GEOL 105 - Earth Lab

Credits: 4 Additional course fee required, for which the student is responsible after Friday of the 7th week of winter term. Preference given to first-years and sophomores. The emphasis and location of the study area differs from year to year. Most course activity involves outside field work with a series of multi-day to multi-week field trips. The primary goal of this course is an in-depth introduction to a particular region or field of geological study for introductory level science students. Information about the course is made available prior to the end of the fall term. May be repeated for degree credit if the topics are different but only four credits may be used toward major requirements. Lab fee required.

Spring 2021, GEOL 105-01: Earth Lab: Geology of National Parks (4). A study of the processes that formed and are continuing to shape this continent through examples from some of our most scenic and special places: the national parks. With examples from throughout the national park system, we examine how different rock types form, the scale of geologic time, and earth-surface processes. Each park tells a story: some stories go back billions of years, but most of these stories are still being written, particularly as we consider the idea that we are “loving our parks to death”. Thus, we also think about how the parks are likely to respond to changing climate and other human impacts. The course includes day trips to parks in the local area. (SL) Lyon.  FDR: SL