Geology Courses
GEOL 1022-3. History of Life. A nontechnical study of fossils through time and their relationships to environments through earth history. Includes discussion of evolution and extinction events and current controversies. Recommended for CLAS science requirement.
GEOL 1072-4. Physical Geology: Surface Processes. An introductory course in physical geology. This course covers surface processes and landforms, and includes three all-day field trips. Partially fulfills the UC Denver undergraduate core curriculum in natural and physical sciences, and partially fulfills the CLAS core curriculum science requirements.
GEOL 1082-4. Physical Geology: Internal Processes. An introductory course in physical geology that covers internal processes and properties of the earth's interior, with plate tectonics as the underlying theme. It includes three all-day field trips. Partially fulfills the UC Denver undergraduate core curriculum in natural and physical sciences, and partially fulfills the CLAS core curriculum science requirements.
GEOL 1111-1 to 3. Freshman Seminar.
GEOL 1202-3. Introduction to Oceanography. A survey of modern scientific knowledge of the world's oceans. Intended for non-science students, the course offers a non-quaSeptember 6, 2006ysical, chemical, biological, and geological oceanography. The impact of natural and anthropic events on the marine environment is included. Recommended for CLAS science requirement.
GEOL 1302-3. Introduction to Astrogeology. A survey of the geology of the planets and their environments in space, including the origin and destiny of the universe. Intended for non-majors, the course provides an introduction to the geological origin, evolution, structure, and geomorphology of the planets. Recommended for CLAS science requirement.
GEOL 1402-3. Introduction to the Ice Ages. A survey of the natural history of earth's ice ages, the processes that lead to paleoclimatic change, environmental changes, and the effects on the geological earth. Included are topics in ocean-atmosphere influences, glaciers, glacial geology, influences on world flora and fauna, extinction of pleistocene mammal populations, and the emergence of hominids.
GEOL 2011-3. Introduction to Mineral Resources. Considers the geology, extraction, and uses of materials taken from the Earth for human use, including water, soil, fertilizers, fuSeptember 6, 2006September 6, 2006ong>GEOL 2939-1 to 3. Internship/Cooperative Education. Experiences involving application of specific, relevant concepts and skills in supervised employment situations. Prereq: 15 hours of 2.75 GPA.
GEOL 3011-4. Mineralogy. Principles of mineralogy, including crystallography, crystal chemistry, and a systematic study of the more important nonsilicate and silicate minerals. Origins and occurrences of minerals. Prereq: physical geology and college-level chemistry.
GEOL 3100/PHIL 3100-3. Evolution of Consciousness. Studies of evolution traditionally regard morphology (anatomy)/behavior and mind/consciousness as separate fields that belong either in biology/paleontology or in psychology/philosophy. The "middle ground" behavior, anthropology, social systems, is also treated separately in most cases. Recent approaches tend toward a more holistic (whole) view using unifying principles and "laws of nature" that show similar processes (dissipative effects, information theory, development theory, etc.) operating across all fields. This course examines the relationships and common threads between the physical anatomical evolution of organisms and their behavior perception and consciousness. Prereq: introductory course in evolution (biology/ paleontology), psychology, philosophy, anthropology, or consent of the instructor.
GEOL 3102-3. Dinosaurs Past and Present. A broad-based, non-technical new look at the world's most popular prehistoric animals. The course will stress the rapid and perennial growth of knowledge about dinosaurs and the relevance of such knowledge in the 20th century. Prereq: introductory geology and/or biology are recommended.
GEOL 3231-4. Introductory Petrology. An introduction to classification, distribution, and origin of igneous, metamorphic, and sedimentary rocks, including their identification in hand-held specimens. Prereq: physical geology and mineralogy.
GEOL 3300-3. Tracking Dinosaurs: the World of Vertebrate Ichnology. The study of dinosaur tracks and other fossil foot- prints falls into the subdiscipline of paleontology known as "trace fossils" or ichnology. This course looks at the history of vertebrate evolution from the trace fossil perspective, giving new insights into the history of animal behavior and ecology. Prereq: introductory ecology or biology. GEOL 3102 is recommended, or consent of instructor.
