The successor to a long line of physical geology texts from Longwell, Flint and Skinner. While retaining their authoritativeness and logical organization on elementary topics (landforms, rocks, minerals), it integrates current thinking on processes (plate tectonics, chemical cycles, changes throughout geologic time). It is a well-illustrated introduction to investigations into the way the earth works, how mountains are formed, how the atmosphere, hydrosphere, crust and mantle interact with each other. Treatments on climate, paleoclimatology and landscape evolution are unique to this book, as is the depth of discussion on how greatly human activity affects geological interactions. Most chapters have new material which does not appear in any other beginning geology text, such as the discussion of K/Tertiary boundary and subsea volcanoes.