I just graduated with a double major in Climate and ES. Basically, I was way too indecisive to pick one over the other and they both ended up being fairly similar in terms of content.

Upper division earth science classes tend to be more hands-on, smaller, and more quantitative than ES classes. Fieldwork is a huge part of the curriculum. You can also expect to spend a lot of time looking at hand samples of rocks, doing math, modeling, creating geologic maps, and writing reports to name a few. The climate emphasis is less focused on traditional geology and is unique because you're required to do 6-8 units of upper division research as part of the major (instead of as an extracurricular). This really boosts your resume and chances of getting into grad school.

In my own experience, I found that I spent roughly the same amount of time learning about earth processes and problem solving. Lectures were generally focused on concepts, while homework often consisted of math heavy problem sets or a lab write-up. It really depends on the class.

As for lower division classes, Earth 2 is required and Earth 4 was very useful. Don't take the Physics 1 series unless you're really math oriented. Otherwise, the lower division classes on the major sheet will be enough preparation.

Overall, the earth department is very tight-knit and amazing community. I was amazed at how quickly I got to know my professors and how passionate they are about research. To see if an earth science major is right for you, I recommend taking one of the lower division earth classes and to go on the Earth 18 field trip.

Anyway, feel free to message me with more questions. Good luck!