Geology

Courses of Instruction

Available on the Master of Science degree.

Program for the M.S. Degree


Prerequisites:
B.A. or B.S. degree from an acceptable college or university with an academic record meeting the standards of the University.

Students who have majored in an area other than geology may be admitted if undergraduate deficiencies can be removed within a reasonable time. An applicant's academic record should demonstrate a knowledge both of the other sciences necessary to the field of concentration and of mathematics through differential and integral calculus. If these areas are deficient, the student may be counseled to take non-credit background courses.

Graduate program:
Total of at least 30 approved hours including at least 12 in geology (of which 3 must be in Geology 60710) and 6 in thesis; approved electives or 9-hour minor in a related field is optional.

The following is a complete list of courses offered by this department. Go to Class Search to see which courses are being taught this semester.
 
Courses of Instruction

50233 OPTICAL MINERALOGY AND PETROGRAPHY.
Prerequisite: permission of the instructor.Two hours of lecture and one three hour laboratory period per week. Analysis of the behavior of light in crystalline substances, complete treatment of crystal optics and the identification of non-opaque, rock-forming minerals using immersion media and thin section techniques. Intensive use of the microscope required.

50251 SCANNING ELECTRON MICROSCOPY.
Prerequisite: Permission of the instructor. Use of the S.E.M. in geological applications.

50331 BASIC SEISMICS.
Prerequisite: Permission of the instructor. Three hours of lecture per week for five weeks. An introduction to techniques of gathering, processing and interpreting seismic data.

50341 INTERPRETING SEISMIC DATA.
Prerequisite: GEOL 50331 or equivalent. Three hours of laboratory per week for five weeks. A practicum in interpreting seismic data.

50351 SEISMIC STRATIGRAPHY.
Prerequisites: GEOL 50331 or equivalent.Three hours of lecture per week for five weeks. An introduction to the principles of seismic stratigraphy and their application in oil and gas exploration.

50361 BASIC WELL LOG INTERPRETATION.
Prerequisite: permission of the instructor.Three hours of lecture per week for five weeks. An introduction to the use of borehole geophysical logs in formation evaluation, correlation and subsurface facies analysis.

50413 GLOBAL TECTONICS AND BASIN ANALYSIS.
Prerequisite: permission of the instructor. Three hours of lecture per week. Explores the relationship between plate motion and the evolution of sedimentary basins.

50423 PETROLEUM GEOLOGY.
Prerequisite: permission of the instructor. Origin, migration and entrapment of hydrocarbons, exploration and production techniques used in the petroleum industry.

50433 COASTAL PROCESSES.
Two hours of lecture and one two-hour laboratory per week. Advanced study of waves, winds, water levels, tides and currents and their interaction with shores, beaches, inlets, inner continental shelves and coastal structures. Other topics include tectonic, physical, climatic controls on coastline development, storms, and sediment transport in the coastal zone. Involves computer modeling. Required field trip to the Texas barrier islands.

50493 PHYSICAL HYDROLOGY.
Prerequisite Geol 10113 and permission of instructor. Two hours of lecture and two hours of laboratory per week. A study of the occurrence, movement, and exploitation of water in the hydrologic cycle including surface-atmosphere, groundwater, and surface water processes.

50543 SEDIMENTARY ENVIRONMENT AND FACIES.
Prerequisite: permission of the instructor. Three hours of lecture per week. Facies analysis and facies models applied to the problem of interpreting stratigraphic sequences and reconstructing paleogeography .

50602 PREPARATION OF ENVIRONMENTAL IMPACT STATEMENTS.
Prerequisite: permission of the instructor. Two laboratory periods per week. The methodology of environmental impact statement preparation from initial collection of data to final report drafting is covered. The course offers problem-oriented exercises where students are trained to take the initiative in EIS preparation. (Also offered as Biology 50602).

50603 INTRODUCTION TO GEOCHEMISTRY.
Prerequisite: CHEM 10114-10124 or permission of the instructor. Three hours of lecture per week. Application of basic chemical principles to understanding the origin, distribution and migration of chemical elements in the earth' s lithosphere, hydrosphere, atmosphere and biosphere.

50613 IGNEOUS AND METAMORPHIC PETROLOGY.
Prerequisite: GEOL 50233. or permisision of instructor. Two hours of lecture and one three hour laboratory period per week. Petrogenesis of igneous and metamorphic rocks based on field, petrographic, chemical and isotopic data. Inferences on the evolution and dynamics of the crust and mantle. Involves use of microscope.

50623 VOLCANOLOGY.
Prerequisite: GEOL 50233. or permission of instructor. Two hours of lecture and one three hour laboratory period per week. Types and processes of volcanic eruptions; characteristics of modern volcanic products; recognition and significance of ancient volcanic deposits in the stratigraphic record. Involves use of microscope. Field trip required.

50712 ENVIRONMENTAL GEOLOGY.
Prerequisite: permission of the instructor. Three hours of lecture per week for ten weeks. Geologic processes, earth resources and engineering properties of crustal materials in the activities of society.

