Courses
GEOL 1020 History of a Habitable Planet: In this three-credit lecture course, we explore how the physical aspects of the Earth (its oceans, crust, environments, atmosphere, and the climate) have changed over time due to the origin and evolution of life. We will use observations from the rock and fossil record, along with insights and comparisons to modern Earth processes, to analyze the pattern and explore the causes of those changes over billions of years. Because thinking about deep time and historical sciences are outside of our everyday experiences, we will learn about the history of deep time.
GEOL 4730 Field Studies in Sedimentology (taught in 2019 as GEOL 4725): This course will provide students experience in observing and interpreting sedimentary rocks in the field. We will visit outcrops in CO and UT spanning a range of depositional environments, including eolian, lacustrine, fluvial, and marine. Developing observational and notetaking skills will be emphasized; students will be responsible for contributing to a group field guide based on their guided field observations at each site.
GEOL 4755/5755 Field Geobiology
GEOL 5660 Sedimentology and Geobiology of Carbonates (taught as GEOL 5700-015 Spring 2018): Carbonate sedimentary rocks are a significant component of the geobiological rock record, capturing a history of organisms and the environments they inhabit. This course will focus on how carbonate sediments are formed, deposited, and lithified and what influences the preservation and alteration of textural and geochemical signals. We will cover facies identification, interpreting depositional environment, and carbonate geochemistry, with a particular emphasis on recent advances and unanswered questions at the intersection of carbonates and geobiology, including the role of microbial carbonate precipitation and/or dissolution in the formation and degradation of stromatolites, carbonate mud, ooids, etc.
GEOL 5704 Carbonates Seminar (every semester; taught by Trower in Spring semesters and Snell in Fall semesters): This course is a reading and discussion seminar focused broadly on the topic of carbonates, including sedimentology, geochemistry, and geobiology of carbonates. Each semester will have a distinct theme under these sub-topics. Students will be responsible for leading discussion on individual readings and will be able to provide input on both the theme and the individual reading selections.
GEOL 4730 Field Studies in Sedimentology (taught in 2019 as GEOL 4725): This course will provide students experience in observing and interpreting sedimentary rocks in the field. We will visit outcrops in CO and UT spanning a range of depositional environments, including eolian, lacustrine, fluvial, and marine. Developing observational and notetaking skills will be emphasized; students will be responsible for contributing to a group field guide based on their guided field observations at each site.
GEOL 4755/5755 Field Geobiology
GEOL 5660 Sedimentology and Geobiology of Carbonates (taught as GEOL 5700-015 Spring 2018): Carbonate sedimentary rocks are a significant component of the geobiological rock record, capturing a history of organisms and the environments they inhabit. This course will focus on how carbonate sediments are formed, deposited, and lithified and what influences the preservation and alteration of textural and geochemical signals. We will cover facies identification, interpreting depositional environment, and carbonate geochemistry, with a particular emphasis on recent advances and unanswered questions at the intersection of carbonates and geobiology, including the role of microbial carbonate precipitation and/or dissolution in the formation and degradation of stromatolites, carbonate mud, ooids, etc.
GEOL 5704 Carbonates Seminar (every semester; taught by Trower in Spring semesters and Snell in Fall semesters): This course is a reading and discussion seminar focused broadly on the topic of carbonates, including sedimentology, geochemistry, and geobiology of carbonates. Each semester will have a distinct theme under these sub-topics. Students will be responsible for leading discussion on individual readings and will be able to provide input on both the theme and the individual reading selections.