The transformation of snow to ice, the mass balance of glaciers, types of glaciers, and the processes that control glacier sliding, erosion, and deposition. Includes techniques commonly employed to date Quaternary deposits and an examination of the geologic record of the Ice Ages as recorded in glaciers, glacial deposits, and marine and lacustrine sediments of the Quaternary Period. Weekly labs document the record of the last glaciation as recorded in exposures in the southern Adirondacks, central Hudson Valley, eastern Mohawk Valley, and northern Schoharie Valley. The geometry and dynamics of deformed rocks involving detailed description and kinematic analysis of several field sites. Topics include stress and strain, folding, faulting, cleavage formation, map interpretation, and the relationships between plate tectonic settings and crustal structure.
Course focuses on the structural evolution of eastern New York as seen in field projects.
Any geology course at or above the 20 level, or permission of the instructor. Modern limnology and the record of environmental change as recorded in lake sediments. Includes records from proglacial lakes in North America, and interpretation of proxy paleoenvironmental indicators preserved in lake sediments from North America, Europe, and the Southern Hemisphere. The Earth as a chemical system and the use of chemistry as a tool to solve geologic problems. Topics include origin of the elements, formation and differentiation of the earth, igneous processes, stable and radioactive isotope systems, and geochemistry of near-surface waters and the oceans.