This text provides students with a basic understanding of geology and its processes and, more importantly, with an understanding of how geology relates to the human experience. It focuses students on the earth's geologic and biologic history of the earth and motivates students by including recent research on discussions of dinosaurs and fossils, as well as the principles and processes that have shaped the earth and life upon it for 4.5 billion years. This accessible text is an appropriate balance between paleontological emphasis (biology bias) and sedimentological (geology bias) showing students that we play an important role in the future of this history - thereby understanding how the earth actually works.