GEOL 3411-4. Introductory Paleontology. The study of invertebrate fossils, including a survey of the organic world and its history in the geological past. Includes an introduction to evolution and paleoecology, and discussion of the uses of fossils in geologic correlations. Prereq: introductory geology or biology.
GEOL 3421-4. Sedimentation and Stratigraphy. An introduction to the principles of sedimentology and stratigraphy. Emphasis will be on dynamic processes within sedimentary environments and the resulting stratigraphic record. Prereq: GEOL 1082, or the equivalent.
GEOL 3939-1 to 3. Internship/Cooperative Education. Designed experiences involving application of specific, relevant concepts and skills in supervised employment situations. Prereq: junior standing and 2.75 grade-point average.
GEOL 4000-3. Biogeochemical (BGC) Cycles. (ENVS 5000.) Topics include an introduction to ecosystem structures and functions of the biosphere, with a focus on the hydrologic cycle and the cycles of sulfur, nitrogen, and carbon.
GEOL 4020-3. Earth Environments and Human Impacts. (ENVS 5020/GEOG 4020.) Basic concepts describing earth's biomes and physical environment are presented. Model visualization of these concepts to consider human impacts on these biomes is discussed. An earth system model having links of these biomes to oceans and atmosphere completes the course discussion.
GEOL 4030/5030-3. Environmental Geology. Application of geological information to interactions between people and the physical environment. Increasing awareness of its importance in our society means that this is an expanding field as companies are required to address the environmental consequences of their actions. Prereq: entry into MSES program, senior standing in geography or other sciences, or permission of instructor.
GEOL 4060/5060-3. Remote Sensing I: Introduction To Environmental Remote Sensing. (GEOG 5060.) An in-depth treatment of the use of aerial photographs and other forms of imagery for the analysis of urban-industrial patterns, vegetation, agriculture, landforms, and geologic structure.
GEOL 4070/5070-3. Remote Sensing II: Advanced Remote Sensing. (GEOG 4070.) Will focus on digital image processing of satellite and aerial images. Students will explore the nature of digital image data and will gain an understanding of image analysis using PCs. Students will also learn about the use of analysis products in the development of GIS data bases. Prereq: GEOG 4060/5060 or GEOL 4060/5060 or consent of the instructor.
GEOL 4111-5. Field Geology. An introduction to methods of geologic mapping in sedimentary, igneous, and metamorphic rocks. Includes plane table surveying, brunton and pace methods, and the use of aerial photographs. Prereq: GEOL 3011 and GEOL 3121. Strongly recommended: GEOL 3231 and 3421.
GEOL 4270-3. Glacial Geomorphology. (GEOG 4270.) Designed to give the student an in-depth view of the processes and systems found in glacial environments. Topics include: evidence of past glaciation; present day glacial extent; glacier dynamics; glacial erosional process and landforms; glacial depositional processes and landforms. Prereq: GEOG 1202 or consent of instructor.
GEOL 4402-3. Unsaturated Zone Hydrology. (ENVS 5403). Focuses on water and contaminant transport through the unsaturated zone, infiltration and drainage, and heat and gas transport. Students learn to design, perform field installation, and collect data in order to model and predict contaminant movement on/off site. Prereq: Chemistry, Physics, Calculus, or permission of instructor.
GEOL 4460-3. Vertebrate Paleontology and Evolution. A survey of the evolutionary history of the backboned animals from primitive fish through dinosaurs to man. Includes paleoecology, functional morphology, and uses of vertebrate fossils in geologic correlations. Prereq: introductory geology, biology or anthropology.
GEOL 4630-3. Principles of Geomorphology. (GEOG 4240.) Systematic study of rock structures, weathering, mass wasting, fluvial, wind, glacial, and shoreline processes, and the landforms they produce. Prereq: introductory college-level geology or physical geography.
GEOL 4770/5770-3. Applied for the Natural Sciences. Introduction to techniques of mathematical, quantitative, and statistical analysis, with emphasis on applications to earth science problems. Prereq: algebra and introductory calculus.
GEOL 4780/5780-4. Engineering Geology. (C E 4780.) The study of geology as utilized in engineering and environmental practice. Emphasizes a conceptual integration of geologic materials, processes, and rates of change as a basis for successful application of geologic knowledge to environmental planning and engineering design projects.
GEOL 4840-1 to 3. Independent Study. (Undergraduate.)
