that students can verify their understanding of the concepts behind each term; Testing Your Knowledge is a quiz that students can use to gauge their understanding of the chapter; (The answers to the multiple choice portions are posted on the website.) Expanding Your Knowledge is intended to stimulate a student' critical thinking by asking questions with answers that are not found in the textbook; and Exploring Web Resources describes some of the best sites on the Web that relate to the chapter.
  • Animations list the animations that were created for the chapter and are accessible on the Online Learning Center. A special animation icon has been placed beside every figure that has a corresponding animation on the Online Learning Center.


To obtain an instructor login for this Online Learning Center, ask your local sales representative. If you're an instructor thinking about adopting this textbook, request a free copy for review.