Course Description: Introduction to the study of the Earth. Earth's internal structure; tectonic processes; geological hazards and resources; human relationship to the environment.

Course Description: History of life during the three and one-half billion years from its origin to the present day. Origin of life and processes of evolution; how to visualize and understand living organisms from their fossil remains. How to constrain the story of life using testable hypotheses.

Prerequisite(s): GEL 001 or EPS 001 recommended.

Course Description: Exercises in understanding fossils as the clues to interpreting ancient life, including their functional morphology, paleoecology, and evolution.

Prerequisite(s): GEL 003 or EPS 003 (can be concurrent).

Course Description: Modern extinctions reviewed and compared to the “big five” mass extinctions that occurred in deep time. Timings, magnitudes, causes, victims, and survivors of each mass extinction, together with the aftermaths of and recovery from each. Climate changes and other related mechanisms at global scales. Similarities and dissimilarities between the past and modern extinctions.

Prerequisite(s): Ability to interpret a table of data.

Course Description: Geologic features and earth processes in the field. Experiential instruction in earth-science concepts, spatial visualization, landscape evolution, deep time, critical thinking skills, and integrative scientific themes. One thee-day (two overnight) field trip.

Prerequisite(s): Consent of instructor; at least one previous GEL or EPS class, or concurrent enrollment.

Course Description: Scientific concepts underlying modern climate change, illustrated through presentation of how Earth’s atmosphere, water resources, land and life are linked and how climate change in the geologic past informs the future. New and anticipated climate solutions and how they address present and projected climate change.

Course Description: Introduction to evolutionary biology, paleobiology, ecology and paleoecology, using dinosaurs as case studies.

Course Description: Introductory survey of the marine environment. Oceanic physical phenomena, chemical constituents and chemistry of water, geological history, the seas biota and human utilization of marine resources.

Course Description: Introductory survey of the marine environment. Oceanic physical phenomena, chemical constituents and chemistry of water, geological history, the seas biota and human utilization of marine resources.

Course Description: Impact of earthquakes, volcanoes, tsunamis and other Hazards on humans, structures, and the environment. Discussion of the causes and effects of disasters and catastrophes, and on prediction, preparation, and mitigation of natural hazards.

Course Description: Impact of earthquakes, volcanoes, tsunamis and other Hazards on humans, structures, and the environment. Discussion of the causes and effects of disasters and catastrophes, and on prediction, preparation, and mitigation of natural hazards.

Course Description: The geologic history of California from 750 million years ago to the present. Origin of California’s landscapes, rocks, natural resources, and earthquake and volcanic hazards.

Course Description: Appreciation of the geologic framework underlying the inherent beauty of U.S. National Parks. Relationship of individual parks to geologic processes such as mountain building, volcanism, stream erosion, glacial action and landscape evolution.

Course Description: Origin, evolution and distribution of life in our solar system and the Universe. Detecting habitable worlds, Drake equations, necessities and raw materials for life, philosophical implications of the search for life elsewhere.

Course Description: Modern ideas about the unifying ideas of fractal geometry, chaos and complexity. Basic theory and applications with examples from physics, earth sciences, mathematics, population dynamics, ecology, history, economics, biology, computer science, art and architecture.

Prerequisite(s): MAT 017A or MAT 019A or MAT 021A.

Course Description: Fundamental controls on eruptive behavior of volcanoes and influence of volcanic eruptions on the planet’s surface and environment, and on human societies.

Course Description: Introduction to the dynamics, diversity, and development of rivers and watersheds, with a primary focus on California. Basic geology, hydrology, geomorphology, and ecology of rivers along with assessment of past and current management impacts on river processes, riverine ecosystems, and water supply. Policy and science applications in the field of watershed science. Optional river field trip.

Course Description: Nature of the sun, moon, and planets as determined by recent manned and unmanned exploration of the solar system. Comparison of terrestrial, lunar, and planetary geological processes. Search for life on other planets. Origin and evolution of the solar system.

Course Description: The Earth, its materials, its internal and external processes, its development through time by sea-floor spreading and global plate tectonics.

Prerequisite(s): High school physics and chemistry.

Course Description: Introduction to classification and recognition of minerals and rocks and to interpretation of topographic and geologic maps and aerial photographs.

Prerequisite(s): GEL 050 (can be concurrent) or EPS 050 (can be concurrent).

Course Description: Supervised work experience in Earth and Planetary Sciences.

Prerequisite(s): Consent of instructor.

Course Description: Directed group study.

Prerequisite(s): Consent of instructor.

Course Description: Special study for undergraduates in Earth and Planetary Sciences, including but not limited to research, literature review, data collection, or fieldwork.

Prerequisite(s): Consent of instructor.

