This classic textbook is now in its fourth edition and Steven Stanley has teamed up with John Luczaj, an award winning field geologist. LaunchPad combines an interactive ebook with high-quality multimedia content and ready-made assessment options, including LearningCurve adaptive quizzing.

Part I Materials, Processes, and Principles.- CHAPTER 1 Earth as a System.- CHAPTER 2 Rock-Forming Minerals and Rocks.- CHAPTER 3 The Diversity of Life.- CHAPTER 4 Environments and Life.- CHAPTER 5 Sedimentary Environments.- CHAPTER 6 Correlation and Dating of the Rock Record.- CHAPTER 7 Evolution and the Fossil Record.- CHAPTER 8 The Theory of Plate Tectonics.- CHAPTER 9 Continental Tectonics and Mountain Chains.- CHAPTER 10 Major Geochemical CyclesPart II The Story of Earth.- CHAPTER 11 The Hadean and Archean Eons of Precambrian Time.- CHAPTER 12 The Proterozoic Eon of Precambrian Time.- CHAPTER 13 The Early Paleozoic World.- CHAPTER 14 The Middle Paleozoic WorldCHAPTER 15 The Late Paleozoic World.- CHAPTER 16 The Early Mesozoic Era.- CHAPTER 17 The Cretaceous World.- CHAPTER 18 The Paleogene World.- CHAPTER 19 The Late Cenozoic World Before the Holocene.- CHAPTER 20 The Retreat of Glaciers and the Holocene.

Visual Overview Exercises provide students with a closer view of the chapter opening visual overviews, and ask related questionsChapter Objectives reiterate what students should be able to do after reading a chapternew_to_this_edition Updated Organization - To better reflect the Geologic Time Scale, the book now covers the Neogene Age before the Quaternary AgeUpdated Art Program - This edition's visual program offers over 100 new graphics and photosInteractive Timeline of Earth and Life Through Time - trace important aspects of Earth or its biota through its entire history and demonstrates how these topics are interrelated, underscoring important connections.Interactive Exercises, Flashcards, and Animations help students review the concepts