Earth Lab: Exploring the Earth Sciences

Earth Lab: Exploring the Earth Sciences by Pirie, Diane. paperback edition. ISBN: 9780495013280.

The Second Edition of EARTH LAB offers a variety of hands-on activities—a perfect accompaniment to either a physical geology, environmental geology, or earth science course. Full of engaging activities that help students develop data-gathering and analysis skills, the Second Edition introduces new chapters on glaciation, mass wasting, and natural processes in deserts. Other chapter topics include activities on rock identification that help students look into Earths history as well as learn about plate tectonics and earthquakes. EARTH LAB is distinguished not only by enhanced breadth of coverage, but also by innovative pedagogy and many simple, student-tested experiments. The traditional skills of rock and mineral identification, aerial photo analysis and geologic map interpretation are emphasized through superb graphic illustrations and rich visual content. Unlike activities in other lab manuals where students might only analyze pre-created data sets and maps, students using the Second Edition of EARTH LAB will spend more time handling and interpreting samples, or even creating their own models of geological processes. Instructors will find that within chapters, the wide selection of activities provides more than enough options to design their own labs based on their own particular resources and preferences. Thus, the new edition provides an unparalleled flexible basis for the design of Earth Science and Physical Geology labs.