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Earth Science, 15th edition

Published by Pearson (August 31, 2017) © 2018

  • Edward J. Tarbuck (Emeritus) Illinois Central College
  • Frederick K Lutgens
  • Dennis G. Tasa Tasa Graphic Arts, Inc.

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For introductory courses in Earth Science.

Use dynamic media to bring Earth Science to life
Earth Science answers the need for a straightforward text that excites students about the world around them. Perfect for students with little-to-no background in science, the text covers geology, oceanography, meteorology, and astronomy clearly and without technical jargon. Instructors and students praise Tarbuck, Lutgens, and Tasa for their uncomplicated writing, dynamic media that help visualize physical processes, stunning Illustration program that brings the “wow” factor, and valuable activities in Mastering Geology that provide activity-based learning to solidify students' understanding. The 15th Edition incorporates the latest data and applications from Earth Science, new data analysis activities, and an updated dynamic mobile media and Mastering Geology program.

Also available as a Pearson eText or packaged with Mastering GeologyPearson 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.

Students, if interested in purchasing this title with Mastering Geology, ask your instructor for the correct package ISBN and Course ID. Instructors, contact your Pearson representative for more information.

About the book

Teach with a clear learning path

  • REVISED! 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.
    • Focus on Concepts is a set of numbered learning objectives at the beginning of the chapter that corresponds to each major section of the chapter and identifies the knowledge and skills that students should master by the end of the chapter. This feature helps students prioritize key concepts.
    • Concepts Checks. Within each chapter, every major section concludes with Concept Checks that allow students to monitor their understanding and comprehension of significant facts and ideas.
    • Concepts in Review at the end of the chapter coordinate with Focus on Concepts and provide a concise overview of key ideas by using photos, diagrams, and questions that test students' understanding of core concepts.
    • Give It Some Thought questions and problems are found at the end of each chapter and challenge learners by involving them in activities that require higher order thinking skills to analyze, synthesize, and apply chapter material.
    • Examining the Earth System are chapter-concluding sections that present problems and questions intended to develop awareness and appreciation for some of the Earth systems' many interrelationships.
    • NEW! 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

  • UPDATED! 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.
  • NEW! 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:
    • NEW & UPDATED! 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.
    • NEW & UPDATED! 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.
    • NEW & UPDATED! 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.
    • NEW & UPDATED! 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.
    • NEW & UPDATED! 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.
  • Eye on Earth chapter sections provide aerial or satellite views that challenge students to apply their understanding of basic facts and principles. A brief explanation of each image is followed by critical-thinking questions.
  • GEOgraphics are striking visual magazine-style geo-essays that explore topics that promote a greater understanding and add interest to each story.

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
  • UPDATED! 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.
  • UPDATED! 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.
  • Pre-Lecture Reading Quizzes ensure that students complete the assigned reading before class and stay on track with reading assignments. Reading Quizzes are 100% mobile ready and accessible 24/7.

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:
    • NEW! Upload a full PowerPoint® deck for easy creation of slide questions.
    • NEW! Access a full library of questions specific to the of 15th Edition of Tarbuck's Earth Science.
    • NEW! Manage peer-to-peer learning without worrying about case-sensitive names when students join a team.
    • Help students develop critical-thinking skills with a variety of interactive, conceptual, and kinesthetic question formats.
    • Monitor responses to find out where students are struggling.
    • Rely on real-time data to adjust teaching strategy.
    • Automatically group students for discussion, teamwork, and peer-to-peer learning.

