Graduate

Lecture and- seminar-style class intended to welcome new graduate students to the department and to introduce students to the research and interests of departmental faculty and researchers. Includes exercises to develop skills in reading scientific abstracts and papers and in writing abstracts and proposals. Two weekend field trips.

Origin and distribution of the elements in the earth and meteorites; bulk and isotopic composition and differentiation of terrestrial planets, core, mantle, and crust; Sr-Nd-Pb-Hf-U isotopic tracers. Course designed for graduate students, but available to qualified earth sciences majors per instructor permission.

Overview of current understanding of star and planet formation and evolution. Examines our solar system in the context of the galactic planetary census. Provides a uniform introduction to astronomy and Earth science planetary students.

Systematic study of the major igneous rock suites, combining petrography, experimental petrology, major and trace elements, volatiles, and isotopic characteristics. Laboratory: three hours. Course designed for graduate students but available to qualified earth sciences majors. Course 130 is recommended as preparation.

Rigorous presentation of major subsets of geomorphology: I. Mechanics of sediment transport. Physics of sediment transport in both air and water. II. Mechanics of hillslope processes. III. Glaciology and glacial geology. Topics vary from year to year between these three. Will be offered in the 2005–06 academic year.

Alternates between lectures, seminars, discussions, and field trips to dune fields, beaches, and other coastal, marine, and fluvial environments. Class time focuses on selected processes and structures in sedimentology; field trips emphasize observational techniques.

Introduces students to the biology, paleontology, and biostratigraphy of marine microfossils. Included are planktonic and benthic foraminifera, calcareous nannoplankton, diatoms, radiolaria and ostracodes. Focus is on microscope identification of Cenozoic microfossils in a weekly laboratory.

Introduces photogrammetry 's basic principles of imaging systems and digital-image processing for both terrestrial and planetary data, leading to the application of photogrammetry techniques to a final project of the student's choosing.

Addresses methods of paleoclimate modeling on global and regional scales, from both surface and atmospheric perspectives. Applications of models to current significant paleoclimate problems will be examined. Includes both lecture and seminar formats.

Study of the evolution and diversification of life on this planet; and factors affecting habitability of other bodies in this solar system and elsewhere.

Field class in comparative planetology. Three- to four -day field trip plus planning and debriefing sessions.

The formation of asteroids, comets, moons, planets, and the samples that derive from them, with a focus of meteorites, astronomical discoveries, spacecraft mission results, and modeling. Students cannot receive credit for this course and course 167.

Explores concepts and methods of correlating marine sedimentary sequences. Emphasis on the integration of techniques and development of the Cenozoic stratigraphic record. One 2-hour laboratory each week. Upper-division students who have completed course 120 may enroll in this course.

Using a multidisciplinary approach, examines physical geology, paleoenvironment, human biology, linguistics, and culture history of Americas at end of last Ice Age. Particular emphasis on reconstructing timing, routes, and context of first peopling of the American continents. Taught in conjunction with Anthropology 276D. Students cannot receive credit for both courses.)

Special topics in wave propagation in heterogeneous, three-dimensional media, applications for determination of Earth's structure, kinematics and dynamics of the seismic source, near field phenomena, engineering applications, current problems.

Special topics of interest in current research by the seismology group. Discussion of new developments in earthquake mechanics, wave propagation, tectonics, earthquake prediction.

Rigorous statistical treatment of geophysical data involving: Bayesian inference; stochastic processes and fields; information theory; non-linear and non-assumptive error analysis; cluster analysis; regional variables; correlograms and kriging. Develops the theoretical framework of linear geostatistics and geophysical inverse theory. Designed for graduate students but available to qualified Earth sciences majors.

A graduate discussion course considering geochemical, biological, and ecological aspects of contaminants and ecosystems. The interdisciplinary nature of the this subject is emphasized through critical readings and discussion. Each student explores a topic in detail by preparing a written review and leading a class discussion.

Selected topics in Earth surface processes and Quaternary history are treated in detail. Emphasis is placed on recent advances, both in theory and in field and dating techniques. Course designed for graduate students but available to qualified Earth sciences majors. Will be offered in the 2005-06 academic year.