Undergrad Geology Courses
GEOL 1121K INTRODUCTORY GEOSCIENCES I 4.0
Three lecture and three laboratory hours a week. Broad view of the earth emphasizing internal processes including minerals, rocks and the rock cycle, the structure of the earth’s interior, plate tectonics, earthquakes, and volcanism.
GEOL 1122K INTRODUCTORY GEOSCIENCES II 4.0
Prerequisite: Geol 1121K. Three lecture and three laboratory hours a week. Broad view of the earth emphasizing external processes including sedimentary environments, the hydrological cycle, the origin of geological environments, geological dating methods, and an overview of the fossil record through geological time.
GEOL 2001 GEOLOGIC RESOURCES & THE ENVIRONMENT 3.0
Three lecture hours a week. The origin, distribution, and consequences of consuming the Earth’s resources (metallic, nonmetallic, soil, and groundwater). Topics include fossil fuels, nuclear energy, alternative energy sources, uses of minerals, waste disposal, and contaminants in the environment.
GEOL 3001 CONCEPTS OF EARTH SCIENCE 4.0
Three lecture and two laboratory hours a week. Designed for elementary and middle school education majors. Not accepted as part of the requirement for a major or allied field in geology. An introduction to earth processes and materials stressing the operation of geologic systems over time.
GEOL 3002 INTRODUCTION TO EARTH MATERIALS 4.0
Prerequisite: Geol 1121K. Three lecture and three laboratory hours a week, plus field trips. Fundamentals of crystallography and mineralogy; classification, identification, and origin of the common rock-forming minerals and rocks.
GEOL 4002 INTRODUCTION TO OCEANIC ENVIRONMENTS 3.0
Prerequisites: Geol 1121K and completion of eight semester hours of laboratory science. (Same as Geog 4670.) Three lecture hours a week and one weekend field trip. Geological, chemical, physical, and biological aspects of oceanic environments; oceanographic field methods; role of the oceans in global change and environmental impacts of human activity.
GEOL 4003 AQUEOUS GEOCHEMISTRY 4.0
Prerequisites: Geol 1121K and 1122K, Math 2212, and Chem 1212K. (Same as Geog 4680.) Four lecture hours a week. Theoretical aspects of aquatic chemistry with applications to natural water systems. Major topics include thermodynamic theory, sorption systematics, oxidation-reduction reactions, mineral-water interaction, and isotope geochemistry applied to hydrogeology.
GEOL 4005 GEOLOGY OF GEORGIA 3.0
Prerequisite: Geol 1121K or equivalent or consent of instructor. One lecture hour a week. A minimum of five days in the field must be fulfilled to receive credit in the course. Before enrolling in the course, students should confirm in advance their availability on announced weekends. Nature, distribution, and significance of lithologies, structures, and ages of rocks in Georgia and other southeastern states. Geologic and tectonic history of the southern Appalachians, with emphasis on plate tectonic models. Critical discussion of the literature, with emphasis on notable controversies.
GEOL 4006 SEDIMENTARY ENVIRONMENTS & STRATIGRAPHY 4.0
Prerequisite: Geol 3002. Three lecture and three laboratory hours a week, plus field trips. Properties of sediments; origin, classification, and description of sedimentary rocks; principles of stratigraphy; analysis of sedimentary facies and environments of deposition.
GEOL 4007 HYDROGEOLOGY 4.0
Prerequisites: Geol 1121K and 1122K, and Math 2212. Four lecture hours a week. Overview of the principles of hydrogeology and their application, including the hydrological cycle, geology of groundwater occurrence,
mathematical development of flow equations, surface-groundwater interaction, flow to wells, and advection-dispersion theory.
GEOL 4011 PRINCIPLES OF PALEONTOLOGY 4.0
Prerequisite: Geol 1122K. Two lecture and two laboratory hours a week. An introduction to the principles of paleontology by examination of the fossil record, supplemented by study of selected examples of commonly preserved organisms. The use of fossils in paleoenvironmental reconstruction and biostratigraphic correlation will be stressed as well as morphology and systematics.
GEOL 4013 STRUCTURAL GEOLOGY 4.0
Prerequisites: Geol 1121K, 1122K, and 3002. Three lecture and three laboratory hours a week. Introduction to the principles of structural geology including theories and methods of analysis of stress, strain, rheology, fractures, folding, faulting, foliation, and lineation. The study of geologic maps and cross
sections.
GEOL 4015 CRYSTALLOGRAPHY AND OPTICAL MINERALOGY 4.0
Prerequisite: Geol 3002. Three lecture and three laboratory hours a week. Principles of crystallography and optical mineralogy. Laboratory study of minerals using the polarizing microscope.
GEOL 4016 IGNEOUS & METAMORPHC PETROLOGY 4.0
Prerequisite or corequisite: Geol 4015. Three lecture and three laboratory hours a week. Nature, distribution, and origin of igneous and metamorphic rocks in relation to tectonic setting and experimental studies. Laboratory study of igneous and metamorphic rocks in hand specimen and thin section.
GEOL 4017 ENVIRONMENTAL GEOLOGY 4.0
Prerequisites: Geol 1121K and Chem 1211K. Four lecture hours per week. Application of geological and
geochemical concepts to the study of Earth’s near surface environment. Topics may include water supply and pollution, global warming, ozone depletion, soil contamination, natural disasters, mineral resources, environmental management, and selected regulations. Quantitative treatment of population growth and water resources.
