The earth is literally a geologist's laboratory. Geologists study rocks, fossils, minerals, and the processes by which they were formed over the earth's 4.6 billion-year history. They learn to recognize signs of valuable ores, minerals, and fuels, but they are also concerned with human impact on the environment. Building on unstable slopes, constructing dams on rivers and jetties on coastlines, as well as the contamination of water supplies are important problems investigated by geologists. The Geology Program in the OSU Department of Geosciences grants undergraduate and graduate degrees.
Majors have access to a dedicated faculty with a variety of skills and interests.
Students are exposed to the geologist's real world in many ways. They take field trips sponsored by faculty and by the student-directed Geosciences Club, and they hear from geologists across the country who make scheduled appearances on campus. Geology students enrich their academic experience by attending the OSU Geology Field Camp in the Ochoco Mountains of central Oregon. The Geology Program is housed in Wilkinson Hall, a well-equipped building for the earth sciences. Laboratories allow students to examine rock samples in detail using a variety of instruments, such as petrographic microscopes, an electron microprobe analyzer, and X-ray equipment.