Professor John J. Renton – The Nature of Earth – An Introduction to Geology

A science that is intuitive, accessible and concrete.

Geology is everywhere, no matter where you are located. Wouldn’t it be great to have this? to Learn how to Learn about the landscape and rocks. to Make sense of Debats about natural resources and how to manage them to We are grateful for the “deep time” That governs the geologist’s expansive perspective?

These 36 are the half-Hour lectures are your introduction to the geological world just outside your front door. The Nature of Earth: An Introduction to Geology introduces you to The study of physical geology of EarthThese minerals, rocks, and soils are subject to a variety of processes over time.

Science is the only science that deals with the world in which we live more directly. It tells us where to Dig a well to Lime to soil: how gold, oil, or other valuable minerals are created and where they are found to These are the types you will find. of structures are safest in an earthquake zone; and why some active volcanoes are deadlier than others—far deadlier.

Download immediately Professor John J. Renton – The Nature of Earth – An Introduction to Geology

Geology also unlocks the history that lies hidden in the land all around us—in a piece of Marble, a hillside, is a handful of The rock layers and sand of A road cut or the jagged peak of A mountain range.

Anyone who is uncertain about the inherent complexity of it all? of Sciences like biology, physics and geology are intuitive, accessible and concrete. It also has the thrill of Never again-A detective story that ends with clues to Complex past of Our planet.

Learn the Principles of Master Educators

Geologists are much like the subject matter they study: no pretense, no verbal communication.-Nononsense, rugged, and with an added tinge of romanticism. This is how your instructor will be described for this course. Professor John J. RentonAn award-He is a West Virginia University winning educator and holds the Eberly Family chair for distinguished teaching.

An internationally respected expert in the field of geology of coal, Professor RentonHis first love was teaching introductory geology. He has been teaching at West Virginia University for over 40 years with passion and creativity. As a young faculty member, he recalls that he put aside his lecture notes. to He decided to do something that would encourage students to be more involved. He decided to Approach each class like an actor would.-Act play. Since then, he has prepared a script, rehearsed it for hours and destroyed it. to Avoid using the same presentation year after année.

You’ll find Dr. Renton Easy, spontaneous to Followable, funny and well-organized. He is an excellent example of a simple analogy that can make complex concepts easily understood and remembered. Take this example:

The Moving sidewalk: This is what we all have heard of But is continental drift really happening? It’s not, however. Professor Renton. They behave like passengers riding on a moving sidewalk. The sidewalk moves, but passengers don’t. The continents are also being carried on top of slowly moving plates. of Earth’s crust.
The How can fish poaching be stopped? EarthAre the plates moving? A fish poacher—an elongated pot designed to fit over two burners on a stove—illustrates the principle in action. Two heat sources create alternating cells in fish poachers. of Rising and sinking water. Similarly, EarthThe internal heat of the body creates alternate cells of Magma rising and sinking EarthThe plates of the currents are driven away from areas where they are rising and then they are forced together at places where they are sinking.
The bottle of Champagne: A volcano explodes explosively for exactly the same reasons that a too-It was done quickly-Opened bottle of Champagne exudes much of Its contents. When magma reaches the surface, it is built-In order to release the pressure, suddenly, it is released. This causes dissolved gases to Come out of Solution and explode explosively. Champagne has a similar effect when the corks are popped.

An Innovative Curriculum

I am an old hand in teaching geology to new students. Professor Renton Developed a highly innovative and effective curriculum.

An overview is the first step. of EarthYou move directly to’s position in the universe to The science’s most important unifying concept of geology: plate tectonics. An understanding of This stunning idea places other topics like mountain building and seismology within crystal-Clear perspective

This is how it works “big picture” You have completed the introduction. to The microworld of Molecules, atoms and subatomic particles to Get a good understanding of the basics of Minerals are the building blocks of rock and soils. You can then move. to These are the three types of Rocks: Igneous, sedimentary and metamorphic.

Dr. Renton It is important to understand terminology and you will learn a geological vocabulary. “mafic” And “felsic” (classifications of igneous rock), “lithification” This is the process that transforms sand into stone. “gneiss” (The most abundant) of All metamorphic rock

He always explains concepts and places them in context to help you truly understand why “granitic” Magnum rarely rises to The eruption occurs when the surface touches it. of unimaginable violence—and also why the marker for such an event having occurred in the past is a fine grained rock called “rhyolite.”

Explore a Range of These topics Geology

With knowledge of You then venture into the field on both the small and large scales to Explore: Volcanism, mass wasting and weathering, soils, the sculpting of The geologic geology of the earth, groundwater, rock deformation, geologic structures, earthquakes and mountains. of Petroleum and coal

Download immediately Professor John J. Renton – The Nature of Earth – An Introduction to Geology

Coverage of bulk of These lectures will take you through the course to some fascinating places—from the bituminous coal fields of Dr. Rentons home state of West Virginia to The mid-Ocean ridges are the most prominent feature of our planet, if you don’t drain the water. You also get to explore your own backyard with lectures that address soils and groundwater. These are two critical issues. to everyone.The Ability of Grains to If you are able to thrive in certain areas, then everything will make sense. of The water table.

This section explains. of You also learn from the course. of Plate tectonics to Answering such questions is part of the job description.

How do you spot a volcano that is raging? Because of There are many volcanoes and magma chemistry variations along the margin. of Collapsing plates are more dangerous than plates that are pulling apart. The Among them are Mount St. Helens, the United States, and Mount Pinatubo, the Philippines. The This includes the active volcanoes of Iceland which are rarely harmful to humans.
Is there any evidence that the Appalachian Mountains were formed by a collision? You will find the crumpling as you travel west along the Piedmont and Blue Ridge Mountains, Shenandoah Vale, and the Appalachians. of rock strata becomes increasingly less pronounced, showing that the energy that went into producing the folds came from the east—exactly what you would expect for a collision of The Piedmont region is where continents are found.
Where is the continent that collided to create the Appalachians and the Appalachians. It’s called Africa. The The Atlas Mountains of northwest Africa are structurally mirror images of The Appalachians. The breakup of North America saw Africa seperate from Africa. of Pangaea began around 180 million year ago.
What caused the bend in the Hawaiian Island–Emperor Seamount chain? The Motion of The chain was created by the Pacific plate and a geologic hotspot. of Islands and underwater seamounts. In the middle of The chain has a sharp bend. Why? The The collision coincides with bend of India and Asia were joined 45 million years ago. This event produced the Himalayan Mountains, and apparently shattered the Pacific plate.
What are the most likely new mountain ranges to form? The current motion of The EarthFuture mountain building will take place when Africa crosses into Europe, and then when Australia crosses with China.

Lessons to Live by

In his opening lecture, Professor Renton An e-Mail he received from an ex-student of More than 30 years ago, who marvels at the fact that “Hardly any week passes that something does not cause me?” to Think about your classes.

“Though I never became a geologist,” The correspondent wrote: “I often draw upon what you lectured about. I can explain to my daughter why this beach has sand and that beach has rocks, or how it is that rivers’ courses are the way they are. Well, she thinks I’m pretty bright. But in fact, I’m just passing on what I got from Physical Geology.”

“I think that really spells it out,” Says Professor Renton. “What I’d like you to get out of this course is information that you will take with you for the rest of your life, wherever you go in the world—I don’t care whether it’s a trip to the office or on vacation—so that you can look at the world that passes you by in a little bit different fashion, understanding it better, appreciating it better.”