GEOLOGY (GEOL)

Geology majors must earn a grade of "C" or better in all required geology courses. Before enrolling in any required geology course, geology majors must have earned a grade of "C" or better in all geology courses prerequisite to that course.

Credit will not be given for both: 1) GEOL 1040 and GEOL 1310, 2) GEOL 1040 and GEOL 3210, 3) GEOL 1310 and GEOL 3210.

uGEOL 1040. Physical Geology. Lec. 3. Lab. 2. Credit 4.
Origin and classification of minerals and rocks; geologic processes and landform development.

uGEOL 1045. Geology and the Environment. Lec. 3. Lab. 2. Credit 4.
Prerequisite: GEOL 1040. Application of physical geology principles to geologic hazards, environmental pollution and land/resource use.

GEOL 1050. Historical Geology. Lec. 3. Lab. 2. Credit 4.
Prerequisite: GEOL 1040. Interpreting Earth's history: geologic time, biological evolution, ancient environments and plate tectonics.

uGEOL 1310. Concepts of Geology. Lec. 2. Lab. 3. Credit 3.
Introduction to the earth sciences: maps, weather and climate, minerals and rocks, water, geologic processes, time and earth's history. This course will not count as part of a geology sequence.

GEOL 2000. Earth Evolution and Life History. Lec. 3. Credit 3.
Prerequisite: GEOL 1040. Illustrate how biological and geological interactions have influenced life patterns and Earth history and how these processes continue to shape human history today. Also, the impact of human population upon these Earth systems.

GEOL 2010. Topical Minicourse in Geology. Credit 1.
Independent study including library and outdoor projects. No formal classwork is required. May be repeated.

GEOL 2300. Computer Techniques in Geology. Lec. 2. Lab. 2. Credit 3.
Prerequisite: GEOL 1040. Computer techniques used in geologic mapping and analysis of geological data.

GEOL 3010. Dinosaurs. Lec. 3. Credit 3.
Recent concepts in the study of dinosaurs, including their paleobiology, relationships to other organisms, extinction and distribution in space and time.

GEOL 3110 . Principles of Mineralogy and Petrology.  Lec. 2. Lab. 4. Credit 4. 
Prerequisites: GEOL 1040 and CHEM 1110, or consent of instructor.  Physical properties of minerals; identification of basic rock-forming minerals, elements of rock classification and megascopic properties of common rocks.

GEOL 3120. Mineralogy. Lec. 2. Lab. 4. Credit 4.  
Prerequisites: GEOL 3110, MATH 1720 and CHEM 1120 or consent of instructor. Geometrical crystallography; determination of silicate and non-silicate minerals by physical properties, chemical tests and X-ray diffraction.

GEOL (GEOG) 3200. Water Resources. Lec. 3. Credit 3.
This course deals with water as a resource basic for life on Earth. Topics to be covered include: dams and reservoirs, irrigation, inter-basin transfers, river channel modification, flood control, water quality, and water law.

GEOL 3210. Geology for Engineers. Lec. 2. Lab. 2. Credit 3.
Introduction to principles of geology and practical application of geology to engineering problems.

GEOL 3230. Structural Geology. Lec. 3. Lab. 2. Credit 4.
Prerequisites: GEOL 1040 or GEOL 3210. Introduction to the principles of rock deformation, stress, and strain; description and interpretation of geologic structures; application of methods for structural analysis.

GEOL 3400. Field Studies in Latin America. Credit 4.
Prerequisite: GEOL 1040 or 1045 or consent of instructor. A 2-3 week trip to examine plate tectonic, volcanic and economic geologic features in Latin America. May be repeated for credit if trip is to a different field area.

GEOL 3410. Paleontology. Lec. 2. Lab. 4. Credit 4.
Prerequisite: GEOL 1045 or 1050 or BIOL 1110 or consent of instructor. Systematics, morphology, stratigraphic distribution and evolutionary significance of all major taxa of invertebrate macrofossils and selected microfossils.

GEOL 3420. Paleoecology. Lec. 2. Lab. 2. Credit 3.
Prerequisite: GEOL 3410 or BIOL 1110. Principles involved in the reconstruction of paleoenvironments based on the major groups of invertebrate fossils.

GEOL 3830. Field Geology. Credit 4.
Prerequisites: GEOL 1040 and GEOL 2300. Introduction to field methods involving the identification and tracing of geologic formations, aerial mapping and structure contouring. Eight hours field work per week.

GEOL 4040. Summer Field Geology. Credit 4-9.
Field course in geological mapping.

GEOL 4100. Environmental Sedimentology. Lec. 2. Lab. 4. Credit 4.
Prerequisite: GEOL 1040. Basic sampling and analytic techniques to determine compositions and textures of non-lithified sediments; the use of grain-sized distributions to interpret depositional process. Field trips will be taken to examine modern river and coastal deposits.

GEOL 4110. Sedimentation and Stratigraphy. Lec. 3. Lab. 2. Credit 4.
Prerequisites: GEOL 1040 and GEOL 2300, or consent of instructor. Fundamental depositional processes, sedimentary structures, and facies models of siliciclastic and carbonate sedimentary rocks. Basic stratigraphy concepts, methods of correlation and introduction to sequence stratigraphy.

