About the book

Teach with a clear learning path

An active learning path consists of six main parts: Focus on Concepts, Concept Checks, Give It Some Thought, Concepts in Review, Examining the Earth System, and Data Analysis. By breaking up chapters into smaller modules, the text changes the way students learn and retain information. Rather than passively read through long passages of exposition, students can absorb manageable bits of information, assess their knowledge of it, and go back and review the material if needed.

Brief, end-of-chapter Data Analysis activities send students outside of the book to online science tools and datasets from organizations such as NASA, NOAA, and USGS, empowering students to apply and extend chapter concepts and develop their data analysis and critical-thinking skills. Students can use these data resources to create their own maps in MapMaster 2.0.

Provide an enhanced learning experience

Content, data, and information ensures Earth Science is current, relevant, and highly readable for beginning students. Many discussions, case studies, examples, and illustrations have been updated or revised.
REVISED! Organization in the geology portion of the text ensures better comprehension of the material. The unit on Forces Within now precedes the unit on Sculpting Earth’s Surface. This was done in response to many users and reviewers of previous editions who wanted the theory of plate tectonics presented earlier in the text because of the unifying role it plays in our understanding of planet Earth. Of course, each unit is basically independent of the others and can be taught in any order desired by the instructor.
QR Codes link to over 200 NEW & UPDATED SmartFigures, giving readers immediate access to the five types of dynamic media below to help visualize physical processes and concepts:

10 SmartFigure Project Condor Quadcopter Videos. Three geologists, using a quadcopter-mounted GoPro camera, ventured into the field to film 10 key geologic locations and processes. These process-oriented videos can be accessed through QR codes in the text, and are designed to bring the field to the classroom and improve the learning experience within the text.
24 SmartFigure Mobile Field Trips take students to iconic locations with geologist–pilot–photographer Michael Collier in the air and on the ground to learn about iconic landscapes in North America and beyond that relate to discussions in the chapter. These extraordinary field trips are accessed by using QR codes throughout the text. New Mobile Field Trips for the 15th edition include Formation of a Water Gap, Ice Sculpts Yosemite, Fire and Ice Land, Dendrochronology, and Desert Geomorphology.
Over 150 SmartFigure Tutorials present students with a 3- to 4-minute feature (mini lesson), most narrated and annotated by Professor Callan Bentley. Each lesson examines and explains the concepts illustrated by the figure in the text. With over 150 SmartFigure Tutorials inside the text, students have a multitude of ways to enjoy art that teaches.

36 SmartFigure Animations created by text illustrator Dennis Tasa animate a process or concept depicted in the textbook’s figures. With QR codes, students are given a view of moving figures rather than static art to depict how geologic processes move throughout time.
17 SmartFigure Videos. These short video clips help illustrate such diverse subjects as mineral properties and the structure of ice sheets, and include new media such as quadcopter drone videos of coastal erosion in California. Accessible via QR codes in the text.

Use illustrations that teach

UPDATED! An unparalleled visual program. In addition to more than 100 new, high-quality photos and satellite images, dozens of figures are new or have been redrawn by illustrator Dennis Tasa. Maps and diagrams are frequently paired with photographs for greater effectiveness, and figures have additional labels that narrate the process being illustrated and guide students as they examine the figures.

Also available as a Pearson eText or packaged with Mastering Geology

Pearson eText is a simple-to-use, mobile-optimized, personalized reading experience that can be adopted on its own as the main course material. It lets students highlight, take notes, and review key vocabulary all in one place, even when offline. Seamlessly integrated videos and other rich media engage students and give them access to the help they need, when they need it. Educators can easily share their own notes with students so they see the connection between their eText and what they learn in class – motivating them to keep reading, and keep learning. Learn more about Pearson eText.

Mastering Geology is the teaching and learning platform that empowers you to reach every student. By combining trusted author content with digital tools developed to engage students and emulate the office-hour experience, Mastering personalizes learning and improves results for each student. With a wide range of activities available, students can actively learn, understand, and retain even the most difficult Earth Science concepts. Learn more about Mastering Geology.

