Do you realize that the Appalachian Mountains in North Carolina were once among the highest mountains on Earth with the Wake County area located in the middle? Do you know that most of our state is underlain by rocks that originated on the far side of an ocean that no longer exists? Or that the Atlantic Ocean grows wider each year? Or that primitive dinosaurs roamed the RTP area, and that a major fault runs beneath the Angus Barn and another through the NC State University campus? Our state is blessed with a remarkable diversity of geology and a rich and exciting geological past. In this course we will explore our region's geology and learn how it is important to all of us -- think groundwater, coastal erosion, landslides in the mountains, rising sea level, shale gas, and fracking. Much of our geological diversity can be examined in North Carolina's State Parks or along our greenways and hiking trails, including the Mountains to Sea Trail. The last session of the course will be a "virtual field trip" with photos and descriptions of geological sites you can visit.

Registration deadline: Oct. 25