(3 lecture, 2 laboratory) Survey for nonscience majors. Origins and classification of minerals and rocks, landscape development and earth's structure and history. Field trips required.
Investigation of the interaction between people and geologic environments. Focus on earth materials, geologic time, landscapes, mineral and energy resources, and geologic hazards (earthquakes, volcanoes, floods and landslides).
(3 lecture, 3 laboratory) For Geology and other science majors. Introduction to earth materials, landform development, geologic structures and tectonics. Field trips required.
(3 lecture, 3 laboratory) Geologic history of the earth and its past life and principles and techniques employed to interpret this history from rocks and fossils. Field trips to investigate local geologic history required.
(3 lecture, 3 laboratory) Introduction to crystallography, crystal chemistry, descriptive and determinative mineralogy, study of mineral occurrences and associations. Examine crystallography and identify minerals by physical and x-ray techniques in laboratory. Field trip(s) required.
(3 lecture, 3 laboratory) Study of fossils including taxonomy, systematics, taphonomy, functional morphology, paleoecology, biostratigraphy, extinction, evolutionary trends and major events in the history of life. Labs review major fossil groups. Field trips required.
Colorado rocks, minerals, fossils, landforms, oil, coal, oil shale, geologic history and geologic hazards explored in informal atmosphere. Includes multi-day field trip to investigate geological features in natural settings.
(2 lecture, 3 laboratory) Groundwater geologic settings. Hydrology of groundwater basins. Well hydraulics. Principles of flow in saturated and unsaturated materials. Modeling of hydrogeologic systems. Applications to groundwater contamination and management problems.
Overview of what ore is and how it is formed, techniques of finding and extracting ore, plus environmental impacts of extracting ore. Case studies of well-known mines.
(3 lecture, 3 laboratory) Description and classification of igneous and metamorphic rocks in hand sample and in thin section. Includes a study of the genesis of igneous and metamorphic rocks via phase diagrams and chemical reactions.
Individualized investigation under the direct supervision of a faculty member. (Minimum of 37.5 clock hours required per credit hour.)
Special Notes
Maximum concurrent enrollment is two times.
A survey of the evolution of vertebrates through geologic time, emphasizing major events in the history of vertebrates. Includes field trips and methods of fossil collection, preparation, and curation.
(3 lecture, 3 laboratory) Sedimentary processes; depositional environments; classification and structures of sedimentary rocks; field and laboratory methods of analyzing and interpreting outcrops and samples. Regional stratigraphy of northeastern Colorado investigated. Field trips required.
(3 lecture, 3 laboratory) Origin and evolution of landforms emphasizing processes of their formation, including tectonic, glacial, fluvial and hillslope processes. Two field trips are required.
A survey of geologic phenomena that characterized the Quaternary Period, with emphasis on the behavior of glaciers, glacial landforms and sediment and climatic implications. Two Saturday field trips required.
(2 lecture, 3 laboratory) A study of volcanoes, and volcanic processes and products. Emphasis on the origin, classification and interpretation of volcanic rocks and ejecta, and volcanic structures and landforms.
(3 lecture, 3 laboratory) Mechanics of rock deformation and geologic structures of the earth's crust - their description and classification, theories and facts regarding their origins and methods of investigating them. Field trips required.
(1 lecture, 4 laboratory) Collection of field geological data, construction of geologic maps, cross-sections, and reports. Includes use of Brunton compass, topographic maps, aerial photographs, and geographic information systems.
(2 lecture, 3 laboratory) Explore, examine and interpret classification, genesis and processes that drive soil formation. Use soil data from various ecosystems to assess soil health and land management issues. One weekend field trip required.
Overview of the processes driving and resulting from plate tectonics. Detailed study of some of the earth's past and present mountain belts.
Petroleum and energy geology includes integrated exploration and development methods and understanding technological advancements that have led to the dynamic energy industry. Case studies and applied problems are emphasized.