ESSENTIALS OF GEOLOGY W/GEOLOGYNOW

ESSENTIALS OF GEOLOGY, Fourth Edition is a shorter version of the authors' PHYSICAL GEOLOGY: EXPLORING THE EARTH, Fifth Edition text. In the same tradition, the authors present the content and material in a clear, consistent voice, focusing on plate tectonics in the first two chapters and offering more material on earth history than other texts in the market. The authors also draw the student into physical geology by providing engaging examples, as can be seen in the "Cultural Connection" boxes, a new pedagogical feature in this edition. Chapter opener objectives are now numbered so that students can easily recognize the crucial points of the chapter while reading and then they are numbered again in the chapter summary, for review. The Fourth Edition has numerous new photos that will be of interest to faculty and students alike and offers a new online student tutorial called GeologyNow. GeologyNow is the first assessment-centered student tutorial technology developed for the Geology market. The seamless integration of GeologyNow with chapter concepts emphasizes the connections between the content and students' own lives, through visual 3-D animations and chapter quizzes, in order to develop a greater appreciation for physical geology.

Reed Wicander is a geology professor at Central Michigan University, where he teaches Physical Geology, Historical Geology, Prehistoric Life, and Invertebrate Paleontology and was previously chair of the department. He obtained his B.A. at San Diego State University and his Ph.D. at UCLA. His main research interests involve various aspects of Paleozoic palynology, specifically the study of acritarchs, on which he has published numerous papers. He is a past president of the American Association of Stratigraphic Palynologists and currently a councilor of the International Federation of Palynological Societies and chair of the Acritarch Subcommission of the Commission Internationale de Microflore du Paleozoique. He has coauthored several geology textbooks with James S. Monroe.

James S. Monroe is Professor Emeritus of Geology at Central Michigan University, where he taught Physical Geology, Historical Geology, Prehistoric Life, and Stratigraphy and Sedimentology beginning in 1975 and served as chair of the Geology department. He received his Ph.D. from the University of Montana. He has coauthored several textbooks with Reed Wicander and has interests in Cenozoic geology and geologic education. Monroe now lives in Chico, California, where he remains active in geology by teaching courses to a large group of retirees.