Courses
Spring 2010 Course Offering
| COURSE | TITLE/DESCRIPTION |
| Geol 101 | The Dynamic Earth |
| Geol 102 | Earth, Life and Time |
| Geol 103 | The Earth’s Environments |
| Geol 104 | Exploring the Planets |
| Geol 201 | Biodiversity: Past, Present, and Future |
| Geol 203 | Geology of National Parks |
| Geol 205/207 | Age of the Dinosaurs |
| Geol 330 | Igneous and Metamorphic Petrology |
| Geol 340 | Earth Sedimentary Processes |
| Geol 380 | Planetary Geoscience |
| Geol 450 | Process Geomorphology |
| Geol 456 | Global Climate Change |
| Geol 490 | Special Problems in Geology "Applied Internship in Environmental Studies" (McKinney) An internship program in which students are mentored by professors at the University of Tennessee or external experts associated with state/federal agencies, research centers, or environmental groups. Students conduct individualized research projects and report their results to their mentor. "Bahamian Carbonate Sediments Field Course" (Riding) Interpreting sediments and the fossils they contain requires knowledge of present-day processes and environments. The Bahama Islands, surrounded and built by carbonate sediments, are natural laboratories for studies that drive fundamental research. This course provides direct observation and practical understanding of shallow-water carbonate sediments and associated organisms and organic processes in a classic area. It is ideally suited to undergraduate and graduate students in Earth Sciences, and is also relevant to students with backgrounds in biological, marine and environmental sciences. Introductory/organizational seminars will be held during the Spring Semester, followed by a week of field work in May at Forfar Field Station on the east coast of Andros Island. Assessment: (i) a short illustrated paper on Bahamian carbonate sedimentary environments based on published literature, (ii) an oral presentation based on practical work during the field course, and (iii) field notes. |
| Geol 590 | Special Problems in Geology “Sequence Stratigraphy ” (Fedo/Baker) The goals of this course are: 1) to explore the origin and stratal packaging of sediments and sedimentary rocks; 2) to examine the character of sedimentary deposits from small scale (individual grains), to hand specimen, to outcrop scale, to basin scale, to global scale; 3) to acquaint you with the necessary tools to properly describe and interpret sedimentary sequences, including well-logging and seismic reflection geophysics; 4) to give you practical class room, laboratory, and field experience to prepare you for academic, government, or industry employment. "Bahamian Carbonate Sediments Field Course" (Riding) Interpreting sediments and the fossils they contain requires knowledge of present-day processes and environments. The Bahama Islands, surrounded and built by carbonate sediments, are natural laboratories for studies that drive fundamental research. This course provides direct observation and practical understanding of shallow-water carbonate sediments and associated organisms and organic processes in a classic area. It is ideally suited to undergraduate and graduate students in Earth Sciences, and is also relevant to students with backgrounds in biological, marine and environmental sciences. Introductory/organizational seminars will be held during the Spring Semester, followed by a week of field work in May at Forfar Field Station on the east coast of Andros Island. Assessment: (i) a short illustrated paper on Bahamian carbonate sedimentary environments based on published literature, (ii) an oral presentation based on practical work during the field course, and (iii) field notes. |
| Geol 660 | Seminar in Geochemistry (Finkelstein) “Advanced Aqueous Geochemistry and Modeling” The goal of this seminar is apply the basics of chemistry to the collection and analysis of water samples thereby providing a launching point for geochemical modeling using Geochemist's Workbench. In other words, how does one go from designing a study to collecting data and then asking questions where answers are sought through a model? Are the answers unique? What assumptions are being made and are there enough constraints added to the model to make results valid? We will explore mass balance and mass action, activity and stability diagrams, temperature-activity diagrams, speciation and reaction path modeling. Equilibrium models will be constructed to explore the chemistries of natural waters (seawater, rivers and lake waters, and brines) and allow us to look in detail at the meaning of the calculation results. Construction of more complicated reaction paths will include variations in temperature, those in which species activities and gas fugacities are buffered, and mass balance and reaction path models incorporating isotope fractionation. |