| GEOS 142-01 |
Earth's Changing Climate
Instructor: Marcus Key
Course Description:
An overview of our understanding of climate processes and their interaction with the atmosphere, geosphere, hydrosphere, and biosphere based on studies of ancient climates, which inform our understanding of climate change now and into the future. Topics include drivers of climate change at different time scales, evidence for climate change, and major climate events such as ice ages. Emphasis will be placed on the last 1 million years of earth history as a prelude to discussing potential anthropogenic impacts on the climate. Case studies of major climate players such as the US and China will be contrasted with those most vulnerable, Africa and SE Asia to determine mitigation and adaptation strategies. The lab component will use historic climate data, field experiences, and climate modeling to interpret climate change processes. Three hours classroom and three hours laboratory a week.
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01:30 PM-04:30 PM, M
KAUF 152
08:30 AM-09:20 AM, MWF
KAUF 186 |
| GEOS 142-02 |
Earth's Changing Climate
Instructor: Marcus Key
Course Description:
An overview of our understanding of climate processes and their interaction with the atmosphere, geosphere, hydrosphere, and biosphere based on studies of ancient climates, which inform our understanding of climate change now and into the future. Topics include drivers of climate change at different time scales, evidence for climate change, and major climate events such as ice ages. Emphasis will be placed on the last 1 million years of earth history as a prelude to discussing potential anthropogenic impacts on the climate. Case studies of major climate players such as the US and China will be contrasted with those most vulnerable, Africa and SE Asia to determine mitigation and adaptation strategies. The lab component will use historic climate data, field experiences, and climate modeling to interpret climate change processes. Three hours classroom and three hours laboratory a week.
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01:30 PM-04:30 PM, W
KAUF 152
08:30 AM-09:20 AM, MWF
KAUF 186 |
| GEOS 151-01 |
Foundations of Earth Sciences
Instructor: Jorden Hayes
Course Description:
How do mountains and oceans form? Why do the positions of continents shift? Can rocks bend or flow? What is the history of life on our planet? This course explores the materials that make up the Earth and the processes that shape it, both at and below the surface. Students will take field trips around the Carlisle area as well as complete analytical and computer laboratory activities in order to acquire basic field, laboratory, and computer modelling skills. This course serves as a gateway to the Earth Sciences major, but is also appropriate for non-majors. Three hours of lecture and three hours of lab per week.
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01:30 PM-04:30 PM, T
KAUF 146
09:30 AM-10:20 AM, MWF
KAUF 186 |
| GEOS 151-02 |
Foundations of Earth Sciences
Instructor: Jorden Hayes
Course Description:
How do mountains and oceans form? Why do the positions of continents shift? Can rocks bend or flow? What is the history of life on our planet? This course explores the materials that make up the Earth and the processes that shape it, both at and below the surface. Students will take field trips around the Carlisle area as well as complete analytical and computer laboratory activities in order to acquire basic field, laboratory, and computer modelling skills. This course serves as a gateway to the Earth Sciences major, but is also appropriate for non-majors. Three hours of lecture and three hours of lab per week.
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01:30 PM-04:30 PM, W
KAUF 146
09:30 AM-10:20 AM, MWF
KAUF 186 |
| GEOS 203-01 |
Treetop to Bedrock: An Introduction to the Critical Zone
Instructor: Jorden Hayes
Course Description:
The critical zone (CZ) is the thin life-sustaining veneer of planet Earth that extends from treetop to bedrock. The CZ is continually evolving as rock, water, atmosphere, soil, and biota interact to support terrestrial life. CZ processes and functions are crucial to a sustainable future as the CZ provides essential services such as food production and water storage. Thus, CZ science is becoming increasingly relevant as climate and land use stress terrestrial life at the surface.
In this course students will examine the CZ as a complex system and describe the system services it provides. The transdisciplinary and global nature of CZ science is emphasized alongside the varying temporal and spatial scales required for understanding the CZ. Material in this course will be organized topically and include the following: water transfer through the CZ; landscape evolution and CZ architecture; biogeochemical cycling; land-atmosphere exchange; and humans in the CZ. This course relies heavily on scientific literature to explore the state of the science and outstanding questions in the CZ. Hands-on activities include field trips and data activities from critical zone programs.
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10:30 AM-11:45 AM, TR
KAUF 140 |
| GEOS 302-01 |
Structural Geology
Instructor: Peter Sak
Course Description:
The description and analysis of intermediate-to large-scale rock structures. Topics include the analysis and graphical representation of stress and strain in rocks, deformation mechanisms and fabric development, the geometry and mechanics of folding and faulting, and structures related to intrusive bodies. Geologic map interpretation and cross-section construction are used to analyze the structural geology of selected regions.
Three hours classroom and three hours laboratory a week; field trip(s). Prerequisite: 151 or permission of instructor. Offered every other year.
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10:30 AM-11:20 AM, MWF
KAUF 153
01:30 PM-04:30 PM, M
KAUF 153 |
| GEOS 321-01 |
Isotope Geochemistry
Instructor: Alyson Thibodeau
Course Description:
Major analytical advancements in the past two decades have revolutionized the field of isotope geochemistry and made isotopic measurements more widely available than ever before. This course will introduce students to both stable and radiogenic isotope systems and help them develop a quantitative understanding of both radioactive decay and isotopic fractionation. With the knowledge of how isotopic variations arise in nature, we will survey the use of isotopic tracers and chronometers in a variety of disciplines including: the earth and environmental sciences, archaeology, and biology. We will also examine some emerging applications of isotopic tools such as their role in tracing the trade of illegal drugs, identifying the origins of deceased migrants in border regions, revealing food sources and adulteration, and biomedicine. Prerequisite: One CHEM course or permission of instructor.
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11:30 AM-12:20 PM, MWF
KAUF 134 |
| GEOS 550-01 |
Geoarchaeological Sourcing of Architectural Stone in the Colonial Sabine Hall, Virginia, USA
Instructor: Marcus Key
Course Description:
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| GEOS 560-01 |
Comparing Bedrock Mineralogy to Weathered Thickness Inferred by Seismic Tomography
Instructor: Jorden Hayes
Course Description:
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| GEOS 560-02 |
Using lead isotopes to investigate the origin of stone pavers in colonial Virginia
Instructor: Alyson Thibodeau
Course Description:
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| GEOS 560-03 |
Seismic refraction to image weathering in the critical zone
Instructor: Jorden Hayes
Course Description:
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| GEOS 560-04 |
Lead isotope composition of ores from Placitas mining district, New Mexico
Instructor: Alyson Thibodeau
Course Description:
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| GEOS 560-05 |
Using Landscape Position to Explain Observed Variability in Chemical Weathering Rates
Instructor: Peter Sak
Course Description:
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