BEFORE CLASS

UPDATED! Pearson eText optimized for mobile:

Pearson eText mobile app offers offline access and can be downloaded for most iOS and Android phones/tablets from the Apple App Store or Google Play
Seamlessly integrated SmartFigure videos and animations
Accessible (screen-reader ready)
Configurable reading settings, including resizable type and night reading mode
Instructor and student note-taking, highlighting, bookmarking, and searching capabilities

Quick Response (QR) codes link to over 200 videos and animations, giving readers immediate access to five types of dynamic media, including Project Condor Quadcopter Videos, Mobile Field Trips, Tutorials, Animations, and Videos to help visualize physical processes and concepts. SmartFigures bring the print book to life.
Dynamic Study Modules help students study effectively on their own by continuously assessing their understanding and performance in real time. Here's how it works: students complete a set of questions with a unique answer format that also asks them to indicate their confidence level. Questions repeat until the student can answer them all correctly and confidently. Once completed, Dynamic Study Modules explain the concepts, helping reinforce student learning. These are available as graded assignments prior to class, and accessible on smartphones, tablets, and computers. NEW! Instructors can now remove questions from Dynamic Study Modules to better fit their course.

DURING CLASS

Learning Catalytics™ helps instructors generate class discussion, customize lecture, and promote peer-to-peer learning with real-time analytics. As a student response tool, Learning Catalytics uses students’ smartphones, tablets, or laptops to engage them in more interactive tasks and thinking, including sketching, ranking, word clouds, image upload, and other interactive activity types. Instructors can:

Upload a full PowerPoint^® deck for easy creation of slide questions.
Access a full library of questions specific to the of 15th Edition of Tarbuck’s Earth Science.
Manage peer-to-peer learning without worrying about case-sensitive names when students join a team.

AFTER CLASS

10 SmartFigure Project Condor Quadcopter Videos bring Earth Science to life for students. Three geologists, using a quadcopter-mounted GoPro camera, ventured into the field to film 10 key geologic locations and processes. These process-oriented videos, accessed through QR codes, are designed to bring the field to the classroom and improve the learning experience within the text. In Mastering Geology, these videos are accompanied by assessments to test students’ understanding.
24 SmartFigure Mobile Field Trips take students to iconic locations with geologist–pilot–photographer Michael Collier in the air and on the ground to learn about iconic landscapes in North America and beyond that relate to discussions in the chapter. These extraordinary field trips are accessed by using QR codes throughout the text. New Mobile Field Trips for the 15th edition include: Formation of a Water Gap, Ice Sculpts Yosemite, Fire and Ice Land, Dendrochronology, and Desert Geomorphology. In Mastering, these videos are accompanied by auto-gradable assessments that track what students have learned.
Brief animations created by text illustrator Dennis Tasa animate a process or concept depicted in the textbook’s figures. With QR codes, students are given a view of moving figures rather than static art to depict how geologic processes move throughout time.
Brief tutorial videos present students with a 3- to 4-minute feature (mini lesson), most narrated and annotated by Professor Callan Bentley. Each lesson examines and explains the concepts illustrated by the figure. With over 150 SmartFigure Tutorials inside the text, students have a multitude of ways to enjoy art that teaches.
MapMaster 2.0 activities are inspired by GIS and allow students to layer various thematic maps to analyze spatial patterns and data at regional and global scales. Now fully mobile, activities include enhanced analysis tools, such as split screen, the ability for students to geolocate themselves in the data, and the ability for students to upload their own data for advanced map making. This tool includes zoom and annotation functionality, with hundreds of map layers leveraging recent data from sources such as NOAA, NASA, USGS, United Nations, CIA, World Bank, UN, PRB, and more.

Check out the preface for a complete list of features and what's new in this edition.

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