Class Schedules

Dinosaurs dominated Earth's landscapes for nearly 200 million years, and then seemingly vanished in one of the "big-five" mass extinctions that punctuate the history of life. In this course we'll "dig in" to explore dinosaurs in their world and examine their evolution, biology, and behavior. Along the way we'll meet the supporting cast of non-dino neighbors that live alongside dinosaurs within their Mesozoic ecosystems. We'll examine the dramatic diversification and astounding ecological success of dinosaurs, and investigate theories for their sudden disappearance 66 million years ago. Far from being dimwitted icons of extinction, they are the ultimate survivors -- dinosaurs still populate your backyard bird feeder! Three 1-hour lectures per week.

General Education Requirements:
Writing WP
Quantitative Thinking Q1

Distribution Requirements:
Natural science and mathematics

Course Materials

Lights, camera, ACTION! Geologists think planet Earth is incredibly exciting, but nowhere is the story of the behavior of our planet more dramatized and misrepresented than in movies! Whether they are big-budget thrillers like Jurassic Park, San Andreas, or The Day After Tomorrow, or low-brow science fiction like Boa, movies tend to stretch the reality of natural hazards and earth processes to great dramatic effect. In this course, we will have the opportunity to watch a variety of movie clips that focus on geologic hazards (such as volcanoes, earthquakes, avalanches, floods, and tsunamis) and other earth processes (origins of life, evolution, mass extinction, climate change, and glaciers). We will examine the scientific features and processes depicted in films, learn about their scientific basis, and critique the film's portrayal of earth process. The final project gives you the opportunity to develop your own script for a movie that does the geology correctly. This course will cover quantitative concepts relevant to earth processes, such as describing the world quantitatively, understanding uncertainty and risk, and evaluating quality and sources of data. Three 1-hour lectures per week.

General Education Requirements:
Quantitative Thinking Q2

Distribution Requirements:
Natural science and mathematics

Course Materials

Volcanic eruptions are the awe-inspiring expression of a planet's internal dynamics. They supply the source materials for scientific studies of rocky planets, inspire works of art and literature, feature prominently in sacred traditions, and provide some of the most fertile ground on Earth. They are also destructive and agonizingly uncertain in duration, wreaking havoc on local to global scales via clouds of ash, lava flows, and secondary hazards (e.g., mudflows, famine). This course will cover volcanoes broadly: where and why they occur; what drives eruptions; monitoring; impacts; hazard mitigation; "reading the rocks"; volcanoes in art and culture; and perspectives from local populations. Three 1-hour lectures per week, including in-class demos and labs.

General Education Requirements:
Quantitative Thinking Q3

Distribution Requirements:
Natural science and mathematics

Course Materials

This course provides an overview of the Earth for the past 4.6 billion years. Students explore the concept of geologic time as they delve into the vast past of our evolving planet. Major emphasis is placed on tracking the evolution of life, from the simplest single-celled organisms of the ancient Earth to today's diverse ecosystems. Another major focus is the linkage among abiotic and biotic systems, the lithosphere, atmosphere, hydrosphere, and biosphere did not and do not evolve independently. The laboratory component of this course is designed to familiarize students with the rocks and fossils that archive the history of Earth. The class includes a fossil-collecting field trip. Required for geology majors. Three 1-hour lectures and one 3-hour lab per week.

General Education Requirements:
Quantitative Thinking Q2

Distribution Requirements:
Natural science and mathematics

Course Materials

This course provides an overview of the Earth for the past 4.6 billion years. Students explore the concept of geologic time as they delve into the vast past of our evolving planet. Major emphasis is placed on tracking the evolution of life, from the simplest single-celled organisms of the ancient Earth to today's diverse ecosystems. Another major focus is the linkage among abiotic and biotic systems, the lithosphere, atmosphere, hydrosphere, and biosphere did not and do not evolve independently. The laboratory component of this course is designed to familiarize students with the rocks and fossils that archive the history of Earth. The class includes a fossil-collecting field trip. Required for geology majors. Three 1-hour lectures and one 3-hour lab per week.

