Geology Courses

101 Physical Geology. The rocks, landscapes and structures of the earth’s surface and the processes that produced them, including volcanism, earthquakes, landslides, glaciation and continental drift. Mineral and rock identification, topographic map reading and geologic map interpretation are covered in laboratory sessions. A field trip of Lenawee County glacial geology is included. Three lectures, one 2-hour laboratory per week. Fall, spring.

102 Historical Geology. The geologic history of the earth from its origin to the present, with emphasis on the many physical changes that have occurred and the origin and development of life as revealed by fossils and the rock record. Three lectures, one 2-hour laboratory per week.

103 Descriptive Astronomy. Observational and theoretical studies of the solar system and the extra-solar system. Topics include the telescope, planets and their satellites, asteroids, comets, meteors, the sun as a star, characteristics of stars, galaxies, interstellar matter, and the possibility of life elsewhere in the universe. Three lectures, one 2-hour laboratory per week.

104 Regional Geography. The regions of the world defined climatically to emphasize the interrelationships between human occupancy and climate, vegetation, soils and geology. Fall.

107 Geology of National Parks. An overview of the geology of U.S. National Parks. Unifying geologic principles emphasized. Major topics: sandstone parks. Volcanic parks, hot springs and geothermal areas, caves and limestone parks, reefs and fossilized reefs, rivers and erosion, ice and glaciers, mountain building and mountain ranges. Three lectures, one 2-hour laboratory per week. Spring of alternate years.

108 Natural Disasters. An examination of the causes, effects, and options available to mitigate natural disasters, such as earthquakes, volcanic eruptions, landslides, subsidence, coastal erosion, flooding, severe weather, and wildfires. Three lectures, one 2-hour laboratory per week. Spring of alternate years.

201 Weather and Climate. Introduces the nature and causes of meteorological phenomena, severe weather, and climate pattern. Topics include: temperature, humidity and precipitation; pressure and wind; weather prediction; hurricanes, tornadoes, and thunderstorms; the climatic history of the earth; effect on human activities on weather and climate, and of weather and climate on humans. (does not satisfy the laboratory requirement.)

204 Oceanography. The distribution of the earth’s land and water. Topics include the nature, relief and erosion and other changes affecting the sea floor; the properties of sea water; and marine sedimentation, tides, currents and waves. (Does not satisfy the laboratory science requirement.)

205 Environmental Geology. The interaction between natural systems and society, including the effects of volcanic activity, earthquakes, landslides, mineral and energy resources, soil contamination, surface and ground water pollution, waste management, and climate change. Three lectures, one 2-hour laboratory per week. Spring.

301 Mineralogy. Crystallography, atomic structure and bonding, phase equilibria and crystal chemistry, and the megascopic identification and descriptive mineralogy of nonsilicate and silicate minerals. Two lectures, one 3-hour laboratory per week.

302 Petrology. The origin, classification and occurrence of igneous, metamorphic and sedimentary rocks, with emphasis on megascopic and optical techniques. Two lectures, one 3-hour laboratory per week.

307 Structural Geology. The behavior of rocks under various kinds of force, with analysis of resulting structural features, including folds, joints and faults, and the nature of the forces that produced them. These concepts are applied to understanding the basic structural and tectonic framework of North America. Two lectures, one 3-hour laboratory per week.

309 T ED Exam Prep (1). A cursory examination and review of basic concepts from physical geology, historical geology, astronomy, meteorology, oceanography, and environmental geology. Judicious data evaluation and lab safety techniques. Practice exams based on MTTC standards. One hour of class per week. Offered as needed.

313 Sedimentology. Sedimentary rocks, the environments of deposition they represent, techniques employed in their study, the processes that produced them and their many characteristics; how these characteristics are used to reconstruct ancient environments and geologic history. Three lectures, one 1 1/2-hour laboratory per week. A field trip to West Texas or West Virginia is required.

315 Biostratigraphy. Invertebrate fossils, with particular emphasis on their use in the correlation and reconstruction of ancient environments and geologic history. Three lectures, one 1 1/2-hour laboratory per week. A field trip to Southern Ohio is required.

317 Introduction to Geomorphology. The geological processes that form landscapes, including coverage of surficial geological materials and soils; the physics and chemistry of weathering; the dynamics of streams; wind, waves, glacier ice and mass movement; and the interactions of geomorphology and the environment. Three lectures, one 2-hour laboratory per week.

318 Field and Laboratory Methods. Familiarization with basic field and laboratory techniques, including maps, mapping instruments, air photographs, photography, data reproduction and presentation, sources of geologic information and planning field work and reports. A field problem is required. Two lectures, two 2-hour laboratories per week.

320 US Geology Field Experience. Students will research, give and oral presentation, and write an abstract on a specific geologic location in the southwestern US. Abstracts will be compiled as a field guide for a required field trip to these locations over Spring Break. May be repeated one time for credit. Offered as needed.

342 Optical Techniques. The basic principles and techniques of mineral identification using the petrographic microscope, with emphasis on the oil immersion technique, identification of opaque and non-opaque minerals in thin section and determination of rock type by point counting. Two lectures, two 2-hour laboratories per week.

400 Capstone: Senior Culminating Experience (1-3). Original research and writing on an geology or environmental geology topic. A formal presentation of the final product is required.


Advanced and Special Classes

199 Exploratory Internship.

299 Experimental Course.

399 Professional Internship.

451 Independent Study. A program of independent study supervised by a departmental faculty member. The work may be theoretical, experimental or a field problem. May be repeated.

499 Advanced Experimental Course.