AFTER CLASS

  • NEW & UPDATED! 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.
  • NEW & UPDATED! 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.
  • NEW! 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.
  • NEW! 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.
  • NEW & UPDATED! 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.
  • GeoTutors coaching activities help students master the most challenging physical geoscience concepts with highly visual, kinesthetic activities focused on critical thinking and the application of core geoscience concepts.
  • GigaPan Activities allow students to take advantage of a virtual field experience with high-resolution imaging technology developed by Carnegie Mellon University in conjunction with NASA.
  • Encounter Activities provide rich, interactive explorations of Earth Science concepts using the dynamic features of Google Earth™ to visualize and explore earth's physical landscape.
  • Give It Some Thought questions and problems relate back to each chapter's learning objectives, challenging learners by involving them in activities that require higher-order thinking skills such as synthesis, analysis, and application.

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

Content composed with the HTML code editor with live preview. Get a subscription to remove promotional messages or browse our directory for the best free online tools.

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.
  • DynamicStudy 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.

1. Introduction to Earth Science   

PART 1: EARTH MATERIALS 
2. Matter and Minerals 
3. Rocks: Materials of the Solid Earth   

PART 2: FORCES WITHIN 
4. Plate Tectonics: A Scientific Revolution Unfolds 
5. Earthquakes and Earth’s Interior 
6. Volcanoes and Other Igneous Activity 
7. Crustal Deformation and Mountain Building   

PART 3: SCULPTING THE EARTH’S SURFACE 
8. Weathering, Soil, and Mass Movement 
9. Running Water and Groundwater 
10. Glaciers, Deserts, and Wind   

PART 4: DECIPHERING EARTH’S HISTORY 
11. Geologic Time 
12. Earth’s Evolution Through Geologic Time

 

PART 5: THE GLOBAL OCEAN

13. The Ocean Floor

14. Ocean Water and Ocean Life

15. The Dynamic Ocean

 

PART 6: EARTH’S DYNAMIC ATMOSPHERE

16. The Atmosphere: Composition, Structure, and Temperature

17. Moisture, Clouds, and Precipitation

18. Air Pressure and Wind

19. Weather Patterns and Severe Storms

20. World Climates and Global Climate Change

 

PART 7: EARTH’S PLACE IN THE UNIVERSE

21. Origins of Modern Astronomy

22. Touring Our Solar System

23. Light, Telescopes, and the Sun

24. Beyond Our Solar System

 

APPENDICES

A. Metric and English Units Compared

B. Relative Humidity and Dew-Point Tables 

Fred Lutgens and Ed Tarbuck have been good friends and colleagues since 1970. Between them, they have more than 57 years of experience teaching geology to undergraduates, and both have been recognized with awards as excellent and inspiring professors. They share a special interest in introducing geology to beginning students and a belief in the value of field experiences for students of all levels.  
Lutgens and Tarbuck published their first college text, Earth Science, in 1976. That book, winner of the McGuffy Award from the Text and Academic Authors Association, is now going into its 15th edition. In 1983, as the 1st edition of Earth was being prepared, gifted geology illustrator Dennis Tasa joined the author team. Since then the three have collaborated on more than 20 projects. Not only do Tarbuck, Lutgens, and Tasa work well together creatively, they also enjoy spending time in the Sangre de Cristo Mountains near Tasa’s New Mexico studio.  
Tarbuck enjoys downhill skiing in Colorado, fly fishing near his childhood home in Northern Minnesota, and spending time in the Cascades. Lutgens is an avid runner, and when he can make the time, truly enjoys hiking the canyons of the Colorado Plateau. Although Lutgens and Tarbuck think alike on many issues, they don’t agree on everything. Lutgens is devoted to jazz and classical music, whereas Tarbuck prefers pop artists or a good country station.

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Mastering

Engage science and engineering students. Mastering® is a flexible platform that supports the way science students learn best: through active, immersive experiences. With tutorials, real-time analytics, and hints and feedback, you can replicate an office-hours visit and prepare learners for the challenges of today and tomorrow.

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Pearson eTextbook: What’s on the inside just might surprise you

They say you can’t judge a book by its cover. It’s the same with your students. Meet each one right where they are with an engaging, interactive, personalized learning experience that goes beyond the textbook to fit any schedule, any budget, and any lifestyle. 

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