I greatly enjoy teaching a number of Geology courses; bulletin description of Geology courses can be found here (click on “G” under Programs, then on Geology to download just Geology courses).
GEOL 108 Oceans of the World (3 credits, Gen Ed, satisfies Goal Areas 3 and 10; 100% Online, asynchronous; offered both semesters). This course, which I teach in the Fall, investigates Earth’s oceans: their geology, waters, currents, effect on weather and climate (both present and past) and life. The oceans are fascinating and magnificent expressions of the interrelationship of natural systems on a wide range of scales.
GEOL 201 Mineralogy (4 credits, Fall). In this course, we explore the structure, composition, and geologic occurrence of common (and some not so common) minerals. Minerals are the basic currency of Geology, the stuff of which the solid Earth is made, and we learn their secrets and how to interpret them to understand the Earth and how it works. As part of the course, we learn to identify some 90 different minerals as well as crystal classes and forms. Prerequisite GEOL 121 (Physical Geology) or GEOL 100 (Our Geologic Environment).
GEOL 302 Petrology (4 Credits, Spring). Geology rocks! This course investigates rocks of all kinds, mainly igneous and metamorphic (Sedimentary rocks have their own course, after all – GEOL 320 Stratigraphy and Sedimentology, but we include them here also). We delve into the processes by which rocks form, and examine some of the elegant and ingenious ways, mainly involving geochemistry, in which people decipher their stories of Earth processes operating far below the surface. As part of the course, students learn the principles and practice of optical mineralogy and petrography – the examination of thin sections of rock using a polarizing microscope – in the identification and study of rocks. Rocks are fascinating when examined and appreciated with knowledge of their makeup and origins, and they look even better under the microscope! (Prerequisite GEOL 201 Mineralogy)
GEOL 330 Structural Geology (4 credits, Spring). The course focuses on deformation of rocks on all scales, from atomic to plate tectonic, from the surface to Earth’s deep interior. We delve into faults – how they form, how they work, earthquake risk – as well as folds and structures that form at high temperatures and pressures as rocks flow and change while still solid. In the lab (and field) and in class projects, we emphasize some of the sorts of things that professional geologists work on: mineral exploration, earthquake hazard analysis, and geologic mapping and subsurface analysis focused on petroleum resources. (Prerequisite GEOL 121 Physical Geology)
GEOL 401 Field Methods, Northern Minnesota (Fall alternating with GEOL 430, offered just before Fall classes start). We journey to northern Minnesota (Interstate, Jay Cooke, and Gooseberry Falls State Parks (featuring a North Shore geologic traverse), as well as Ely, Virginia, and Hibbing) on an eight-day geologic mapping-centered course in which we study rocks formed during different chapters of Minnesota’s rich and long geologic history. At the end, students prepare a comprehensive report on Minnesota’s geologic history, merging the latest literature with their findings from the field. Prerequisite GEOL 121 Physical Geology; helpful: GEOL 201, 302, 320, 330.
GEOL 430/530 Ore Deposits and Petroleum Geology (3 credits Fall alternates with GEOL 401). Half of a semester is devoted to each topic; each half covers a lot of ground, focused on both theory and application in a working environment. The semester starts with a multi-day field trip to large ore deposits, including working mines, in northern MN and to the oilfield in western North Dakota. The ore deposits portion focuses on how deposits are studied and provides a survey of kinds (models) of ore deposits; attention is also paid to the practice of finding and developing an ore deposit. Students log core from a gold mine, and use ore deposit simulation software (Georges Beaudoin’s EXPLORE) to conduct a realistic exploration campaign. Petroleum geology emphasizes the “petroleum system”: the integrated geologic parts that go into making a commercially-profitable oil or gas field. Along with this, many practical aspects of exploration and production are addressed. Students use state-of-the art BasinMOD basin modeling software, as well as IHS Kingdom Suites 2D/3D seismic interpretation software, to evaluate prospects. Prerequisites: GEOL 122, 201, 302, 320, 330.