Exploration of a topic (to be determined) not covered by the standard curriculum but of interest to faculty and students in a particular semester.

The records of environmental change contained within lake sediments. Basic background in limnology followed by field/laboratory research projects and presentations. Upper division undergraduate science majors.

Proxy records from marine, lacustrine, glacial, and terrestrial environments for climate and environmental change during the Quaternary. Comparison with numerical models of atmosphere and oceans. Discussion of current literature and the potential for future global change.

Exploration of a problem, or problems, in depth. Individual independent study upon a plan submitted by the student. Admission by consent of supervising instructor(s) and the department.

Exploration of a topic (to be determined) not covered by the standard curriculum but of interest to faculty and students in a particular semester.

Fundamentals of groundwater hydraulics. Aquifer flow systems analysis and evaluation. Groundwater-surfacewater relationships. Groundwater chemistry. Additional work required of graduate students.

Numerical methods and data analysis in geosciences using MATLAB. Topics will include basic statistics for univariate and bivariate datasets including linear regression and interpolation, time-series analysis, the discrete Fourier transform, numerical integration and finite differences. Additional work required of graduate students.

Landscape formation and evolution as a function of hydrogeologic, glacial, eolian, and tectonic processes acting on Earth materials. Lecture, labs, and field trips, including some weekends. Additional work required of graduate students.

Selected topics in structural geology and tectonics focusing on the mechanics and kinematics of lithospheric deformation. Fundamentals of stress, strain, brittle and ductile deformation, microstructures and rheology. Additional work required of graduate students

The geologic record provides perspective for evaluating future global change. This course will focus on the evolution of climate through Earth's 4.6 billion years and how this record is preserved in ancient rocks and sediments.

Students will develop a working understanding of the strengths and pitfalls of the method through classroom lectures, exercises, and hands-on data processing using PROMAX seismic processing software. Prerequisites: coursework/experience in geophysics/permission of instructor. Additional work required of graduate students.

This course considers the influence of long term climate changes on hominid evolution and human adaptation, as well as how abrupt climate events and transitions may have impacted the distribution of human populations, the development of agriculture, human conflict and societal change. Additional work required of graduate students.

Analysis of sedimentary basins in various tectonic settings, including the study of crustal and surficial processes. Uses techniques of subsurface analysis including the interpretation of seismic reflection data sets. Additional work required of graduate students.

Introduction to data science methods for environmental analysis in the R and Python programming languages. Reproducible scientific computing; open geospatial data sources; common structures of environmental data; space/time applications of supervised machine learning; and high throughput computing.

Introduction to some of the many uses of image and topographic data within a geographic information system (GIS) to extract information relevant to the study of the Earth. Additional work required of graduate students.

An introduction to the study of the Earth's near surface using geophysical methods and quantitative data analysis, specifically: seismic reflection and refraction, gravity, magnetic, electrical and electromagnetic methods. Participation in geophysical field survey is required.

A forum for learning about and discussing research in water science. Participants review and discuss papers or their own current work. Occasionally participants host external lecturers. 

Fundamentals of watershed hydrology presented from a physical hydrology perspective; course topics include: the water cycle, hydrologic processes, streamflow generation, groundwater-surface water interactions, and introduction to hydrologic modeling concepts. Additional work required of graduate students.

This course introduces students of all disciplines to the science behind our understanding of Earth¿s climate and environmental changes during the past 12,000 years. Lectures and discussions focus on interactions between climate, landscapes, and humans. Additional work required for graduate students.

The course introduces the physical principles underlying the climate system. Topics include Earth's energy balance; circulation; climate variability; climate feedbacks and climate change, observational evidence of climate change. Additional work required for graduate students.

Being able to effectively communicate is an essential part of being a successful scientist. In this practicum you will learn techniques to refine your scientific communication skills (oral, written, and graphical). Additional work is required for graduate students.

Chemistry of Earth processes, including basic thermodynamics, solution chemistry, isotopic chemistry, and kinetics; magmatic crystallization, isotope fractionation, formation of carbonate and evaporitic sediment, ion exchange in clays, and Cosmochemistry.

Introduction to the origin of igneous, metamorphic, and sedimentary rocks. Classifications, compositions, tectonic setting, and processes governing the distribution of rocks within the Earth. Lecture, laboratory, and fieldtrips. Additional work required of graduate students.

Fundamentals of aqueous geochemistry in ground water and surface water in the context of carbonate and silicate dissolution, reactions governing metal oxidation and reduction, mixing of waters and isotopic characterization. One year of college chemistry required. Additional work required of graduate students.

Fundamentals of solute transport, major classes of groundwater contamination, remediation strategies, natural attenuation characterization, fingerprinting of contaminant types. Additional work required of graduate students.

Learn practical aspects of sample preparation, perform electron probe microanalysis for research projects, develop theoretical background of electron specimen interactions for imaging and X-ray spectroscopy, and interpret results. Additional work for graduate students.

