Courses

Environmental Geology   curated and designed by Steven Earle (CC BY 4.0).

This environmental geology course is about how geological processes affect the environment as well as humans and their infrastructure, and also about how humans affect geological processes. The course covers the typical environmental geology topics (earthquakes, volcanoes, slope failures, etc.) but has a strong emphasis on Earth systems and especially on climate change. The motivation behind making this course open and widely available is the urgency of environmental issues like climate change, which is more important at this time than ever before.

Maps

U.S. Geological Survey (Public domain).

Real-time or near real-time data and information on current conditions and earth observations.

Supplementary Materials

Soil and Water Conservation: An Annotated Bibliography  by Colby J. Moorberg (CC BY).

Online resources covering various aspects of soil and water conservation, and is designed to be a resource for conservation students and practitioners. The thirteen chapters in the annotated bibliography are grouped into four sections, including History and Fundamentals, Conservation Practices, Conservation Implementation, and Careers.

Volcanic Eruptions: An Interdisciplinary Approach Author: Isla Simmons (CC BY).

This resource includes four lessons and makes use of a variety of educational approaches to introduce learners to volcanoes and various aspects of geology.

Textbooks and Lab Manuals

Geological Structures: A Practical Introduction by John Waldron and Morgan Snyder (CC BY-NC).

This manual is about structures that occur within the Earth’s crust. Structures are the features that allow geologists to figure out how parts of the Earth have changed position, orientation, size and shape over time.

Geosciences LibreTexts Library  by various (CC BY-NC-SA).

A collection of open textbooks, assignments, and other educational resources on the subject of geosciences.

Groundwater  by Allan Freeze and John Cherry (CC BY-NC-ND).

This book is designed for introductory groundwater courses taught in undergraduate geology, geological engineering, or civil engineering curricula. It provides a broad coverage of groundwater topics in a manner that will enable course instructors to use selected chapters or chapter segments as a framework for a semester-length treatment. The remaining material can serve as a basis for a follow-up undergraduate course with more specialization or as source material for an introductory course at the graduate level. This book was written by Allan Freeze and John Cherry in 1979 and was originally published by Pearson Education Inc. all of which provided permission to post this textbook on the Hydrogeologists Without Borders website.

An Introduction to Geological Field Trips: Case Study Avonlea Badlands, Saskatchewan   by Monica Cliveti and Maria Velez (CC BY-SA).

This book teaches students how to prepare for geology field trips so that they can make the most of the experience. Topics covered include what to wear on a field trip, what information should be gathered before venturing into the field, what tools to bring, and how to effectively collect data in the field. This book uses a field trip to the Avonlea Badlands in the province of Saskatchewan as a case study. Figures such as graphs and text boxes containing key takeaways and learning checkpoints augment the material.

Introduction to Geology  by Chris Johnson, Matthew D. Affolter, Paul Inkenbrandt, Cam Mosher (CC BY-NC-SA).

An open textbook for introductory geology courses created by instructors at Salt Lake Community College.

Introductory Physical Geology Laboratory Manual – First Canadian Edition by Joyce McBeth; Karla Panchuk; Tim Prokopiuk; Lyndsay Hauber; and Sean Lacey (CC BY-SA).

This is an adaptation designed for students at the University of Saskatchewan.

Laboratory Manual for Introductory Geology   by Bradley Deline, Randa Harris, Karen Tefend (CC BY-SA).

Introduction to Geology is a textbook designed to ease new students into the often complex topics of Geology and the study of our planet and its makeup. The book assists readers through the beginning topics and nomenclature of Geology to familiarize them with Geology’s version of the scientific methods.

Living with Earthquakes in the Pacific Northwest: A Survivor’s Guide by Robert S. Yeats (CC BY-NC).

From Oregon State University.

A Practical Guide to Introductory Geology by Siobhan McGoldrick (CC BY).

A comprehensive laboratory manual covering the physical aspects of geology, including rocks and minerals, plate tectonics, streams, structural geology, and much more. This manual has a strong emphasis on examples from western Canada, especially Alberta and British Columbia, and includes a diverse set of exercises.

Physical Geology, First University of Saskatchewan Edition  by Karla Panchuk (CC-BY-NC-SA).

Physical Geology is a comprehensive introductory text on the physical aspects of geology, including rocks and minerals, plate tectonics, earthquakes, volcanoes, glaciation, groundwater, streams, coasts, mass wasting, climate change, planetary geology and much more.  It has a strong emphasis on examples from western Canada. It has a strong emphasis on examples from western Canada.  It is adapted from “Physical Geology” written by Steven Earle for the BCcampus Open Textbook Program.

Physical Geology – 2nd Edition by Steven Earle (CC BY).

Physical Geology is a comprehensive introductory text on the physical aspects of geology, including rocks and minerals, plate tectonics, earthquakes, volcanoes, glaciation, groundwater, streams, coasts, mass wasting, climate change, planetary geology and much more. It has a strong emphasis on examples from western Canada, especially British Columbia, and also includes a chapter devoted to the geological history of western Canada. The book is a collaboration of faculty from Earth Science departments at Universities and Colleges across British Columbia and elsewhere.

Soils Laboratory Manual – K-State Edition  by Colby J. Moorberg, Manhattan and David A. Crouse (CC BY).

Designed for students in undergraduate, introductory soil science courses, and highlights the many aspects of soil science, including: soil genesis and classification, soil physical properties, soil-water interaction, soil biology, soil chemistry, and soil fertility. The lab manual includes 15 different laboratories, each one starting with an introduction and pre-lab assignment, followed by in-lab activities, and complimented by post-lab assignment. In-lab activities involve field trips, experiments, observation stations, or problem sets. Post-lab assignments include online quizzes, problem sets, or laboratory summary reports.

The Story of Earth: An Observational Guide  by Daniel Hauptvogel and Virginia Sisson (CC BY-NC-SA).

This book is a global tour of geology. The book has a casual and conversational tone with exercises honing students’observational skills to tell stories about the Earth. Exercises and examples use localities from all over the world, including the Andes Mountains, Alaska, Great Britain, Brazil, Morocco, the Himalayas, Denmark, Australia, New Zealand, Russia, and Canada in addition to the traditional U.S.-centric locations like the Grand Canyon, Appalachians, Texas, and Rocky Mountains. For more information, see this article.

Websites

SoilWeb200  by Faculty of Land and Food Systems (CC BY-NC-SA).

SoilWeb200 provides students with online, interactive, graphical, video and text-based information to assist them in understanding fundamental soil science concepts. It also relates these concepts to various soil management issues.

SOILx by Virtual Soil Sciences Learning Resources at the University of British Columbia (CC BY).

An information service for soil types and soil sites across Canada. SOILx enables you to search spatially its database of soil sites and view detailed information on each one.

Media Attributions

• Canada Map Icon by Icons8 (CC BY-ND).
• BC Map by Adamwashere (CC BY-NC-SA).
• Sask map by Wikimedia Commons (public domain).