Classes in Earth Sciences

Fall 2010 Classes

GEOL 105Lg Planet Earth (4, FaSpSm) Geologic structure and evolution of planet earth. Principles of plate tectonics, rocks and minerals, processes of mountain building, continent and ocean formation, earthquakes, volcanism, development of landforms by running water and glaciers. Lecture, 3 hours; laboratory, 2 hours. One all-day or two-day field trip required.
Instructors: Gregory Davis, John Platt

GEOL 107Lxg Oceanography (4, FaSp) Physical, chemical, and geological character of the oceans and ocean basins. Origin of the oceans. Ocean processes and agents. Economic value of the oceans. Lecture, 3 hours; laboratory, 2 hours. One all-day field trip required. Not available for major credit to earth or geological sciences majors.
Instructor: William Berelson

GEOL 108Lg Crises of a Planet (4, FaSpSm) Impact of civilization on planet earth, and impact of earth's natural evolution on society: earthquakes, volcanism, landslides, floods, global warming, acid rain, groundwater depletion and pollution; mineral and fossil fuel depletion, formation of the ozone hole. Lecture, 3 hours; laboratory, 2 hours. One all-day or overnight field trip.
Instructor: James Anderson

GEOL 125Lxg Earth History: A Planet and Its Evolution (4, FaSpSm) Basic principles of physics, chemistry, biology, and mathematics used in evaluating clues written in the rock record, and the processes that have shaped our planet. Lecture, 3 hours; laboratory, 2 hours. At least one field trip required. Not available for major credit to earth or geological sciences majors.
Instructor: Doug Hammond

GEOL 130Lxg The Nature of Scientific Inquiry (4, FaSp) Examination of the scientific process: what constitutes science; evolution of ideas about the nature of space, time, matter, and complexity; paradigm shifts in the biological and earth sciences. Lecture, 3 hours; laboratory, 2 hours. Not available for major credit to earth or geological sciences majors.
Instructor: Scott Paterson

GEOL 150Lxg Climate Change (4, FaSp) Climate systems from the beginning of earth history to the present; tools and techniques used to reconstruct prehistoric climate records; effects of climate variations on development of life forms on earth. Not available for major credit to earth or geological sciences majors.
Instructor: Lowell Stott

GEOL 240Lxg Earthquakes (4, FaSpSm) Causes of earthquakes and nature of large faults; earthquake hazard and risk; world's great earthquakes; understanding the Richter scale. Lecture, 3 hours; laboratory, 2 hours; one field trip required. Not available for major credit to earth or geological sciences majors. Concurrent enrollment: MDA 140.
Instructor: James Dolan

GEOL 290L Special Laboratory (1, FaSp) Laboratory component for GEOL 105L, GEOL 107Lx, GEOL 108L, GEOL 125Lx, GEOL 130Lx, GEOL 150Lx, or GEOL 240Lx for students with equivalent lecture credit from another institution.

GEOL 315L Minerals and Earth Systems (4, Fa) Minerals and their formation in Earth geosystems; includes discussions of mineral properties, crystal structures, uses and biogeochemical importance. Lecture, 3 hours; laboratory, 6 hours; required field trips. (Duplicates credit in former GEOL 215aL). Corequisite: CHEM 105aL or CHEM 115aL; recommended preparation: any introductory GEOL course.
Instructor: James Anderson

GEOL 385 Research Methods in the Earth Sciences (2, Fa) Nature of scientific inquiry and history of physical sciences; strategies and methodologies for research in earth sciences; introduction to science writing and quantitative methods. Lecture, 1.5 hours; attend one seminar per week. (Duplicates credit in former GEOL 485ab). Recommended preparation: any introductory GEOL course.
Instructors: Scott Paterson, Doug Hammond

GEOL 450L Geosystems (4, Sp) Geosystems, such as mantle convection, active faults, climate, and the carbon cycle, will be studied using numerical models and concepts such as chaos, universality, emergence, and intermittency. Lecture, 3 hours, laboratory, 2 hours. Prerequisite: MATH 125; recommended preparation: MATH 126.
Instructors: Thomas Jordan, Doug Hammond, Lowell Stott, Meghan Miller

GEOL 490x Directed Research (2-8, max 8) Individual research and readings. Not available for graduate credit.

