Rocks and minerals provide a record of Earth's formation and evolution.  Analysis of their structure and chemistry documents many aspects of Earth history.  

Rocks and Minerals - More than meets the eye

Above: The economically important banded-iron formation. Composed of alternating layers of Iron-rich Hematite and Chert

Undergraduate classes that focus on rocks and minerals:

MEA 415 Geology of Economic Mineral Deposits

MEA  410 Introduction to Mineralogy and Petrology

MEA  450 Introductory Sedimentary Petrology/Stratigraphy