General Education Requirements:

Distribution Requirements:
Natural science and mathematics

Course Materials

This course provides an overview of the Earth for the past 4.6 billion years. Students explore the concept of geologic time as they delve into the vast past of our evolving planet. Major emphasis is placed on tracking the evolution of life, from the simplest single-celled organisms of the ancient Earth to today's diverse ecosystems. Another major focus is the linkage among abiotic and biotic systems, the lithosphere, atmosphere, hydrosphere, and biosphere did not and do not evolve independently. The laboratory component of this course is designed to familiarize students with the rocks and fossils that archive the history of Earth. The class includes a fossil-collecting field trip. Required for geology majors. Three 1-hour lectures and one 3-hour lab per week.

General Education Requirements:

Distribution Requirements:
Natural science and mathematics

Course Materials

This course focuses on recognizing and interpreting the significance of geologic structures in the Earth's outermost layers. Discussions focus on the formation of major rock fabrics (e.g., fractures, joints, faults, shear zones, folds, foliation/cleavage, and lineations) from microscopic (thin section) to regional (mountain belt) scales. Problem sets use graphical techniques to solve structural problems. This course also provides an introduction to map interpretation and mapping techniques. Local and regional field trips.  Three 1-hour lectures and one 3-hour lab per week. Prerequisite(s): GEOL 160 and GEOL 165; GEOL 250 recommended but not required.

General Education Requirements:

Distribution Requirements:
Natural science and mathematics

Course Materials

This course focuses on recognizing and interpreting the significance of geologic structures in the Earth's outermost layers. Discussions focus on the formation of major rock fabrics (e.g., fractures, joints, faults, shear zones, folds, foliation/cleavage, and lineations) from microscopic (thin section) to regional (mountain belt) scales. Problem sets use graphical techniques to solve structural problems. This course also provides an introduction to map interpretation and mapping techniques. Local and regional field trips.  Three 1-hour lectures and one 3-hour lab per week. Prerequisite(s): GEOL 160 and GEOL 165; GEOL 250 recommended but not required.

General Education Requirements:

Distribution Requirements:
Natural science and mathematics

Course Materials

This course focuses on sedimentary rocks and the stratigraphic record. Topics covered include the characterization and classification of sediments and sedimentary rocks (siliciclastic and carbonate), sedimentary structures (physical and biogenic), diagenesis, facies models, and basin analysis. Emphasis is placed on the interpretation of ancient sedimentary environments.  Students are also introduced to the principles and practice of stratigraphy, with a focus on sequence stratigraphy. Field trip to western Minnesota/eastern South Dakota. Three 1-hour lectures and one 3-hour lab per week. Prerequisite(s): GEOL 165 and GEOL 250 or permission of instructor.

General Education Requirements:

Distribution Requirements:
Natural science and mathematics

Course Materials

This course focuses on sedimentary rocks and the stratigraphic record. Topics covered include the characterization and classification of sediments and sedimentary rocks (siliciclastic and carbonate), sedimentary structures (physical and biogenic), diagenesis, facies models, and basin analysis. Emphasis is placed on the interpretation of ancient sedimentary environments.  Students are also introduced to the principles and practice of stratigraphy, with a focus on sequence stratigraphy. Field trip to western Minnesota/eastern South Dakota. Three 1-hour lectures and one 3-hour lab per week. Prerequisite(s): GEOL 165 and GEOL 250 or permission of instructor.

General Education Requirements:

Distribution Requirements:
Natural science and mathematics

Course Materials

Hydrology is the study of physical, chemical, and biological processes that occur as water interacts with the earth. In this course we will focus on the near-surface cycling of water and the physical processes that drive this motion. We will discuss the dynamics of water as it flows across the surface of the landscape, moves through channels, and passes into the shallow subsurface. Open channel flow, hydrographs, floods, and arid region water scarcity will be the focus of the first portion of the course. The bulk of the course will look at the flow of water through permeable, saturated media, heterogeneity of flow, and several equations used to describe flow dynamics in aquifers. Flow through fractured and karst systems will be discussed. Importantly, we will spend time on the methods used by scientists and engineers (and consultants!) to understand the details and timescales of groundwater flow: wells, slug tests, pump tests, and geochemistry. Contaminant transport via groundwater flow will be examined in case studies. The use of quantitative tools such as calculations, numerical modeling, and estimation will be used to better understand the dynamics of water transport on our planet. Three 1-hour lectures and one 3-hour lab per week. Prerequisite(s): Any 100-level geology lab course.

