Earth Science, 15th Edition © 2018

Earth Science answers the need for a straightforward text that excites students about the world around them. Perfect for students with little-to-no background in science, the text covers geology, oceanography, meteorology, and astronomy clearly and without technical jargon. Instructors and students praise Tarbuck, Lutgens, and Tasa for their uncomplicated writing, dynamic media that help visualize physical processes, stunning Illustration program that brings the “wow” factor, and valuable activities in Mastering Geology that provide activity-based learning to solidify students' understanding. The 15th Edition incorporates the latest data and applications from Earth Science, new data analysis activities, and an updated dynamic mobile media and Mastering Geology program.

Also available as a Pearson eTextbook or packaged with Mastering Geology Pearson eTextbook is a simple-to-use, mobile-optimized, personalized reading experience that can be adopted on its own as the main course material. It lets students highlight, take notes, and review key vocabulary all in one place, even when offline. Seamlessly integrated videos and other rich media engage students and give them access to the help they need, when they need it. Educators can easily share their own notes with students, so they see the connection between their eTextbook and what they learn in class — motivating them to keep reading and keep learning.

Mastering Geology is the teaching and learning platform that empowers you to reach every student. By combining trusted author content with digital tools developed to engage students and emulate the office-hour experience, Mastering personalizes learning and improves results for each student. With a wide range of activities available, students can actively learn, understand, and retain even the most difficult Earth science concepts.

Teach with a clear learning path

• An active learning path consists of six main parts: focus on concepts, concept checks, give it some thought, concepts in review, examining the earth system, and data analysis.
• Focus on concepts is a set of numbered learning objectives at the beginning of the chapter that corresponds to each major section of the chapter and identifies the knowledge and skills that students should master by the end of the chapter.
• Concepts checks. within each chapter, every major section concludes with concept checks that allow students to monitor their understanding and comprehension of significant facts and ideas.
• Examining the earth system are chapter-concluding sections that present problems and questions intended to develop awareness and appreciation for some of the earth systems' many interrelationships.
• Brief, end-of-chapter data analysis activities send students outside of the book to online science tools and datasets from organizations such as National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA), National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), and The United States Geological Survey (USGS), empowering students to apply and extend chapter concepts and develop their data analysis and critical-thinking skills. Students can use these data resources to create their own maps in MapMaster 2.0.

Use illustrations to teach key concepts

• An unparalleled visual program. In addition to more than 100 new, high-quality photos and satellite images, dozens of figures are new or have been redrawn by illustrator Dennis Tasa. Maps and diagrams are frequently paired with photographs for greater effectiveness, and figures have additional labels that narrate the process being illustrated and guide students as they examine the figures.
• Eye on Earth chapter sections provide aerial or satellite views that challenge students to apply their understanding of basic facts and principles. A brief explanation of each image is followed by critical-thinking questions.
• Geographics are striking visual magazine-style geo-essays that explore topics that promote a greater understanding and add interest to each story.

Also available as a Pearson eTextbook or packaged with Mastering Geology

Pearson eTextbook is a simple-to-use, mobile-optimized, personalized reading experience that can be adopted on its own as the main course material. It lets students highlight, take notes, and review key vocabulary all in one place, even when offline. Seamlessly integrated videos and other rich media engage students and give them access to the help they need, when they need it. Educators can easily share their own notes with students, so they see the connection between their eTextbook and what they learn in class – motivating them to keep reading and keep learning.

Mastering geology is the teaching and learning platform that empowers you to reach every student. By combining trusted author content with digital tools developed to engage students and emulate the office-hour experience, Mastering personalizes learning and improves results for each student. With a wide range of activities available, students can actively learn, understand, and retain even the most difficult Earth science concepts.

Provide an enhanced learning experience

• Content, data, and information ensures Earth Science is current, relevant, and highly readable for beginning students. Many discussions, case studies, examples, and illustrations have been updated or revised.
• Revised! Organization in the geology portion of the text ensures better comprehension of the material. The unit on forces within now precedes the unit on sculpting Earth’s surface. This was done in response to many users and reviewers of previous editions who wanted the theory of plate tectonics presented earlier in the text because of the unifying role it plays in our understanding of planet Earth. Of course, each unit is basically independent of the others and can be taught in any order desired by the instructor.
• QR Codes link to over 200 new & updated SmartFigures, giving readers immediate access to the five types of dynamic media below to help visualize physical processes and concepts.