GEOL (GEOG) 4150 (5150). Geomorphology. Lec. 3. Lab. 2. Credit 4.
Prerequisites: GEOL 1040 and 2300 or consent of instructor. Analysis of landforms and processes that shape them.

GEOL 4210.  Advanced Historical Geology.  Lec. 3.  Credit 3.
Prerequisite:  Completion of core curriculum in geology and GEOL 3410.  Advanced treatment of the Earth's history concentrating on plate tectonics, evolution of the biosphere and chemical changes from the Archaean to the Holocene.

GEOL 4250. Tectonics. Lec. 3. Lab. 2. Credit 4.
Prerequisite: GEOL 3230 or consent of instructor. Study of distinctive regional tectonic styles as exhibited in the Appalachians, Wyoming Rockies, Basin and Range, Gulf Coast geosyncline and other areas. History of the idea of continental drift, development of the plate tectonic theory; implications and problems of the current paradigm.

GEOL 4320 (5320). Petroleum Geology. Lec. 2. Lab. 2. Credit 3.
Prerequisites: GEOL 3230 and 4110. Origin and accumulation of petroleum and natural gas. Subsurface exploration techniques involving geophysical well-logs and seismic stratigraphy.

GEOL 4330 (5330). Environmental Geology. Lec. 3. Lab. 2. Credit 4.
Application of geologic knowledge to the solution of problems arising from the interaction of human activities and natural earth processes.

GEOL (GEOG) 4410 (5410). Remote Sensing. Lec 2. Lab. 2. Credit 3.
Prerequisite: GEOL 2300 and GEOL 3230 or consent of instructor. Principles and applications of remote sensing.  Provides a survey of the concepts and techniques of remote sensing and image analysis for natural resources, geomorphology and Earth surface processes.

GEOL 4510. Principles of Ore Deposits and Metallics. Lec. 3. Lab. 2. Credit 4.
Prerequisite: GEOL 2120. Origin, mode of occurrence, methods of search and use of metallic minerals.

GEOL 4520. Non-Metallics and Mineral Beneficiation. Lec. 3. Lab. 2. Credit 4.
Prerequisite: GEOL 4510. Origin, occurrence, use of non-metallic minerals and ore beneficiation.

GEOL 4610. Optical Mineralogy and Petrography. Lec. 2. Lab. 4. Credit 4.
Prerequisites: GEOL 3120 or consent of instructor. Theory and use of the petrographic microscope in mineral optics; study of rocks in thin sections using the petrographic microscope.

GEOL 4650 (5650). Applied Geochemistry. Lec. 3. Credit 3.
Prerequisites: GEOL 1040 and CHEM 1110 or consent of instructor. Application of geochemistry to mineral exploration, environmental pollution, public health and geologic hazards. Three field trips required.

GEOL (GEOG) 4710 (5710). Hydrogeology. Lec. 3. Credit 3.
Prerequisites: GEOL 1040 and GEOL 1045 or GEOL 1050; CHEM 1120; MATH 1830 or 1730 (MATH 1910 is recommended); or consent of instructor. Occurrence and movement of ground water, well hydraulics, water quality and pollution.

GEOL 4720 (5720). Advanced Hydrogeology. Lec. 3. Credit 3.
Prerequisites: GEOL 4710 (5710) and MATH 1910 (MATH 1920 is recommended), or consent of instructor. Methods of aquifer remediation and ground water modeling, case studies of ground water contamination.

GEOL 4810 (5810), 4820 (5820). Special Problems. Credit 1-3.
Prerequisite: Major and consent of instructor. Advanced students may do independent investigations in some approved field. Course may be taken for credit more than once.

GEOL 4930.  Senior Thesis.  Credit 3.
Prerequisite:  Consent of instructor.  Supervised independent study of an original research problem.  Student is required to make a research proposal, collect data, review appropriate literature, write a paper and present orally the results of the research problem.  (Available only to geology majors.)

GEOL 4931.  Senior Thesis.  Credit 3.
Prerequisite:  GEOL 4930 and consent of instructor.  Supervised independent study of an original research problem.  Student is required to make a research proposal, collect data, review appropriate literature, write a paper and present orally the results of the research problem.  (Available only to geology majors.)

GEOL 4940.  Seminar.  Lec. 3.  Credit 3.
Prerequisite:  Consent of departmental chairperson.  Student will utilize modern technology to prepare and deliver several oral presentations on a geological subject.

The following courses are offered at the Gulf Coast Research Laboratories:

GEOL 2510. Oceanography 1. Physical, Chemical, and Geological.-- Summer. Credit 5.
Prerequisites: College algebra, 8 semester hours of chemistry. Fundamentals of oceanography integrating chemical, geological and physical oceanography.

GEOL 4310. Coastal Marine Geology. -- Summer. Credit 3.
Prerequisites: Undergraduate -- 6 semester hours of geology. Graduate -- 12 semester hours of geology. Inshore and nearshore geological processes, sedimentation patterns and landform development.