General Education Requirements:
Quantitative Thinking Q1

Distribution Requirements:
Natural science and mathematics

Course Materials

Hydrology is the study of physical, chemical, and biological processes that occur as water interacts with the earth. In this course we will focus on the near-surface cycling of water and the physical processes that drive this motion. We will discuss the dynamics of water as it flows across the surface of the landscape, moves through channels, and passes into the shallow subsurface. Open channel flow, hydrographs, floods, and arid region water scarcity will be the focus of the first portion of the course. The bulk of the course will look at the flow of water through permeable, saturated media, heterogeneity of flow, and several equations used to describe flow dynamics in aquifers. Flow through fractured and karst systems will be discussed. Importantly, we will spend time on the methods used by scientists and engineers (and consultants!) to understand the details and timescales of groundwater flow: wells, slug tests, pump tests, and geochemistry. Contaminant transport via groundwater flow will be examined in case studies. The use of quantitative tools such as calculations, numerical modeling, and estimation will be used to better understand the dynamics of water transport on our planet. Three 1-hour lectures and one 3-hour lab per week. Prerequisite(s): Any 100-level geology lab course.

General Education Requirements:

Distribution Requirements:
Natural science and mathematics

Course Materials

Earth’s climate has evolved with the planet itself as changing boundary conditions in the ocean, atmosphere, cryosphere and lithosphere have caused ice ages, periods of extreme warmth and mass extinctions. Information about these events is contained in the geologic record in the form of fossils and rock sequences, but also in lake and ocean sediments, ice sheets, cave deposits and tree rings. This course will provide an overview of variations in climate throughout Earth history while simultaneously examining the proxies and archives used to reconstruct those changes. We will also construct our own record of the paleoclimate using cores from a local lake and a variety of laboratory techniques. Prerequisite(s): ENVI 240, ENVI 150 or GEOL 160

General Education Requirements:
Quantitative Thinking Q2

Distribution Requirements:
Natural science and mathematics

Course Materials

Geology majors and minors conducting research in the geosciences frequently utilize a variety of analytic and other laboratory equipment. This course provides students with guidance, mentorship and hands-on experience using the equipment and analytic tools they require to conduct their capstone and independent research projects. Students may take this course during any semester they are conducting research. S/N grading only.

General Education Requirements:

Distribution Requirements:

Course Materials

Volcanic eruptions are the awe-inspiring expression of a planet's internal dynamics. They supply the source materials for scientific studies of rocky planets, inspire works of art and literature, feature prominently in sacred traditions, and provide some of the most fertile ground on Earth. They are also destructive and agonizingly uncertain in duration, wreaking havoc on local to global scales via clouds of ash, lava flows, and secondary hazards (e.g., mudflows, famine). This course will cover volcanoes broadly: where and why they occur; what drives eruptions; monitoring; impacts; hazard mitigation; "reading the rocks"; volcanoes in art and culture; and perspectives from local populations. Three 1-hour lectures per week, including in-class demos and labs.

General Education Requirements:
Quantitative Thinking Q3

Distribution Requirements:
Natural science and mathematics

Course Materials

Shifting plates, shiny gemstones, hot lava, sheets of ice, rocky planets! This course will delve into fascinating geoscience topics, introducing you to the physical materials and structure of the Earth and other planets, as well as the processes responsible for the creation, change, and destruction of parts of the Earth system. Topics include volcanoes, earthquakes, Solar System formation, the water cycle, and climate change. We will discuss some aspects of the history of scientific thought, look at maps, consider the societal relevance of geology (e.g., modern careers, natural hazards, resource extraction, environmental problems), and admire beautiful rocks. Required for geology majors. Field trip(s). Three 1-hour lectures and one 3-hour lab per week.

General Education Requirements:
Writing WA
Quantitative Thinking Q2

Distribution Requirements:
Natural science and mathematics

Course Materials

Shifting plates, shiny gemstones, hot lava, sheets of ice, rocky planets! This course will delve into fascinating geoscience topics, introducing you to the physical materials and structure of the Earth and other planets, as well as the processes responsible for the creation, change, and destruction of parts of the Earth system. Topics include volcanoes, earthquakes, Solar System formation, the water cycle, and climate change. We will discuss some aspects of the history of scientific thought, look at maps, consider the societal relevance of geology (e.g., modern careers, natural hazards, resource extraction, environmental problems), and admire beautiful rocks. Required for geology majors. Field trip(s). Three 1-hour lectures and one 3-hour lab per week.

