GEOL 100 Physical Geology (3)
A general survey of the rocks and minerals composing the earth, its surface features and the agents that form them, and the dynamic forces of plate tectonics.

GEOL 102 Historical Geology (4)
Three hours of lecture and three hours of laboratory per week
Prerequisite: GEOL 100 or permission of department
Earth's history as revealed through the principles of stratigraphy and the processes of physical geology. Emphasis on formations and geologic development of the North American continent.

GEOL 104 Dinosaurs: A Natural History (3)
Dinosaurs, their evolution, and our understanding of their fossil record. Students will examine the geologic record and the tools used by paleontologists to determine: geologic ages and ancient environments; evolutionary history and extinctions; dinosarian biology and behavior; and their survival as birds. Mechanisms of global change ranging from plate tectonics to asteroid impact will be discussed.

GEOL 110 Physical Geology Laboratory (1)
Three hours of laboratory per week
Pre- or corequisite: GEOL 100 or GEOL 120
The basic materials and tools of physical geology stressing familiarization with rocks and minerals and the use of maps in geologic interpretations.

GEOL 120 Environmental Geology (3)
A review of geologic factors underlying many environmental problems and the interactions between population and physical environment: geologic hazards, land-use planning, conservation, mineral resources, waste disposal, land reclamation and the geologic aspects of health and disease. The course is aimed at lower division students in education and liberal arts, and should be useful to any student concerned with geologic perspectives of environmental problems.

GEOL 123 Causes and Implications of Global Change (3)
Also offered as GEOG 123 and METO 123. Credit will be granted for only one of the following: GEOG 123, GEOL 123, METO 123, or PBIO/BSCI 123
This course offers a unique experience in integrating physical, chemical, geological, and biological sciences with geographical, economic, sociological and political knowledge skills toward a better understanding of global change. Review of environmental science relating to weather and climate change, acid precipitation, ozone holes, global warming, and impacts on biology, agriculture, and human behavior. Study of the natural, long-term variability of the global environment, and what influence mankind may have in perturbing it from its natural evolution. Concepts of how physical, biological, and human behaviorial systems interact, and the repercussions which may follow from human endeavors. The manner in which to approach decision and policy making related to issues of global change.

GEOL 210 Gems and Gemstones (3)
A survey of the origin, occurances, properties, fashioning, and treatments of natural and synthetic materials, with emphasis on diamonds and colored stones.

GEOL 212 Planetary Geology (3)
An examination of the geological and geochemical processes at work in the solar system from the perspectives supplied by space age exploration of the planets and other solar system bodies.

GEOL 214 Global Energy Systems and Resources
This course studies energy transfer within natural systems and how these result in sources of energy for human consumption. In it, students will learn the fundamental physics and chemistry of energy networks, the nature and distribution of energy resource in the natural world, and problems of energy efficiency, utilization, and resource. The class is aimed at scientists and non-scientists, yet with consistent technical content.

GEOL 322 Mineralogy (4)
Three hours of lecture and three hours of laboratory per week
Prerequisites: GEOL 110 and CHEM 103
Basic mineralogy for geology majors and materials scientists. The principles of morphologic crystallography, crystal chemistry, and determinative mineralogy.

GEOL 331 Invertebrate Paleontology (4)
Three hours of lecture and three hours of laboratory per week
Prerequisite: GEOL 102
A systematic review of the morphology, classification, interrelationships and geologic significance of all the commonly fossilized invertebrate phyla.

GEOL 340 Geomorphology (4)
Three hours of lecture and three hours of laboratory per week. Two Saturday field trips
Prerequisite: GEOL 100
Analysis of landforms, organized on the basis of the geological processes that have operated during the late Cenozoic. Constructional and erosional landforms related to physical systems operating on geologic structures through time.

GEOL 341 Structural Geology (4)
Three hours of lecture and three hours of laboratory per week
Prerequisite: GEOL 102 or permission of department
Deformation of the earth's crust; stress and strain; mechanical behavior of rocks; origin and significance of structural features. Construction of geologic maps and cross sections; stereographic and orthographic representation of structures.

GEOL 342 Sedimentation and Stratigraphy (4)
Three hours of lecture and three hours of laboratory per week
Prerequisite: GEOL 322 or permission of department
Description, origin and distribution of sediments and sedimentary rocks. Mandatory field trip.

GEOL 393 Technical Writing for Geoscientists (3)
Prerequisites: completion of any two of the following and concurrent registration in the third: GEOL 341, GEOL 331, GEOL 322, and GEOL 451. For GEOL majors only.
Planning, writing and presenting a plan for research in the geosciences.

GEOL 394 Research Problems in Geology (3)
Prerequisite: GEOL 393
Investigation of a specific laboratory, library or field problem. Written and oral presentation of the study.

GEOL 423 Optical Mineralogy (3)
One hour of lecture and four hours of laboratory per week
Prerequisite: GEOL 322
The optical behavior of crystals with emphasis on the theory and application of the petrographic microscope.

GEOL 436 Principles of Biogeochemistry (3)
Three lectures per week
Prerequisite: MATH 140 or 220; CHEM 103; GEOL 100 and 322
An introduction to the basic principles of biogeochemistry including aspects of organic geochemistry, biochemistry, microbiology, global geochemical cycles, the origin of life and paleoenvironmental evolution.

