• History of Physical Geology
• The Earth's Origin
• The Earth's Structure
• The Earth's Exterior
• Geologic Time
• The Earth Today

• Chemical Composition
• Minerals and Rocks
• Mineral Properties
• The Rock Cycle

• Magmatic Differentiation
• Volcanoes and Lavas
• Extrusive Rock Types
• Rock Textures
• Intrusive Rock Types
• Intrusive Structures
• How Different Magmas Form
• Igneous Rocks and Plate Tectonics

• How Sedimentary Rocks Form
• Clastic Sedimentary Rocks
• Chemical Sedimentary Rocks
• Organic Sedimentary Rocks
• Sedimentary Features
• Sedimentary Environments

• Metamorphism Defined
• Factors Controlling Metamorphism
• Types of Metamorphism
• Metamorphic Rock Types
• Hydrothermal Rocks
• Metamorphism and Plate Tectonics

• Geologic Structures Defined
• Tectonic Forces
• Interpreting Structures
• Mapping in the Field
• Folding
• Fracturing
• Unconformities

• Weathering
• Processes of Mechanical Weathering
• Processes of Chemical Weathering
• Soil

• Introduction to Mass Wasting
• Mass‐Wasting Controls
• Types of Mass Wasting
• Prevention of Mass Wasting

• Types of Water Flow
• Stream Dynamics
• Stream Erosion
• Sediment Load
• Stream Deposition
• Stream Valleys
• Regional Erosion

• Introduction to Glaciation
• Types of Glaciers
• How Glaciers Develop
• Glacier Movement
• Glacial Erosion
• Glacial Landforms
• Glacial Deposits
• Glaciers in the Past
• North American Glaciation

• Groundwater and Infiltration
• Porosity
• Permeability
• The Water Table
• Streams and Springs
• Effects of Groundwater Flow
• Groundwater Pollution
• Geothermal Energy

• Waves
• Beaches
• Shoreline Features
• Tides

• Distribution and Causes of Deserts
• Desert Features
• The Effects of Wind

• How Earthquakes Form
• Seismic Waves
• Monitoring Earthquakes
• Effects of Earthquakes
• Earthquakes and Plate Tectonics
• Control and Prediction

• Geophysics Defined
• Seismic Waves: Methods of Detection
• The Structure of the Earth
• The Crust
• The Mantle
• Isostatic Equilibrium
• The Core
• Magnetic Fields
• Gravity
• Geothermal Gradients

• Investigative Technologies
• Continental Margins
• Ocean Floor Sediments
• Active Continental Margins
• Passive Continental Margins
• Reefs
• Midoceanic Ridges
• Oceanic Crust

• Early Evidence for Plate Tectonics
• Paleomagnetic Evidence
• Sea Floor Evidence
• How Plates Move
• Types of Plate Boundaries
• Why Plates Move
• Mantle Plumes
• Pangaea

• Introduction to Mountains
• Features of Mountain Belts
• Types of Mountains
• How Mountains Form
• How Continents Form

• Geologic Time Defined
• Relative Time
• Geologic Correlations
• Absolute Age
• A Summary of Earth's History

• Resources and Reserves
• Metallic Deposits
• Energy Resources
• Nonmetallic Resources
• Recycling and Conservation

• Introduction to the Solar System
• Mercury
• Venus
• Earth's Moon
• Mars
• Jupiter and Saturn