courses of instruction - Lafayette College

GEOLOGY AND ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCES
215. Modern and Ancient Depositional
Environments. Sedimentary deposits pro
vide the majority of the water, energy, and
mineral resources used by humans. This
course explores the processes whereby sed
iments are formed and accumulate in mod
ern environments, as well as the pathways
that convert loose sediments to solid rocks.
Emphasis placed on determining environ
mental conditions recorded in ancient sedi
mentary rocks. Lecture/laboratory/re
quired weekend field trips. Prerequisite:
Any 100-level geology course or permis
sion of instructor. Ms. Schubel
224. Structure and Tectonics of the Earth.
An examination of global tectonics and
the response of rocks to stress at all scales,
with an emphasis on an understanding of
the relationship of structural geology to
tectonic theory. This includes a systematic
study of folds, faults, joints, foliations, and
lineations from which the geometric rela
tionships and deformational history of the
earth's crust can be deduced. Lecture/lab
oratory/required weekend field trips.
Prerequisite: Any 100-level geology
course. [W] Mr, Malinconico
300. Earth Surface Processes. Comprehen
sive analysis of geological processes that pro
duce, maintain, and change the earth's sur
face. Topics include tectonics and landforms,
rock weathering, soil development, hillslope
processes, and river and glacial erosion and
deposition. The subject is to explore through
the systems approach where earth surface
processes and landforms are viewed as inter
acting components of a complex system. The
operation of geomorphic systems is exam
ined from a process-response perspective.
Laboratory includes map and aerial photo
analysis as well as field work and a field
project. Lecture/laboratory. Prerequisite: Any
100-level geology course. Geology 200 and
224 are recommended. [W] Mr. Germanoski
307. Igneous and Metamorphk Petrology.
An examination of igneous and metamor-
phic rocks as records of the crustal evolu
tion of the earth. The origins and existence
of these rocks are examined in view of
chemical phase equilibria and igneous and
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metamorphic processes. Laboratory work
emphasizes the identification and classifica
tion of igneous and metamorphic rocks us
ing hand samples, thin section identifica
tion, X-ray powder diffraction, analytical
techniques, and field relationships. Lec
ture/laboratory. Prerequisite: Geology 200.
Geology 224 is recommended. Mr. Hovis
310. Advanced Environmental Geology.
The course is divided into three segments:
geo-hazards, land-use, and fossil fuel utili
zation and carbon cycling. Geo-hazards
focuses on assessing geologic hazards
such as volcanic eruptions, earthquakes,
and flooding. Land-use focuses on soil
erosion, channel change related to land-use
activity, strip mine reclamation, and acid
mine drainage. Carbon cycling focuses on
global warming and factors that must be
considered in climate modeling, including
analysis of natural variations in global cli
mate and carbon cycling through geologic
time. Lecture/laboratory. Prerequisite:
Geology 110 or 120. Geology 300 recom
mended. Mr. Germanoski
311. River Form and Function. Examination
of rivers and their effects on the landscape.
The course explores such topics as drainage
network development, sediment yield, sedi
ment transport, river morphology, landscape
elements produced by fluvial activity, and
the interaction between humans and fluvial
systems. The relationships between rivers
and landscape evolution over the long term
is a central issue, capped by a discussion of
the geomorphic evolution of the Appala
chians and the concept of peneplanation.
Prerequisite: Geology 300 or permission of
instructor. Mr. Germanoski
320. Paleontology. Broad survey of the
morphology of invertebrate fossil groups.
Problems of identification and classification
of extinct and living organisms. Emphasis
on use of modern ecological principles for
interpretation of past environments. Lec
ture/laboratory. Prerequisite: Geology 130
or permission of instructor. Staff
321. Geochemistry. An introduction to the
chemical and thermodynamic principles and