GEOL 4018 CARBONATE GEOLOGY 3.0
Prerequisities: Geol 1121 and 1122, or 7021 and 7022, or permission of instructor. Three lecture hours a week. Offered with Geol 6018 (Field Experiences in Carbonate Geology). Introduction to the carbonate system, including carbonate chemistry, rock classifications, and depositional environments. Reefs and reef ecology and regional carbonate geology (Georgia, Florida, the Bahamas) as well as changes in reefs through time, are also discussed.
GEOL 4019 CARBONATE GEOLOGY FIELD EXPERIENCE 1.0
Corequisite: Geol 4018. Approximately week long field course in a carbonate environment (Bahamas or Florida Keys), nine hours a day (6 laboratory, 3 lecture) each day of the trip. Course emphasizes modern depositional environments through field observations underwater and on land, and the link to Pleistocene geology. Must pass swim test, satisfy prerequisites, and receive permission of instructor to attend.
GEOL 4042 ANALYTICAL METHODS 3.0
Prerequisites: Chem 1211, Math 2212. Two lecture and two laboratory hours per week. Principles and practical application of modern analytical methods in environmental geology, geochemistry, petrology, and related fields. Theory and methods of chemical and isotopic analysis, including mass spectrometry, laser ablation mass spectrometry, electron microprobe, electron microscopy, Xray fluorescence, X-ray diffraction, and atomic absorption. Overview of related methods. Radiation safety.
GEOL 4095 SEMINAR IN GEOLOGICAL SCIENCES 1.0
Prerequisite: at least 12 hours in geology. One lecture hour per week. Current research topics in geological sciences. May be repeated once.
GEOL 4097 TOPICS IN GEOLOGICAL SCIENCES 1.0 to 3.0
Prerequisite: consent of instructor. One to three lecture hours a week. Detailed presentation of a selected topic in geological sciences. May be repeated for credit for a maximum of six credit hours if topic is different.
GEOL 4098 INDEPENDENT RESEARCH - GEOLOGY 3.0
Prerequisites: prior approval of a written program of the proposed work and consent of instructor. Six laboratory hours a week. It is normal for the research to span more than one semester.
GEOL 4120 BASIC FIELD GEOLOGY 3.0
Prerequisite: Completion of a core-curriculum science sequence and consent of instructor.
Nine hours a day, six days a week for three weeks. Introduction to field geology in the Rocky Mountains of Montana, with emphasis on basic concepts and field methods. Construction of simple geologic maps, cross sections, and stratigraphic columns, using topographic maps and aerial photographs in the field. Includes a seven-day excursion to geologically interesting areas of the U.S. Northwest. Open to teachers and students majoring in Geography, Anthropology, Biology, Environmental Science, or others who are seeking a geological field experience.
GEOL 4121 ADVANCED FIELD GEOLOGY 3.0
Prerequisites: Geol 4006 and 4013, and consent of instructor; Prerequisite or corequisite: Geol 4120 or equivalent.
Nine hours a day, six days a week for three weeks. Intensive geologic mapping and interpretation in the Rocky Mountains of Montana, with particular emphasis on complexly deformed areas. Includes mapping in folded and faulted sedimentary rocks, intrusive and volcanic igneous rocks, and high-grade metamorphic basement terrain. Construction of multiple cross sections for complex structures and advanced interpretation of geologic history of complex areas. Involves extensive, rough, off-trail hiking.
GEOL 4530 INTRODUCTION TO REMOTE SENSING 4.0
Prerequisite: Six hours of natural science laboratory sequence or consent of instructor. (Same as Geog 4530/6530.) Three lecture and two laboratory hours a week. A survey of remote sensing technology, aerial photograph and satellite image interpretation and digital processing, and applications in engineering and environmental sciences.
GEOL 4640 GEOMORPHOLOGY 4.0
Prerequisites: Geog 1113 or Geol 1122K, or consent of instructor. (Same as Geog 4640.) Three lecture and two laboratory hours a week. Classification and analysis of land forms using theoretical and quantitative approaches. Emphasis upon surface processes in various environments.
GEOL 4644 ENVIRONMENTAL CONSERVATION 4.0
Prerequisites: Geol 1121K and 1122K, or Geog 1112 and 1113, or consent of instructor. (Same as Geog 4644.) Three lecture hours a week. Social and policy perspectives of natural resource management, development of the American conservation, federal land policy, and significant environmental legislation; analysis of local and global environmental issues.
GEOL 4650 APPLIED HYDROLOGY 4.0
Prerequisite: consent of instructor. (Same as Geog 4650.) Three lecture and two laboratory hours a week. Applications of principles of hydrology to urban development, flood forecasting, agriculture and forestry, and water resources management, statistical and modeling techniques in hydrology.
GEOL 4870 HONORS THESIS: RESEARCH 3.0
Prerequisites: consent of the instructor and Honors Program director. Readings or research preparatory to honors thesis project.
GEOL 4880 HONORS THESIS: WRITING 3.0
Course Descriptions 323 Prerequisites: Geog 4870, consent of the instructor and Honors Program director. Writing or production of honors thesis or project.
