Foundations of Earth Science

Digital Content and Experiences Bring Earth Science To Life

Ideal for undergraduates with little or no science background,  Foundations of Earth Science provides a student-friendly, highly visual, non-technical survey of our physical environment with balanced, up-to-date coverage of geology, oceanography, astronomy, and meteorology. Foundations of Earth Science is the brief, paperback version of the best-selling Earth Science by Lutgens and Tarbuck, and designed for introductory courses in Earth science. The new 8th Edition facilitates active learning by incorporating learning objectives throughout each chapter to provide students with a structured learning path. The learning path is tied to chapter objectives, giving students opportunities to demonstrate their understanding at the end of each section.

The 8th Edition uses the BouncePages image recognition app (available at no charge on both iOS and Android stores) to connect students’ digital devices to the print textbook, enhancing their reading and learning experience. Lutgens/Tarbuck’s innovative SmartFigures feature has been expanded, adding new digital content via Project Condor, Mobile Field Trips by Michael Collier, Animated Figures, and additional tutorial videos from Callan Bentley. This edition also includes Mastering Geology, the most complete, easy-to-use, engaging tutorial and assessment tool available.

Also Available with Mastering Geology

Mastering™ Geology is an online homework, tutorial, and assessment program designed to work with this text to engage students and improve results. Interactive, self-paced tutorials provide individualized coaching to help students stay on track. With a wide range of activities available, students can actively learn, understand, and retain even the most difficult concepts.

Note: You are purchasing a standalone product; Mastering Geology does not come packaged with this content. Students, if interested in purchasing this title with Mastering Geology, ask your instructor for the correct package ISBN and Course ID. Instructors, contact your Pearson representative for more information.

If you would like to purchase both the physical text and Mastering Geology, search for:

0134127641/ 9780134127644 Foundations of Earth Science Plus Mastering Geology with eText -- Access Card Package

Package consists of:

• 0134184815 / 9780134184814 Foundations of Earth Science
• 0134251881 / 9780134251882 Mastering Geology with Pearson eText -- ValuePack Access Card -- for Foundations of Earth Science

Fred Lutgens and Ed Tarbuck have been good friends and colleagues since 1970. Between them, they have more than 57 years of experience teaching geology to undergraduates, and both have been recognized with awards as excellent and inspiring professors. They share a special interest in introducing geology to beginning students and a belief in the value of field experiences for students of all levels.

Lutgens and Tarbuck published their first college text, Earth Science, in 1976. That book, winner of the McGuffy Award from the Text and Academic Authors Association, is now in its fourteenth edition. In 1983, as the first edition of Earth was being prepared, gifted geology illustrator Dennis Tasa joined the author team. Since then the three have collaborated on more than twenty projects. Not only do Tarbuck, Lutgens, and Tasa work well together creatively; they also enjoy spending time in the Sangre de Cristo Mountains near Tasa’s New Mexico studio.

Tarbuck enjoys downhill skiing in Colorado, fly fishing near his childhood home in Northern Minnesota, and spending time in the Cascades. Lutgens is an avid runner, and when he can make the time, truly enjoys hiking the canyons of the Colorado Plateau. Although Lutgens and Tarbuck think alike on many issues, they don’t agree on everything. Lutgens is devoted to jazz and classical music, whereas Tarbuck prefers pop artists or a good country station.

Introduction to Earth Science

Unit I EARTH MATERIALS

 1. Matter and Minerals

 2. Rocks: Materials of the Solid Earth

Unit II SCULPTURING EARTH’S SURFACE

 3. Landscapes Fashioned by Water

 4. Glacial and Arid Landscapes

Unit III FORCES WITHIN

 5. Plate Tectonics: A Scientific Revolution Unfolds

 6. Restless Earth: Earthquakes and Mountain Building

 7. Volcanoes and Other Igneous Activity

Unit IV DECIPHERING EARTH’S HISTORY

 8. Geologic Time

Unit V THE GLOBAL OCEAN

 9. Oceans: The Last Frontier

 10. The Restless Ocean

Unit VI EARTH’S DYNAMIC ATMOSPHERE

 11. Heating the Atmosphere

 12. Moisture, Clouds, and Precipitation

 13. The Atmosphere in Motion

 14. Weather Patterns and Severe Weather

Unit VII EARTH’S PLACE IN THE UNIVERSE

 15. The Nature of the Solar System

 16. Beyond the Solar System