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New!

Geology: Earth in Perspective, 4th Edition

Reed Wicander, James S. Monroe, Parvinder Sethi

  • {{checkPublicationMessage('Available 17 April 2026', '2026-04-17T00:00:00+0000')}}
Starting At $117.95 See pricing and ISBN options
Geology: Earth in Perspective 4th Edition by Reed Wicander/James S. Monroe/Parvinder Sethi

Overview

Developed through the "student tested, faculty approved" process, "Geology: Earth in Perspective," 4th Edition, by Wicander, Monroe, and Sethi, brings geology to life for both majors and non-majors. Comprehensive yet concise, the text covers all core topics of introductory geology -- including Earth and life history -- with a clear, engaging presentation. The 4th edition features a revamped art program with high-resolution images, updated examples and data and expanded coverage of current issues such as natural resources, energy, environmental concerns and climate change. Learning tools include critical thinking questions, clear learning objectives, chapter reviews and real-world applications to help students connect course content to everyday life. Available with adoption are immersive Virtual Field Trips that take students beyond the classroom to explore iconic U.S. geologic sites.

Reed Wicander

Reed Wicander is Professor Emeritus of Geology at Central Michigan University, where he taught Physical Geology, Historical Geology, Prehistoric Life, and Invertebrate Paleontology. Currently, he is an Adjunct Professor in the School of Earth and Environmental Sciences at The University of Queensland, Brisbane, Australia. Dr. Wicander earned his B.S. degree in geology from San Diego State University and his Ph.D. from UCLA. His main research focuses on various aspects of Paleozoic palynology, specifically the study of acritarchs, a group of organic-walled microphytoplankton, on which he has published many papers. In addition, he has co-authored numerous geology textbooks with James S. Monroe. He is a past president of the American Association of Stratigraphic Palynologists – The Palynological Society and the Commission Internationale de la Microflore du Paléozoïque, as well as a former councilor of the International Federation of Palynological Societies.

James S. Monroe

James S. Monroe is Professor Emeritus of Geology at Central Michigan University, where he taught Physical Geology, Historical Geology, Prehistoric Life, and Stratigraphy and Sedimentology, and served as chair of the Geology Department. Dr. Monroe earned his Ph.D. from the University of Montana. He has coauthored numerous geology textbooks with Reed Wicander and has interests in Cenozoic geology and geologic education. He now lives in Chico, California where he remains active in geology by teaching courses to large groups of retirees.

Parvinder Sethi

Parvinder "Parv" Sethi is a Professor of Geology at Radford University in Virginia with over 15 years of full-time teaching experience in Physical and Environmental Geology courses at the college level. He received his B.S. degree from Ferguson College in India, M.S. in Marine Geology from the University of Brussels, and his Ph.D. from North Carolina State University. He has authored over 20 professional publications, presented over 100 peer-reviewed, research conference presentations, and has successfully competed for research funds from both State-level and Federal Funding Agencies including the National Science Foundation and the American Chemical Society-Petroleum Research Fund. He is a nationally-recognized, award-winning teacher, and past recipient of "The Geological Society of America – Biggs Award for Excellence in College Teaching" in 1997, and "The National Association of Geoscience Teachers – Eastern Region – John H. Moss Award for Excellence in Teaching" in 2002. He is an avid fine-art photographer, with a personal collection of over a million photographs of landscapes from National Parks, both in the U.S. and abroad. He has authored over a dozen interactive, multimedia instructional CD-ROMs for use for teaching geology both at the K-12 and college levels. His more recent research interests include designing and developing innovative multimedia and new media instructional technology for teaching geology, including immersive 360 degree QTVR Panoramas, HD videography and more recently the GeoWall suite of stereo-projection applications. He lives in Radford, Virginia and loves riding his motorcycle on the beautiful Blue Ridge Parkway.
  • UPDATED ART AND PHOTO PROGRAM: A completely revamped photo program feature almost all new high-resolution photos that were chosen to highlight the visual nature of geology, as well as revised art and diagrams, all selected to help students engage with content and grasp complex physical processes.
  • UP-TO-DATE COVERAGE: All of the chapter's include the latest data and findings relating to the chapter's topic. Expanded coverage of new findings also helps highlight the currency and relevancy of geology as an integral part of our lives.
  • WHAT WOULD YOU DO?: Instead of just answering multiple-choice and short answer questions, this feature allows students the opportunity to explore possible scenarios and apply critical thinking skills to actual and everyday situations that they are likely to encounter during their lifetime. Unlike most test questions a student encounters, these open-ended questions encourage critical thinking, problem-solving skills and can have many nuanced answers.
  • VIRTUAL FIELD TRIPS: This collection offers the student the opportunity to visit some of the most iconic and spectacular geological locations in the U.S. Students will be able to visit Yosemite to study igneous rocks, Capitol Reef to examine sedimentary rocks, Hawaii to compare volcanoes and Death Valley to understand deserts, as well as other national and state parks. Virtual Field Trips feature videos, high-quality animations and images and ultra-high resolution Gigapan photography that allows students to zoom to a location up close -- often closer than if they were physically there.
  • REVISED LEARNING OBJECTIVES: The revised Learning Objectives focus on the important concepts discussed in the chapter. They are designed to develop critical thinking skills and to ensure that the student has an understanding of the topics covered and is not just memorizing facts. Revamped and expanded throughout the book and tagged to chapter subsections, Learning Objectives help students focus on key concepts and maximize their study time.
  • UNIQUE CHAPTERS: Unlike most physical geology textbooks, this title devotes an entire chapter to "Earth History," covering the history of Earth from its formation 4.6 billion years ago to the present. A full chapter on "Life History" details the history of life on Earth from its first appearance to the present day. These two additional chapters offer the opportunity for students to gain an understanding in a summarized overview of Earth's geological and evolutionary history.
Preface.
Author Biography.
1. Understanding Earth: A Dynamic and Evolving Planet.
2. Plate Tectonics: A Unifying Theory.
3. Minerals: The Building Blocks of Rocks.
4. Igneous Rocks and Intrusive Igneous Activity.
5. Volcanoes and Volcanism.
6. Weathering, Soil, and Sedimentary Rocks.
7. Metamorphism and Metamorphic Rocks.
8. Earthquakes and Earth's Interior.
9. Deformation, Mountain Building, and the Continents.
10. Mass Wasting.
11. Running Water.
12. Groundwater.
13. Glaciers and Glaciation.
14. The Work of Wind and Deserts.
15. Oceans, Shorelines and Shoreline Processes.
16. Geologic Time: Concepts and Principles.
17. Earth History.
18. Life History.
Appendix A: English-Metric Conversion Chart.
Appendix B: Mineral Identification Tables.
Multiple-Choice Questions Answers.
Selected Short Answer Questions Answers.
Glossary.
Index.

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  • ISBN-10: 821444828X
  • ISBN-13: 9798214448282
  • RETAIL $117.95