Course Description: Interconnectedness of Earth's atmosphere, hydrosphere, geosphere, biosphere systems and how energy drives material flux and cycling within and between the different Earth systems. Processes, interactions, and feedback within the Earth's systems and how these earth systems are impacted by anthropogenic activities.

Prerequisite(s): GEL 050 or EPS 050; GEL 050L or EPS 050L; CHE 002A or CHE 002AH or CHE 004A; CHE 002B or CHE 002BH or CHE 004B.

Course Description: Practical, quantitative and analytical skills that pertain to material fluxes and cycling in the atmosphere, hydrosphere, geosphere and biosphere that constitute the Earth’s interconnected systems.

Prerequisite(s): EPS 100 (can be concurrent).

Course Description: Physical and chemical properties of Earth materials; structure, chemical composition, and identification of rock-forming minerals; mineral-rock associations, and their origin from silicate liquids, aqueous fluids, and solid state transformations. Application of understanding of Earth materials to broad problems in Earth sciences. Connections between different Earth sciences disciplines and how Earth materials influence processes and record past processes.

Prerequisite(s): (CHE 002A or CHE 002AH or CHE 004A); (CHE 002B or CHE 002BH or CHE 004B); (MAT 016A or MAT 017A or MAT 019A or MAT 021A); (GEL 001 or EPS 001 or GEL 050 or EPS 050); (GEL 050L or EPS 050L).

Course Description: Introduction to Earth Materials and Geochemistry, including crystallography, optical mineralogy, igneous, sedimentary, and metamorphic metamorphic rocks and minerals, and analytical methods. Emphasizes ways in which these subjects inform and underpin broad areas of Earth Science and connections between Earth Sciences disciplines.

Prerequisite(s): EPS 101 (can be concurrent).

Course Description: Study of processes and products of rock deformation. Introduction to structural geology through a survey of the features and geometries of faults and folds, techniques of strain analysis, and continuum mechanics of rock deformation.

Prerequisite(s): GEL 050; GEL 050L; (PHY 007A or PHY 009A); (MAT 016A or MAT 017A or MAT 019A or MAT 021A); consent of instructor.

Course Description: Laboratory study of the processes and products of rock deformation. Introduction to the practice of structural geology through observations and analysis of rock deformation, including field measurement techniques and geologic mapping. Three weekend field exercises.

Prerequisite(s): (GEL 050 or EPS 050); (GEL 050L or EPS 050L); (PHY 007A or PHY 009A or PHY 009HA); (GEL 101 or EPS 102 (can be concurrent)).

Course Description: Field mapping projects and writing geological reports. Weekly classroom meetings devoted to preparation of maps, cross sections, stratigraphic sections, rock descriptions, and reports. Seven-eight days for field trips will occur on weekends during the quarter.

Prerequisite(s): GEL 101 or EPS 102; GEL 101L or EPS 102L.

Course Description: Origin of igneous rocks and evolution of magmas. Laboratory exercises emphasize the study of these rocks in hand specimen and thin section and their geochemical characteristics.

Prerequisite(s): GEL 060 or (EPS 101, EPS 101L).

Course Description: Evolution and ecological structure of the biosphere from the origin of life to the present.

Prerequisite(s): GGEL 003 or EPS 003 or GEL 053 or EPS 142 or BIS 002A or BIS 002B or BIO 001.

Course Description: Exercises in determining the ecological functions and evolution of individuals, populations, and communities of fossil organisms in field and laboratory.

Prerequisite(s): GEL 107 (can be concurrent) or EPS 107 (can be concurrent).

Course Description: Overview of the climate system; methods for studying climate history beyond observational records; analyses of drivers, consequences, and characteristics of Earth's climate fluctuations with a focus on the last 600 million years; implications for present climate change from a paleo perspective.

Prerequisite(s): GEL 001 or EPS 001 or GEL 050 or EPS 050 or GEL 116N or EPS 116 or ESP 116N or GEL 016 or EPS 016 or GEL 010 or EPS 010; or consent of instructor.

Course Description: Sediment formation, transport, and deposition. Interpretations of sedimentary processes across landscapes and through time in the context of environmental and geological problems. Reconstruction of ancient environmental change from sedimentary rocks.

Prerequisite(s): GEL 001 or EPS 001 or GEL 050 or EPS 050.

Course Description: Analysis of sediments and sedimentary rocks, including grain characteristics, sedimentary structures, and stratigraphic patterns. Interpretation of depositional environments and analysis of sedimentary basins. Includes one overnight camping field trip on a weekend.

Prerequisite(s): (GEL 050L or EPS 050L); (GEL 109 or EPS 109 (can be concurrent)).

