Geosciences (GEOS)

Surveys the physical environment, including Earth's place in space, atmospheric processes, the oceans, and the solid earth; humanity's place in the system. Three-hour lecture.

Prerequisites: None.

Offered: Fall, Summer.

Meets: Natural Science: GEOS

Explores the origin, age, and structure of the Earth; mountain building, volcanism, and continental drift; earth materials; rocks, minerals, and mineral and fossil fuel resources. Three-hour lecture.

Prerequisites: None.

Offered: Fall.

Meets: Natural Science: GEOS

Investigates the origin of the solar system and Earth; age of the Earth; origin of the oceans, atmosphere and life; geologic and life history. May require field trips.

Prerequisites: A 3 credit college-level geosciences course.

Offered: Spring.

Rock, mineral, and fossil identification; topographic and geologic map interpretation; aerial photographs; hydrology, soils, and environmental geology. Six-hour lab.

Prerequisites: GEOS 101 (or acceptable substitute).

Offered: Spring.

Explains the origin of ocean basins; nature of seawater; ocean circulation; waves and tides; life in the sea and marine resources. Intended for non-majors.

Prerequisites: None.

Offered: Summer, Winterim.

Meets: Natural Science: GEOS

Physical and geologic history and description of Great Lakes region. Emphasis on hydrologic cycle, economic resources of the Great Lakes, pollution and other environmental issues. Three-hour lecture.

Prerequisites: None.

Offered: Spring.

Meets: Natural Science: GEOS

Explores internal order of crystals; physical, chemical, and optical properties of minerals; mineral identification; mineral associations and the classification of igneous, metamorphic, and sedimentary rocks; and ore deposits. Requires field trips and lab fee. Three-hour lecture, three-hour lab.

Prerequisites: GEOS 104.

Offered: Fall.

Covers analysis and description of landforms; emphasis on genesis, surficial processes, and relation to geologic structure. Includes regional treatment of landscapes. Field trips. Three-hour lecture; three-hour lab. Community-based learning designation.

Prerequisites: GEOS 102, GEOS 200; or consent of instructor.

Offered: Fall (even years).

Meets: Community Based Learning

Applies principles, practices, and procedures to important fossil invertebrate groups; generalized discussion of plants and vertebrates; elements of biostratigraphy; paleoenvironmental interpretations. Field trips. Two-hour lecture; two-hour lab. Cross-listed with: BIOS 329.

Prerequisites: GEOS 102 or BIOS 102.

Offered: Spring.

Describes soils as natural entities in a process-based context. Covers methods and terminology of soil description and classification. Evaluation of environmental capacity of soils on a quantitative basis. Three-hour lecture; three-hour lab.

Prerequisites: GEOS 104; CHEM 101, CHEM 103.

Offered: Occasionally.

Application of basic geologic concepts to environmental problems; emphasis on geologic hazards, waste disposal, urban planning, resource policy issues, and environmental trends and programs. 3-hour lecture; 3-hour lab.

Prerequisites: GEOS 104 or consent of instructor.

Offered: Spring.

Investigates chemical principles and their application to various geologic environments, chemical weathering, geochemical prospecting, phase equilibria, and geochronology. Requires field trip.

Prerequisites: CHEM 102, CHEM 104.

Offered: Spring (odd years).

Surface and subsurface geophysics; principles and procedures of magnetics, gravity, seismology, electromagnetics, ground penetrating radar; applications in hydrogeology, petroleum and mineral exploration, environmental and water resource investigations. Field trips. Three-hour lecture.

Prerequisites: GEOS 102, MATH 114 or consent of instructor.

Offered: Spring (odd years).

Explores the sedimentary rock record, correlation, nomenclature, paleotectonics, subsurface techniques, sedimentary processes and environments, recent sediments. Three hour lecture; three-hour lab.

Prerequisites: GEOS 104, GEOS 200 or consent of instructor.

Offered: Spring.

Examines surface water hydrogeology; runoff and stream flow; groundwater hydrogeology: distribution of ground water, aquifer properties, local and regional ground water flow, geology of ground water occurrence; aqueous chemistry, and water quality. Three-hour lecture.

Prerequisites: GEOS 200; MATH 114 or MATH 112 and MATH 113; or consent of instructor.

Offered: Spring (even years).

Explores regimen and flow of glaciers, glacial erosion and deposition; glacial landforms; Pleistocene history in glaciated and non-glaciated regions, stratigraphy and chronology of Pleistocene deposits in the Midwest and Great Lakes. Required field trips. Three-hour lecture; three-hour lab.

Prerequisites: GEOS 104, GEOS 200; or consent of instructor.

Offered: Spring (even years).

Examines solution chemistry; aqueous chemical speciation, organic chemistry; contaminant-sediment interaction; contaminant fate and transport. Field trips required. Three-hour lecture; three-hour lab.

Prerequisites: GEOS 331.

Offered: Spring (odd years).

Explains EPA-referenced field and laboratory methods for evaluating contaminant levels in terrestrial and ground water systems. Students learn and practice sampling and monitoring techniques and gain experience with chromatographic and spectroscopic techniques. Three-hour lecture; three-hour lab. Lab fee.

Prerequisites: GEOS 330.

Offered: Fall.

Mass transport in vadose and saturated zones; origin and behavior of inorganic and organic contaminants; investigative techniques; groundwater models; site remediation; groundwater resource development and management; water law. Three-hour lecture, three-hour lab. Field trips. Lab fee.

Prerequisites: GEOS 361.

Offered: Fall (even years).

Investigates methods and techniques for reducing, removing or immobilizing metals and radionuclides. Three-hour lecture.

Prerequisites: GEOS 331, 361.

Offered: Spring (even years).

Intensive treatment of specialized areas in geology.

Prerequisites: Consent of instructor.

Offered: Occasionally.

Individual student preparations and detailed oral and written presentations, in professional-style format, on knowledge of specialized topics acquired through library, laboratory, and/or field research.

Prerequisites: GEOS 355 and senior standing.

Offered: Spring.

Course in which students apply their knowledge in service to the community. Project may involve teamwork on environmental assessment, land-use planning, etc., or individual internships with corporate or governmental agencies. Culminates in report/recommendation based on investigations.

Prerequisites: GEOS 355 and senior standing; or consent of instructor.

Offered: Fall.

Familiarization with the processes of research and scientific writing based upon laboratory, field, and literature study; oral defense of the thesis. May repeat for up to 4 credits.

Prerequisites: Senior standing and consent of instructor.

Offered: Fall, Spring.

Allows students to pursue independent field, laboratory, or library research interest under supervision of faculty members. May be repeated with different topic for a maximum of 6 credits.

Prerequisites: Consent of instructor and department chair.

Offered: Fall, Spring.