GEOL 437 Global Climate Change: Past and Present (3)
Prerequisite: CHEM 103; MATH 115; GEOL 100 or GEOL 120
The goal of the course is to highlight the fact that global climate change is part of the Earth's past as well as its present and future. Changes in climate that have occured in in the geologic past can be viewed as the Earth's natural climate variablility. These changes are different from, though could be linked with, historical and present anthropogenically-induced climate change. We will discuss the modern climate system, the factors capable of forcing climate change on various time scales, the geologic proxies of past climate change and what these proxies tell us. Finally, we will compare and contrast past climate change with what is understood (and not understood) about modern climate change.

GEOL 443 Petrology (4)
Two lectures and one laboratory per week
Prerequisite: GEOL 322. Corequisite: GEOL 423
Study of igneous and metamorphic rocks: petrogenesis; distributions; chemical and mineralogical relations; macroscopic and microscopic descriptions; geologic significance.

GEOL 444 Low Temperature Geochemistry (4)
Prerequisite: MATH 115; GEOL 100; GEOL 322; and one of the following: CHEM 103, {CHEM 131 and CHEM 132}, or {CHEM 135 and CHEM 136}
Basic chemical principles, thermodynamics, and kinetics of low-temperature inorganic and organic geochemical reactions in a wide range of surface environments. These geochemical tools will be used to provide a context for understanding elemental cycling and climate change. Laboratories will include problem sets as well as wet chemical and mass spectrometric techniques used in low temperature geochemistry.

GEOL 445 High Temperature Geochemistry (4)
Prerequisite: MATH 115; GEOL 100; GEOL 322; and one of the following: CHEM 103, {CHEM 131 and CHEM 132}, or {CHEM 135 and CHEM 136}
Review of chemical principles and their use in understanding processes of Earth, and solar system formation and differentiation. Topics include nucleosynthesis and cosmochemical abundances of elements, bonding and element partitioning, equilibrium thermodynamics and phase stabilities, radiogenic isotopes and geochronology, kinetics, and diffusion.

GEOL 446 Introduction to Geophysics (3)
Prerequisite: MATH 140, MATH 141, and PHYS 141
An overview of solid Earth geophysics. Contents include introduction to planetary physics, heat transfer, fluid flow, gravity, geomagnetism, rock and mineral physics, seismology.

GEOL 451 Groundwater Geology (3)
Prerequisites: (CHEM 103 and MATH 140) and (GEOL 100 and GEOL 110). Corequisite: GEOL 342. Junior standing
An introduction to the basic geologic parameters associated with the hydrologic cycle. Problems in the accumulation, distribution and movement of groundwater will be analyzed.

GEOL 452 Watershed and Wetland Hydrology (3)
Prerequisites: CHEM 103, GEOL 110 and (GEOL 322 or GEOL 340 or GEOL 341 or GEOL 342). 56 semester hours. Junior standing
Physical processes by which water moves in watershed and wetland systems. Topics include: precipitation, infiltration, flow in the unsaturated zone, streamflow generation processes, and groundwater flow.

GEOL 455 Marine Geophysics (3)
Prerequisite: GEOL 100 or GEOL 120, MATH 140, MATH 141, or permission of department
Plate tectonics earthquakes and faulting, isostacy and gravity, heat and mantle dynamics, ocean ridges and transform faults, hydrothermal vents, trenches and oceanic islands, subduction zones, accretionary and erosion wedges, sedimentary basins and continental rifts. Exploration of the oceans using geophysical methods.

GEOL 457 Seismology (3)
Prerequisite: GEOL 100 or GEOL 120, MATH 140, MATH 141, or permission of department. Recommended: One of the following: PHYS 141 or PHYS 161 or PHYS 171
General overview of the basics of seismology, starting with wave propagation, seismic reflection and refraction. Application to the determination of the seismic velocity and anisotropy structure of the Earth. Earthquake generation, postseismic deformation and creep events, relation to faulting and plate tectonics.

GEOL 471 Geochemical Methods of Analysis (3)
Prerequisite: CHEM 103 and CHEM 113
Principles and application of chemical analysis as applied to inorganicmaterials, including geological samples. Topics covered include basic principles, sampling strategies, sample preparation, data evaluation, chromatography, atomic spectroscopy, mass spectrometry, and other topics.

GEOL 472 Tectonics (3)
Prerequisite: GEOL 341
Selected tectonic elements of orogenic belts through out the world viewed in the framework of plate tectonics and sea floor spreading.

GEOL 489 Special Topics (3-6)
Corequisite: GEOL 393. Senior standing. For GEOL majors only
Recent advances in geology.

GEOL 490 Geology Field Camp (6)
Department permission required
Intense field geology course taught off campus during the summer. Students describe and compile maps of formations and structures from outcrops, subsurface, and remotely sensed data. Special fees required.

GEOL 499 Special Problems in Geology (1-3)
Prerequisites: GEOL 102; and GEOL 110 or equivalent; and permission of department
Intensive study of a special geologic subject or technique selected after consultation with instructor. Intended to provide training or instruction not available in other courses which will aid the student's development in his or her field of major interest.