Essentials of Geology, 7/e (Paperback)

Description
Marshak geology meets active, virtual learning.

The gold standard text for helping students visualize and understand geologic processes makes hands-on and real-world exploration easier and more impactful than ever, in any course setting. New 3D specimen and digital elevation models, with corresponding Smartwork exercises, allow students to examine specimens and sites as if they were in the field or lab. And new highly visual “Practice What You Know” and “What Can You See?” activities at the end of each chapter and in Smartwork help students synthesize and apply important concepts like a geologist. Thoroughly updated with current events and essential data, the Seventh Edition also reveals the dynamism of geology and how it impacts our lives.

Features

• NEW 3D models bring geologic specimens and sites right into your class.
  Widely praised by reviewers, new 3D models allow students to examine specimens of rocks, minerals, and geologic structures, as well as digital elevation models, as if they were in the field or lab. The models allow 360° viewing and include descriptive placemarks to facilitate analysis. Integrated in the ebook and assignable as Smartwork activities, these dynamic models bring the outdoors into your course and engage students in “doing” geology.
• New “What Can You See?” activities turn students into geologists.
  New “What Can You See?” activities at the end of every chapter and in Smartwork take Marshak’s signature “What a Geologist Sees” artwork to the next level by asking students to analyze real-world sites for themselves. These compelling activities engage students in thinking like a geologist by using sketches, cross-sections, and landscape feature identification to connect important geology concepts. These activities build on and pull together the core concepts from the new “Practice What You Know” chapter review sections, which provide visual pathways that students can use to check their understanding after they complete assigned reading. These reviews are also available through Smartwork.  
• Help your students understand how geology impacts their lives.  
  New “Putting Geology to Use” features demonstrate how course concepts apply to students’ lives. Topics include debates about fracking (Ch. 12), assessing flooding hazards for your region (Ch. 14), and how different rock types lead to different sculpture art (Ch. 7). The Seventh Edition also explains recent geologic events and natural disasters to help students understand how geology impacts human communities.
• Smartwork and the Guided Learning Explorations support impactful online learning.
  To better support instructors and their own course outcomes, Norton offers two types of practice and assessment. For instructors who are looking for higher-stakes questions that are customizable, Smartwork offers a variety of question types that are easily filtered or customized to match your course goals, including three new question types: 3D-model, “Practice What You Know,” and “What Can You See?” questions. For instructors interested in lower-stakes activities, the Guided Learning Explorations (GLEs) offer a scaffolded progression that begins with concept review and ends with virtual fieldwork and real-world investigation. For the most interactive experience, instructors can assign the Guided Learning Explorations and Smartwork in tandem, using the GLEs to help students understand and apply difficult concepts and Smartwork to assess concept proficiency.