General Education Requirements:

Distribution Requirements:

Course Materials

Shifting plates, shiny gemstones, hot lava, sheets of ice, rocky planets! This course will delve into fascinating geoscience topics, introducing you to the physical materials and structure of the Earth and other planets, as well as the processes responsible for the creation, change, and destruction of parts of the Earth system. Topics include volcanoes, earthquakes, Solar System formation, the water cycle, and climate change. We will discuss some aspects of the history of scientific thought, look at maps, consider the societal relevance of geology (e.g., modern careers, natural hazards, resource extraction, environmental problems), and admire beautiful rocks. Required for geology majors. Field trip(s). Three 1-hour lectures and one 3-hour lab per week.

General Education Requirements:

Distribution Requirements:

Course Materials

Shifting plates, shiny gemstones, hot lava, sheets of ice, rocky planets! This course will delve into fascinating geoscience topics, introducing you to the physical materials and structure of the Earth and other planets, as well as the processes responsible for the creation, change, and destruction of parts of the Earth system. Topics include volcanoes, earthquakes, Solar System formation, the water cycle, and climate change. We will discuss some aspects of the history of scientific thought, look at maps, consider the societal relevance of geology (e.g., modern careers, natural hazards, resource extraction, environmental problems), and admire beautiful rocks. Required for geology majors. Field trip(s). Three 1-hour lectures and one 3-hour lab per week.

General Education Requirements:

Distribution Requirements:

Course Materials

Shifting plates, shiny gemstones, hot lava, sheets of ice, rocky planets! This course will delve into fascinating geoscience topics, introducing you to the physical materials and structure of the Earth and other planets, as well as the processes responsible for the creation, change, and destruction of parts of the Earth system. Topics include volcanoes, earthquakes, Solar System formation, the water cycle, and climate change. We will discuss some aspects of the history of scientific thought, look at maps, consider the societal relevance of geology (e.g., modern careers, natural hazards, resource extraction, environmental problems), and admire beautiful rocks. Required for geology majors. Field trip(s). Three 1-hour lectures and one 3-hour lab per week.

General Education Requirements:
Writing WA
Quantitative Thinking Q2

Distribution Requirements:
Natural science and mathematics

Course Materials

What is the solid Earth made of? How did those materials (rocks, minerals) come to be? In this course we explore the chemistry and structure of minerals, linking physical and optical properties of minerals to their atomic structures. We visualize 2D and 3D symmetry operations, learn how to identify minerals, and study binary phase diagrams. A major unit of the course covers polarizing light microscopy, in theory and practice. Labs include mineral ID in hand sample and thin section, symmetry, electron microscopy, and more. In the first half of the semester we hold the annual Macalester Mineral Cup, and as a final project you will make your own thin section from scratch. Overnight field trip to the North Shore. Three 1-hour lectures and one 3-hour lab per week. Prerequisite(s): GEOL 160 or GEOL 165If you have taken GEOL 165 but not GEOL 160, you must be enrolled in GEOL 160 concurrently with this course.

General Education Requirements:
Quantitative Thinking Q1

Distribution Requirements:
Natural science and mathematics

Course Materials

What is the solid Earth made of? How did those materials (rocks, minerals) come to be? In this course we explore the chemistry and structure of minerals, linking physical and optical properties of minerals to their atomic structures. We visualize 2D and 3D symmetry operations, learn how to identify minerals, and study binary phase diagrams. A major unit of the course covers polarizing light microscopy, in theory and practice. Labs include mineral ID in hand sample and thin section, symmetry, electron microscopy, and more. In the first half of the semester we hold the annual Macalester Mineral Cup, and as a final project you will make your own thin section from scratch. Overnight field trip to the North Shore. Three 1-hour lectures and one 3-hour lab per week. Prerequisite(s): GEOL 160 or GEOL 165If you have taken GEOL 165 but not GEOL 160, you must be enrolled in GEOL 160 concurrently with this course.

