Course Descriptions

GEO 101 - Physical Geology-GR

4 Credits

What controls the locations of volcanoes, earthquakes, and mountains? Where does our drinking water originate? What forces shape landscapes to create caves, glaciers, and landslides? What natural resources are used to create the technology we love and the resources we need? How does this impact people, both locally and globally? This course answers these questions and more while investigating plate tectonics, the rock cycle, and the Earth as a system. Two field trips [in person or virtually] to study local geology are incorporated into lab each semester.

New SUNY General Education: SUNY - Natural Sciences (and Scientific Reasoning)

Retiring SUNY General Education: SUNY-NS - Natural Sciences (SNSC)

MCC General Education: MCC-CT - Critical Thinking (MCT), MCC-SCI - Scientific Reasoning (MSCI)

Course Learning Outcomes
1. Apply Plate Tectonic Theory to a geologic setting.
2. Identify the role of geothermal energy in occurrence of earthquakes and volcanic eruptions.
3. Recognize features formed by interactions of Earth's subsystems.
4. Apply concepts related to the Rock Cycle.
5. Identify layers of the Earth.
6. Solve geologic problems utilizing age-determination techniques.
7. Identify the geologic processes that can cause natural hazards.
8. Interpret observations in the laboratory setting to identify rocks and minerals.
9. Interpret topographic maps to identify geologic features.
10. Analyze data in a field setting to answer geologic questions.

Course Offered Fall, Spring

Use links below to see if this course is offered:
Fall Semester 2024
Intersession 2025
Spring Semester 2025