Identify basic properties and uses of Earth’s materials including rocks, soils, water, and gases of the atmosphere.

Define basic features of the rock cycle.

Describe the layers of the earth.

Differentiate among the mechanisms by which heat is transferred through the Earth’s system.

Relate plate tectonics to both slow and rapid changes in the earth’s surface.

Describe the rock cycle and the processes that are responsible for the formation of igneous, sedimentary, and metamorphic rocks.

Relate geochemical cycles to the conservation of matter.

Explain how the Earth is composed of a number of dynamic, interacting systems exchanging energy or matter.