Caveat Academy course · Grades 8 to 12

Geology

A semester of geology: what is inside the planet, how to identify minerals and rocks, why continents move, what causes earthquakes and eruptions, how water and ice carve the land, and how geologists read 4.5 billion years of history from a cliff. Six modules at your own pace, with a check in every lesson and a certificate at the end.

Start the courseSee the modules
$19one-time · every device you sign in on
Buy · $19

Included with the Caveat Academy pass and Whole-school licenses. Or get it in the High school electives library, $119 for 66 items.

6 modules · 18 lessonsabout 12 hours$19

Six modules, eighteen lessons

Each module ends with a practice set that tracks mastery, an explain-it-back prompt, a short written response and a module exam. The final opens when every module is proficient; passing it earns a certificate with a verification code.

  1. Module 1: Earth's structure and minerals

    Describe Earth's layers from seismic evidence and identify common minerals by luster, streak, hardness, cleavage and simple tests.

    • Inside the Earth
    • What makes a mineral
    • The minerals that build rocks
    about 2.1 h

  2. Module 2: Rocks and the rock cycle

    Classify igneous, sedimentary and metamorphic rocks and explain how each forms and changes through the rock cycle.

    • Igneous rocks
    • Sedimentary rocks
    • Metamorphic rocks and the rock cycle
    about 2.1 h

  3. Module 3: Plate tectonics

    Evaluate the evidence for plate tectonics, classify plate boundaries from their features and compute plate speeds.

    • The evidence for moving continents
    • Plate boundaries
    • Hot spots and what moves the plates
    about 2.1 h

  4. Module 4: Earthquakes and volcanoes

    Explain how earthquakes and volcanic eruptions happen, locate an epicenter from S minus P times and compare magnitude and intensity.

    • How earthquakes happen
    • Measuring and locating earthquakes
    • Volcanoes
    about 2.1 h

  5. Module 5: Shaping the surface

    Analyze how weathering, rivers, groundwater, glaciers, wind and waves shape landscapes.

    • Weathering
    • Rivers and groundwater
    • Glaciers, wind and coasts
    about 2.1 h

  6. Module 6: Reading Earth's history

    Sequence geologic events with relative dating principles and compute ages from half-lives.

    • Relative dating
    • Absolute dating with radioactive decay
    • Geologic time and Earth's resources
    about 2.1 h

Try it before you start

This is how every lesson works: step through a worked example at your own pace, then answer a check and get the reason right away. Nothing here is saved; the course keeps your progress.

Module 6 · Absolute dating with radioactive decay

Worked example: dating a piece of charcoal

  1. Carbon-14 has a half-life of about 5,730 years. Living things take in carbon-14 while alive and stop when they die.

A lesson check from each module

The checks need JavaScript turned on. The course itself works the same way.

What you get

Academics · High SchoolAlso for Enrichment · STEM Explorations$19 · included with the Academy pass and Whole-school licenses

What you finish with
A finished semester of geology: you can identify common minerals with simple tests, classify the three rock families and trace a rock through the rock cycle, weigh the evidence for plate tectonics and classify plate boundaries, locate an earthquake from seismograph times and explain different kinds of eruptions, read a landscape for the work of rivers, groundwater and glaciers, and put geologic events in order and date them with half-lives. Passing the final earns a Caveat certificate of completion.
Who it is for
Students in grades 8 to 12 who collect rocks, like volcanoes and earthquakes, are preparing for an earth science or geology class, or are curious about careers in the earth sciences; homeschool families who want a complete semester unit. Hands-on tests use household items; collect rocks only where collecting is allowed.
Format
An online self-paced course: 6 modules and 18 lessons with worked examples you reveal step by step, 144 practice and exam items (multiple choice, numeric, fill-in and ordering), an explain-it-back prompt and a rubric-checked short response in every module, module exams with one retake, a 24-question final and a certificate with a verification code. About 12 hours in all; works on a phone or a computer.
Access
$19 one-time, yours on every device you sign in on; the course opens once you are signed in with it. Included with the Caveat Academy pass and Whole-school licenses. Also in the High school electives library ($119) and the Academics Suite pass ($149), and 1 more bundle. Progress is saved in this browser on this device, and the certificate page lets you download your record.
Where it lives
The High School space in Caveat Academics; also listed for the STEM Explorations space in Caveat Enrichment (the same course serves the Geology & Earth's Mysteries title).
Support
Access, a receipt, a refund or a correction to the course: team@caveatacademic.com.

How it works

  1. Open the course and start Module 1. Each lesson takes about 25 to 35 minutes; two or three a week finishes the course in about a semester.
  2. Answer the checks as you read. Every answer shows the reason, and a miss links you back to the lesson that covers it.
  3. Finish each module with its practice set and exam. Proficient on every module opens the final; 70 percent passes it.
  4. Print or download your certificate and record from the certificate page.

Start the course

Sources and accuracy

The lessons are original writing by Caveat Academic Services. Facts were checked against these free, open references, which are also good places to read further.

  1. U.S. Geological Survey, Earthquake Hazards Program: earthquake facts and magnitude: usgs.gov
  2. U.S. Geological Survey, Volcano Hazards Program: usgs.gov/programs/VHP
  3. U.S. Geological Survey, This Dynamic Earth: The Story of Plate Tectonics: pubs.usgs.gov
  4. National Park Service, geology and geologic time resources: nps.gov
  5. International Commission on Stratigraphy, the International Chronostratigraphic Chart: stratigraphy.org

Geology is a self-paced course from Caveat Academic Services. It follows the sequence of a typical one-semester geology elective but does not replace a school course or award credit. Home tests use common materials; an adult should help with anything sharp. Earthquake and volcano safety lessons give general guidance; in an emergency, follow local officials. Rounded figures in worked examples are labeled as rounded. Support: team@caveatacademic.com.