Geology - Macalester College

Geology from Macalester College is a Campus Bachelor Geology degree that prepares you for a Science career. The geology department welcomes students with an interest in the Earth and its 4.6 billion year history. Our courses address current topics in earth science and provide an appreciation of scientific principles and techniques used to explore the dynamic Earth . A broad selection of introductory-level courses serves the general college community. A diversity of upper-level courses enables students to pursue specialized interests within the geosciences. Ultimately, the program strives to provide skills and experiences that foster critical thinking and a lifelong curiosity in the natural world. Students planning a career in the earth sciences should complete the departmental major. Students who wish to incorporate an interdisciplinary specialization into their major should consult department faculty for advice on appropriate courses. Areas of specialization could include geophysics, environmental geology, sedimentology, glaciology, geochemistry, hydrogeology, remote sensing, and paleobiology, among others. Graduate study is a prerequisite for most professional work in the earth sciences. Our major program is designed to provide a broad and thorough background that prepares students for advanced work in any of the many fields of earth science. Completing a major in geology also provides a foundation for other potential careers. For example, some of our recent graduates have entered law school to prepare for employment in environmental or corporate law, while others have used their geologic education as a stepping-stone to the business world. Geology participates in the environmental studies program. Students may choose to double major in geology and environmental studies, and to this end the department offers several courses that address natural processes and the effects of human activities on terrestrial and marine systems (e.g., Environmental Geology , Geomorphology, Surface and Groundwater Hydrology, Oceanography). The department houses an excellent teaching collection of rocks, minerals, and fossils. In addition, the department is home to the Henry Lepp Museum, which is located on the first floor of the Olin-Rice Science Hall. Exhibits include complete skeletal mounts of Herrerasaurus and Eoraptor, which are among the oldest known dinosaurs, a forelimb of Apatosaurus, a huge sauropod dinosaur, a wing of Quetzlcoatlus, the largest-known pterosaur, and the skulls of Majungasaurus and Rapetosaurus, dinosaurs from the Late Cretaceous of Madagascar. Several research laboratories are well equipped for a diversity of student research interests. Laboratory equipment is available for rock cutting, polishing and grinding in preparation for optical microscopy. A new histology lab is available for thin sectioning fossil bone for microscopic analysis. In addition, the department's Mark Erick Andersen Student Computer Lab has several new Macintosh and PC computers and associated multimedia presentation equipment. Students have access to modern instrumentation within the Science Division's Keck Laboratory. Many laboratory exercises incorporate the variety of available instruments, which include a scanning electron microscope with energy-dispersive X-ray spectrometer, an X-ray diffractometer, and an X-ray fluorescence spectrometer. Students also have the opportunity to incorporate this extensive array of analytical tools into faculty-student research projects and honors theses. Many majors gain practical experience through Macalester's internship program, through honors projects, and through special research projects conducted with the guidance of individual faculty members. Recent projects include: (1) the zircon geochronology of Precambrian and early Paleozoic rocks in Minnesota, (2) the magnetostratigraphy of sedimentary rocks in Madagascar, (3) the geochemistry of rift-related rocks of northern Minnesota, (4) the analysis of glacier dynamics and landscape evolution in Montana and British Columbia, (5) the geochemistry of dinosaur teeth and bones from Montana, (6) the analysis of ancient sedimentary environments in Madagascar, Montana, Zimbabwe and southwestern Minnesota, (7) the geochemistry of volcanic rocks of the Galapagos Islands, (8) structural analysis of rocks in Iceland, Wyoming, Wisconsin, and Crete, and (9) the analysis of the effects of dams on sediment transport and ecology in the St. Croix River, Minnesota-Wisconsin. View more details on Macalester College . Ask your questions and apply online for this program or find other related Geology courses.