General Education Requirements:

Distribution Requirements:

Course Materials

Geomorphology is the study of physical, chemical, and biological processes that occur on the surface of a planetary body. We will be examining the processes that turn solid rock into transportable material, the transport mechanisms themselves (whether beneath glaciers, down hillslopes, or in rivers), and the patterns of deposition, many of which are unique to the processes that created them. These processes range from the very large (volcanism and mountain-building) to the microscopic (frost cracking of rock, soil creep, and chemical weathering along mineralogic grain boundaries). Some processes occur frequently across geographic boundaries and throughout geologic time (like rainsplash), while others are stochastic in nature and dramatic in their geomorphic signature (like glacial outburst floods). We will focus on the roles of rivers, glaciers, and mass movements in shaping landscapes, but will examine wide-ranging landscapes such as arid environments and coastal regions. The study of current surface processes on the Earth will be examined with an eye toward understanding the evolution of landscapes over geologic timescales. Three 1-hour lectures and one 3-hour lab per week. Prerequisite(s): GEOL 160 or GEOL 165 or permission of instructor.

General Education Requirements:
Writing WP
Quantitative Thinking Q2

Distribution Requirements:
Natural science and mathematics

Course Materials

Geomorphology is the study of physical, chemical, and biological processes that occur on the surface of a planetary body. We will be examining the processes that turn solid rock into transportable material, the transport mechanisms themselves (whether beneath glaciers, down hillslopes, or in rivers), and the patterns of deposition, many of which are unique to the processes that created them. These processes range from the very large (volcanism and mountain-building) to the microscopic (frost cracking of rock, soil creep, and chemical weathering along mineralogic grain boundaries). Some processes occur frequently across geographic boundaries and throughout geologic time (like rainsplash), while others are stochastic in nature and dramatic in their geomorphic signature (like glacial outburst floods). We will focus on the roles of rivers, glaciers, and mass movements in shaping landscapes, but will examine wide-ranging landscapes such as arid environments and coastal regions. The study of current surface processes on the Earth will be examined with an eye toward understanding the evolution of landscapes over geologic timescales. Three 1-hour lectures and one 3-hour lab per week. Prerequisite(s): GEOL 160 or GEOL 165 or permission of instructor.

General Education Requirements:

Distribution Requirements:

Course Materials

This course will provide an overview of processes responsible for the formation, deformation, and destruction of Earth's lithosphere. The class and associated laboratory component will combine perspectives from several geoscientific disciplines (e.g., field geology, geochronology, geochemistry, and geophysics) to address issues pertinent to plate tectonic processes. A class project will focus on developing good scientific writing and presentation habits. Local and regional field trips. Three 1-hour lectures and one 3-hour lab per week. Prerequisite(s): GEOL 160

General Education Requirements:

Distribution Requirements:
Natural science and mathematics

Course Materials

This course will provide an overview of processes responsible for the formation, deformation, and destruction of Earth's lithosphere. The class and associated laboratory component will combine perspectives from several geoscientific disciplines (e.g., field geology, geochronology, geochemistry, and geophysics) to address issues pertinent to plate tectonic processes. A class project will focus on developing good scientific writing and presentation habits. Local and regional field trips. Three 1-hour lectures and one 3-hour lab per week. Prerequisite(s): GEOL 160

General Education Requirements:

Distribution Requirements:

Course Materials

This upper level seminar course explores the intersection of sedimentary geology and paleobiology, specifically through the practices of sequence stratigraphy and taphonomy. The goals of the seminar are to (1) expose students to the methods and recent advances in sequence stratigraphy, and (2) explore the utility of fossils and taphonomic data sets in relation to a variety of stratigraphic questions. Students will delve into the primary literature and complete a research project that could potentially evolve into a thesis or capstone. Prerequisites include GEOL 265 or GEOL 300. Permission of the instructor required.

General Education Requirements:

Distribution Requirements:
Natural science and mathematics

Course Materials

This course offers an opportunity to conduct collaborative research with a faculty member on topics in paleobiology. Students will actively engage with the primary literature and will design and pursue an investigation independently. The lecture component of the course will center on discussions of literature related to projects, as well as peer-evaluation of oral and written work. The laboratory component focuses on lab research and data analysis. Three lecture/discussion hours and one three-hour laboratory each week. Prerequisite(s): BIOL 180, GEOL 165, BIOL 365, or GEOL 300; junior or senior standing. Permission of instructor required.

General Education Requirements:
Writing WA
Quantitative Thinking Q2

Distribution Requirements:
Natural science and mathematics

Course Materials

Varies by semester. Consult the department or class schedule for current listing.

General Education Requirements:

Distribution Requirements:

Course Materials