Features Designed for the Student
This text is intended for an introductory-level college course.
It does not assume any prior exposure to geology or collegelevel
mathematics or science courses. The metric system is used
throughout, except where other units are conventional within a
discipline. (For the convenience of students not yet “fluent” in
metric units, a conversion table is included on the inside back
cover, and in some cases, metric equivalents in English units
are included within the text.)
Each chapter opens with an introduction that sets the stage
for the material to follow. In the course of the chapter, important
terms and concepts are identified by boldface type, and these
terms are collected as “Key Terms and Concepts” at the end
of the chapter for quick review. Many chapters include actual
case histories or specific examples. The Glossary includes both
these boldface terms and the additional, italicized terms that
many chapters contain.
Every chapter concludes with review questions and exercises,
which allow students to test their comprehension and
apply their knowledge, followed by suggested readings and
pertinent references.
Readings and Examples Connect to Life Experiences
Each chapter includes one or more boxed readings relating to
the chapter material. Some involve a situation, problem, or
application that might be encountered in everyday life. Others
offer additional case histories or relevant examples. The tone
is occasionally light, but the underlying issues are nonetheless
real. (While some boxes were inspired by actual events,
and include specific factual information, all of the characters
quoted, and their interactions, are wholly fictitious.)
NetNotes Link Readers to Timely, In-depth Resources
The “NetNotes” at the end of each chapter offer modest collections
of Internet sites that provide additional information and/or
images relevant to the chapter content. These should prove useful
to both students and instructors. An effort has been made to
concentrate on sites with material at an appropriate level for the
book’s intended audience and also on sites likely to be relatively
stable in the very fluid world of the Internet (government agencies,
educational institutions, or professional association sites).Appendices Provide Background and Reference Tools
Relative to the length of time we have been on earth, humans
have had a disproportionate impact on this planet. Appendix A
explores the concept of geologic time and its measurement and looks at the rates of geologic and other processes by way of putting
human activities in temporal perspective. Appendix B gives
an introduction to topographic and geologic maps and satellite
and other kinds of imagery, highlighting some new techniques
for examining the earth. Appendix C provides short reference
keys to aid in rock and mineral identification, and the inside back
cover includes units of measurement and conversion factors.
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2008 McGraw-Hill Higher Education