A survey of the chemical, physical and biological factors controlling stable isotope distributions with applications to the Earth and environmental sciences. Additional work for graduate students.

Principles and applications of paleoecology, using examples from both marine and terrestrial ecosystems. Analysis of fossil communities. Ecology of mass extinctions. Functional morphology. Predator- prey relationships. Effects of climate/environmental change on ecosystems and species. Discussion oriented combination of lecture, lab, and field trips.

This course introduces students to the art and science of statistics in the Earth and environmental sciences. Students will explore and analyzing data using a variety of statistical methods with data and practical examples from the earth and environmental sciences. The course introduces statistical computing in the R language. Additional work required of graduate students.

Seminar discussion focusing on current literature and ongoing research related to ancient climates, depositional environments, ecosystems, and biogeochemical cycles. Emphasis is placed on critical thinking, hypothesis testing, and data analysis.

Current research in paleobiology with a topical focus. Subjects might include macroevolution, evolutionary paleoecology, extinctions and radiations, stratigraphic paleontology, etc. Additional work required of graduate students.

Seminar will focus on research topics in thermochronology and tectonics from current literature. Additional work required of graduate students.

Tectonic development of the Earth; definition of plates, their boundaries, motions, and driving forces. Analysis and modeling of plate motions. Additional work required of graduate students.

An investigation of the products and processes of seafloor spreading from the perspective of geological and geophysical studies of mid-ocean ridge spreading centers, oceanic lithosphere and ophiolite complexes. Additional work required of graduate students.

The use of modern methods to study tectonic processes along active plate margins, focusing on the evolution of topography expressed in orogen and basin development, including the style and accommodation of crustal and mantle deformation. Additional work required of graduate students

This seminar provides students the skills needed to develop research skills and explore career pathways within the Earth and environmental sciences. The seminar will consist of lectures by the instructors and outside speakers along with in-class exercises related to the development of soft skills and promoting your work to diverse audiences.

Fundamental geophysical parameters; seismology and Earth structure; gravity and magnetic fields with application of potential theory; terrestrial rotation and shape; heat flow, thermal state, and evolution of the Earth. Additional work required of graduate students.

This seminar course for first-year graduate students explores earth science topics including the solid earth, paleontology, Earth¿s climate (past and present), and hydrology. Participants review, present, and discuss papers.

This course presents selected papers from the literature that contribute to current thought in geomorphology and later focus on a topic that can vary from year to year. Additional work required of graduate students.

Methods used in Earth Sciences to determine temperature-time histories of crustal terranes including 40Ar/39Ar, fission track, and U-Th/He techniques. Diffusion theory and applications of thermochronology to tectonics and landscape evolution, P-T-t paths of crustal terranes. Additional work required of graduate students.

Insights gained from the geochemistry of fossils and sedimentary sequences into the history of the Earth's surface. Emphasis on relationships between the biological world and the physical environment as revealed through stable and radiogenic isotopes and elemental chemistry. Additional work required of graduate students.

Hands-on experience using current instrumentation and measurement techniques in hydrology. Emphasizing fundamental theory governing application, demonstrations of application from the literature and field experiments.

Fundamentals of groundwater and solute movement in the subsurface and how these processes are simulated by numerical finite-difference models. Topics include conceptual model development, boundary conditions, calibration and sensitivity analysis.

A theme-based solid Earth seminar that explores selected papers to gain a holistic view of the Solid Earth sciences. Discussion will include observational and experimental/numerical constraints from geophysics, geodesy, geochemistry, and petrology/mineralogy.

Participation in a discipline- or subject-related experience. Students must be evaluated by written or oral reports or an examination. Limited to those in good academic standing. Prereq: permission, in advance, of assigned instructor, department chair, or dean.

Isotope geochemistry is used in all branches of Earth Sciences. This course covers the following topics: Radioactive decay, Rb-Sr, Sm-Nd, and Lu-Hf isotope geochemistry; U-Pb geochronology, 14C dating; O, H, and C isotope geochemistry. Additional work required of graduate students.

Introduction to UAV operations, including FAA airspace, platforms and sensors; flight planning, data collection, image processing, and data analysis for geospatial mapping. Applications and societal impacts, including legal, safety, privacy, ethical issues. Additional work required of graduate students.

Students attend the Department of Earth Sciences colloquium lectures and write up summaries of a subset of talks. Provides exposure to current research in a wide array of Earth Science disciplines. Additional work required of graduate students.

Exploration of a problem, or problems, in depth. Individual independent study upon a plan submitted by the student. Admission by consent of supervising instructor(s) and the department.

Current literature and problems in specialized fields of geology.

Exploration of a problem, or problems, in depth. Individual independent study upon a plan submitted by the student. Admission by consent of supervising instructor(s) and the department.