Earth and Environmental Science Graduate Courses

401. Ocean-Atmosphere Dynamics and Implications for Global Climate Change. Marinov

This course introduces fundamental concepts of fluid dynamics and applies these to the large-scale atmospheric and oceanic circulation. Concepts covered include: hydrostatic law, buoyancy and convection, basic equations of fluid motions, Hadley and Ferrel cells in the atmosphere, thermohaline circulation, Sverdrup ocean flow, modes of climate variability (El-Nino, North Atlantic Oscillation, Southern Annular Mode).

405. Paleoecology. Bordeaux

The relationship of fossil assemblages to life assemblages; structure of ancient communities, and interaction of organisms with each other and with the physical environment; evolution of communities.

415. Paleobotany. Pfefferkorn

Fossil record and evolution of plants. Methods and application of paleobotanical research.

417. Advanced Petrology. Omar

Chemistry, physics, phase equilibria, microscope study in igneous and metamorphic petrology.

418. Geochemistry. Omar

This course provides a comprehensive introduction to theory and applications of chemistry in the earth and environmental sciences. Theory covered will include nucleosynthesis, atomic structure, acid- base equilibrium, thermodynamics and oxidation-reduction reactions.

420. Introduction to Geophysics. Doheny

Concepts of geophysical modeling, inverse problem solving, numerical methods, and computer methods as applied to geophysics. Radioactivity, heat transport in the Earth, and magnetic fields, rock magnetism, and seismology.

501. Pleistocene Geology. Giegengack

Origin, extent in space and time, and effect on geologic processes of Late Cenozoic climatic change; Pleistocene stratigraphy in different parts of the world.

502. Data Analysis and Computer Modeling in Geology. Phipps

Data analysis from simple parametric statistics to multivariate statistics, including cluster and factor analysis. Additional topics include: Bootstrapping, Markov chains, runs tests, spectral analysis, and other general techniques to analyze data sequences and time-series. Map studies include: analysis of distributions of points and lines, directional data, spherical distributions, shape and trend surfaces.

504 Resource Geology. Staff

Petrology of economic mineral resources.

505 Advanced Paleontology. Pfefferkorn

Geologic history of invertebrates and their inferred life habits, paleoecology, and evolution. Introduction to paleobotany and vertebrate paleontology. Graduate students wll do research and an extensive term paper on a topic related to their research.

511. Geology of Soils. Johnson

Nature, properties, genesis, and classification of soils; soils of the United States. Field trips.

515. Evolution/Revolution of Land Ecosystems. Pfefferkorn.

Origin and diversification of land ecosystems. Interaction between plants and animals. Effects of Past climatic change and other external factors. The importance of past changes in land ecosystems to our understanding of current global change.

517. Igneous and Metamorphic Petrology. Omar

520. Nuclear Geology. Omar

Natural radioactivity, Earth's heat, nuclear age determination, geochemistry of stable isotopes, and geological applications of nuclear technology.

528. Aqueous Geochemistry. Johnson

Chemical composition and interactions of soil water with applications to current problems.

530. Hydrogeology. Mastropaolo

Flow of water (and associated contaminants) in natural porous media.

540. Geotectonics. Phipps

Bulk structure of the Earth and the plate tectonic paradigm. Plate boundary types, geometry and processes. Regional plate tectonics. Field trips.

546. Regional Geologic and Environmental Analysis. Scatena/Phipps

In-depth study of selected depositional basins using petrologic, stratigraphic and seismic techniques. Aspects of depositional processes and basin architecture will be considered in light of the formation of the tectonic regime associated with basin formation.

555. Problems in the Early Evolution of Vertebrates. Dodson

An analysis of key problems in the paleontology and evolutionary biology of early vertebrates, including: origins of chordates, bone and other hard tissues, organization of the vertebrate head and major clades.

602. Geotechnics. Doheny.

Introduction to geotechnical engineering.

604. Biogeochemistry. Vann.

Examination of the action of biology in the geochemical cycling of elements on Earth. Elemental cycling in sediments, terrestrial and marine/freshwater ecosystems and global interactions.

604. Geostatistical Analysis. Vann.

Univariate and multivariate approaches to the analysis of spatial correlation and variability.

605. Advanced Paleobiology Seminar. Staff.

Current topics in paleobiology.

606. Topics in Sedimentary Petrology and Stratigraphy. Pfefferkorn

Analysis of selected paleoenvironmental, stratigraphic and sedimentological problems in the field and laboratory.

609. Advanced Stratigraphy. Horton

611. Field Study of Soils. Johnson

Processes of soil development in a variety of temperate environments. Effects of lithology and climate on soil properties. Field trips.

613. Hydrology. Johnson

Basic concepts and principles of hydrology.

615. Advanced Vertebrate Paleontology Seminar. Dodson

Topics in vertebrate paleontology and paleoecology.

618. Geochemistry Seminar. Omar

Topics in geochemistry.

620. Geophysics Seminar. Doheny

Topics in solid Earth geophysics

624. Geologic Remote Sensing. Staff.

Geologic applications of remotely sensed images and other data.

630. Advanced Structural Geology Seminar. Phipps

Topics in structural geology and tectonophysics. Four-day field trip.

635. Seminar in Environmental Geology. Giegengack

640. Topics in Global Geology. Staff

Selected topics in planetary-scale geology.

650. Seminar in Appalachian Geology. Staff

Late Proterozoic to Triassic evolution of the Appalachian orogen. Couse is synthetic, but may have a stratigraphic, structural, petrological or plate-tectonics emphasis.

654. Geomechanics. Doheny

Mechanical properties of solid and fluid earth materials, stress and strain, hydraulics.

655. Engineering Geology. Doheny

666. Geology Field Work. Giegengack.

Four-eight week summer course.

677. Seminar in Environmental Geology. Giegengack

706. Topics in Regional Geology. Phipps.

Regional geologic synthesis and tectonics. Emphasis on foreland and depositional basins.

715. Paleobiology Seminar. Staff

Current topics in paleobiology

777. Seminar in Quaternary Environments. Giegengack

Interdisciplinary approach to selected environmental problems of the Pleistocene.