GEOL 494x Senior Thesis (2, FaSp) Writing of a thesis under individual faculty supervision. Not available for graduate credit.

GEOL 505 Introductory Graduate Seminar in Earth Sciences (2, Fa) Lectures by Earth Sciences faculty about current research; introduction of new graduate students to the breadth of current research; applying for research funding; practicing effective research presentations.
Instructor: Frank Corsetti

GEOL 510L Advanced Stratigraphic Field Methods (3) Stratigraphic field methods and computer-assisted data analysis. Field trips incorporating vertical and lateral facies analysis; collection of paleocurrent, fabric, paleomagnetic, photogeologic and compaction data. Lecture, 2 hours; laboratory, 2 hours; field trips. Prerequisite: GEOL 320L.
Instructors: Frank Corsetti, William Berelson

GEOL 512 Introduction to Chemical and Physical Oceanography (3, Fa) (Enroll in OS 512)
Instructors: Doug Hammond, James Moffett

GEOL 515 Introduction to Atmospheric Science (3, Fa) Elementary physical principles underlying the behavior of Earth's atmosphere. Dry and moist thermodynamics, radiative transfer, conservation laws, fundamental dynamical balances, instability theory, cloud physics. Recommended preparation: PHYS 161L, PHYS 304.

GEOL 520 Ichnology (3, 2 years, Fa) Ancient and recent borings and bioturbation structures and their utilization in stratigraphic, paleoenvironmental, paleoecological, sedimentological, and geochemical studies. Recommended preparation: GEOL 320L and GEOL 433L.
Instructor: David Bottjer

GEOL 535L Microstructures and Deformation Mechanisms (3, 3 years, Fa) Examination of deformation mechanisms and resulting microstructures in rocks; chemical and textural equilibrium; physical and chemical processes during fluid flow; prophyroblast-matrix relationships; interpretation of kinematic indicators. Laboratory. Prerequisite: GEOL 321L.
Instructor: John Platt

GEOL 537 Rock Mechanics (3, 2 years, Sp) Elasticity, fracture, and flow properties of rocks and minerals; effects of temperature, pressure, petrology, fractures, and interstitial fluids. Experimental techniques and geological applications.
Instructor: Charles Sammis

GEOL 538 Tectonic Evolution of Western North America (3, 2 years, Sp) Geosynclinal and orogenic development of western North America from the Precambrian to present, in the light of plate tectonics concepts. Field trips. Recommended preparation: GEOL 321L.
Instructor: Gregory Davis

GEOL 590 Directed Research (1-12) Research leading to the master's degree. Maximum units which may be applied to the degree to be determined by the department. Graded CR/NC.

GEOL 594abz Master's Thesis (2-2-0) Credit on acceptance of thesis. Graded IP/CR/NC.

GEOL 599 Special Topics (2-4, max 9, Irregular) Special topics in the earth sciences. Field trip required when appropriate to the topic. Prerequisite: second-year graduate standing normally required. This semester will feature Profs. Thorsten Becker and Yehuda Ben-Zion as instructors. The topic will be Strain Localization. Important issues related to strain localization include structural design in engineering, the mechanics of earthquakes and fault systems, and the operation of plate tectonics on Earth and other planets. The complex nature of this subject matter is reflected in the study of phenomena such as damage across several natural science disciplines, and we intend to make new connections between fields and also try to connect localization and damage processes at the short, elastic (e.g. earthquake) and long, viscous (e.g. plate boundary formation and maintenance) timescales.
Instructor: Meghan Miller

GEOL 790 Research (1-12) Research leading to the doctorate. Maximum units which may be applied to the degree to be determined by the department. Graded CR/NC.

GEOL 794abcdz Doctoral Dissertation (2-2-2-2-0) Credit on acceptance of dissertation.