50721 GEOGRAPHIC INFORMATION SYSTEMS.
Prerequisite: permission of the instructor. Three hours of lecture per week for five weeks. An introduction to computer systems for creating and managing large data bases and to techniques for displaying and interpreting layered environmental geologic data.

50731 REMOTE SENSING TECHNOLOGY.
Prerequisite: Permission of the instructor. Three hours of lecture per week for five weeks. An introduction to the technology used in remote sensing, including MSS. TM and SPOT, thermal scanners and radar imaging.

50741 IMAGE PROCESSING.
Prerequisite: permission of the instructor. Three hours of lecture per week for five weeks. An introduction to processing techniques used to enhance the display of remote sensing images with emphasis on those techniques useful in resource mapping.

50751 IMAGE INTERPRETATION.
Prerequisite: permission of the instructor. Three hours of lecture per week for five weeks. Geologic and resource mapping and environmental monitoring using satellite images.

50762 ADVANCED GIS.
Prerequisite: GEOL 50721. Hands-on computer use to demonstrate advanced computer techniques for mapping. Introduction to Mapfactory, ERDAS and ArcView software programs to conduct raster and vector database layering projects for geological and environmental map production.

50773 INTRODUCTION TO ENVIRONMENTAL LAW.
Prerequisite: Enrollment in Environmental Sciences, Master of Science Program, or senior standing with appropriate major (biology, geology, chemistry or other science; engineering; pre-law; business management.) Three hours lecture per week. Introduction to and analysis of selected federal statures regulating environmental degradation and environmental clean-up, including the National Environmental Policy Act and regulation of air quality, water quality, wastes, hazardous and toxic substances and enforcement.

50783 ENVIRONMENTAL CHEMISTRY.
Prerequisites: CHEM 10113-10123 and CHEM 10122, or CHEM 10114-10124 or permission of the instructor. Three hours of lecture per week. Chemistry of water, soil, energy, and air as related to environmental problems. Subjects include: nutrients and eutrophication, fluorocarbons, sulfur and nitrogen oxides, Eh-pH relationship, natural carbonate reactions, and cation exchange phenomena. Cross listed with CHEM 50783.

50883 INTRODUCTION TO ENVIRONMENTAL ENGINEERING TECHNOLOGY.
Prerequisite: permission of the instructor. Introduction to fundamentals of pollution control technology; impact of federal and state legislation on the construction, modification and control of industrial plants. Other topics include hazardous pollutants, modification to ambient quality, and basic pollution modeling. (Also cited as BIOL 50883.)

50901 COMPUTER APPLICATIONS IN GEOLOGY.
Prerequisites: COSC 10403 or equivalent and permission of the instructor. Three hours of lecture per week for five weeks. The use of microcomputers in Geology.

50912 STATISTICAL APPLICATIONS FOR MICROCOMPUTERS.
Prerequisite: GEOL 50901. Three hours of lecture per week for ten weeks. Statistical treatment of directional data and the use of multivariate and special regression techniques analysis of variance, discriminate function analysis and factor analysis in solving geologic problems.

50922 MAPPING APPLICATIONS FOR MICROCOMPUTERS
. Prerequisite: GEOL 50901. Three hours of lecture per week for ten weeks. Selecting and using mapping and drafting software.

60213 ENVIRONMENTAL ANALYSIS.
Two hours of lecture and one laboratory period per week. Techniques of analysis using X-ray, atomic absorption, differential thermal, infrared absorption, chromatography and liquid scintillation.

60413 ADVANCED MAP INTERPRETATION.
Prerequisites: permission of instructor. Three hours lecture per week. Techniques used in the analysis of geological structures.

60493 HYDROGEOLOGY.
Prerequisite: Geol 50493 or permission from instructor. Two hours of lecture and two hours of laboratory per week. Principles of groundwater flow, aquifer analysis, chemical and physical properties of groundwater. Modeling of groundwater flow and contaminant transport.

60513 CARBONATE PETROLOGY.
Two hours lecture and one laboratory period per week. An examination of the chemical sedimentary rocks: limestones, dolomites, evaporites, chert, ironstones and phosphates, including their classification, genesis and diagenesis. The course has a large component of microscope study and fieldwork.

60523 SANDSTONE PETROLOGY.
Two hours lecture and one laboratory period per week. Study of provenance, diagenesis and classification of sandstone using the petrographic microscope; consideration of the relationship between tectonics and sedimentation, especially sandstone composition.

60710 GEOLOGY SEMINAR.
Formal presentation and discussion of controversial topics with emphasis on geologic principles involved. For seniors with permission of instructor and graduate students.

70771
For Environmental Sciences candidates only. Selected when enrolling only for non-thesis examination or preparation for the examination in Environmental Sciences.

70970 SPECIAL PROBLEMS IN GEOLOGY.
Field or laboratory problems for graduate students in various aspects of geology. Fifty clock hours of laboratory, field or library work for each semester hour of credit.

70980 THESIS.


70990 THESIS.
Continuation of 70980. Prerequisites: Admission to candidacy.