Course Description: Advanced application of geologic field methods to the study of deformed rocks and their interpretation in terms of tectonic processes. Development and interpretation of geologic maps, cross sections and stratigraphic sections. Six days/week for three weeks in an off-campus location.

Prerequisite(s): GEL 103 or EPS 103; GEL 109 or EPS 109 recommended; GEL 060 or EPS 101 recommended.

Course Description: Advanced application of geologic field methods to the study of volcanic and plutonic rocks and their interpretation in terms of igneous processes. Development and interpretation of geologic maps, cross sections, stratigraphic sections, and outcrop scale observations. Six days/week for three weeks in an off-campus location.

Prerequisite(s): (GEL 105 or EPS 105); (GEL 109 or EPS 109).

Course Description: Advanced application of geologic field methods to a special project location and the interpretation of field observations in terms of its geologic processes and geologic history. Variable field location and specific activities. Six days/week for three weeks in an off-campus location.

Prerequisite(s): GEL 060 or EPS 101; consent of instructor; GEL 109 or EPS 109 recommended.

Course Description: Advanced oceanographic topics: Chemical, physical, geological, and biological processes; research methods and data analysis; marine resources, anthropogenic impacts, and climate change; integrated earth/ocean/atmosphere systems; one-day weekend field trip.

Prerequisite(s): GEL 001 or EPS 001 or GEL 002 or GEL 016 or EPS 016 or GEL 016V or EPS 016V or GEL 050 or EPS 050.

Course Description: Long-term and large-scale perspectives on the origins of the universe, stars and planets, life, human evolution, the rise of civilization and the modern world. Multi-disciplinary approach to "Big History" involving cosmology, astronomy, geology, climatology, biology, anthropology, archeology and traditional history.

Course Description: Risk, prediction, prevention and response for earthquakes, volcanic eruptions, landslides, floods, storms, fires, impacts, global warming, modeling and analysis.

Prerequisite(s): (GEL 001 or EPS 001 or GEL 050 or EPS 050); (MAT 017A or MAT 019A or MAT 021A); or consent of instructor; or equivalent introductory geology, calculus, and statistics; STA 013 or STA 013Y recommended.

Course Description: Nucleosynthesis of chemical elements, physical and chemical properties of elements, ionic substitution, elemental partition, distribution and transport among planetary materials, basic thermodynamics and phase diagrams, isotopic geochronometers, stable isotope fractionation, mixing and dilution, advection and diffusion, geochemical cycles.

Prerequisite(s): (GEL 060 or EPS 101 (can be concurrent)); (CHE 002B or CHE 002BH or CHE 004B).

Course Description: Introduction to Earth surface processes with a focus on topics of current environmental interest such as groundwater contamination, radioactivity and nuclear waste disposal, environmental impact of mining operations, and geological approaches to carbon sequestration.

Prerequisite(s): (CHE 002A or CHE 002AH or CHE 004A); (CHE 002B or CHE 002BH or CHE 004).

Course Description: Geologic aspects of land use and development planning. Geologic problems concerning volcanic and earthquake hazards, land stability, floods, erosion, coastal hazards, non-renewable resource extraction, waste disposal, water resources.

Prerequisite(s): (MAT 017A or MAT 019A or MAT 021A); (GEL 001 or EPS 001 or GEL 050 or EPS 050); (PHY 001A or PHY 007A or PHY 009A or PHY 009HA); EPS 100 recommended.

Course Description: Integrative multidisciplinary class, lab, and field analysis of streams. Class project examines hydrology, geomorphology, water quality, and aquatic and riparian ecology of degraded and pristine stream systems. Includes required field trips (three fieldwork days) with students from diverse scientific backgrounds.

Prerequisite(s): GEL 035 or EPS 035; or consent of instructor.

Course Description: Integrative multidisciplinary field analysis of streams. Field study examines hydrology, geomorphology, water quality, and aquatic and riparian ecology of degraded and pristine stream systems. Includes cooperative one week field survey in remote wilderness settings with students from diverse scientific backgrounds.

Prerequisite(s): GEL 136 (can be concurrent) or EPS 136 (can be concurrent); consent of instructor; GEL 035 (recommended) or EPS 035 (recommended).

Course Description: Earthquake processes from the geologic record. Fault mechanics, earthquake physics, and hazard models. Geological techniques for the study of earthquakes, including mapping of active faults, evolution of fault-related landforms, paleoseismology, Quaternary geochronology, and fault slip-rate analysis. One-day required field trip.

Prerequisite(s): (GEL 001 or EPS 001 or GEL 050 or EPS 050); (MAT 017A or MAT 019A or MAT 021A); (MAT 017B or MAT 019B or MAT 021B); (PHY 007A or PHY 009A or PHY 009HA).

Course Description: Introductory concepts in volcanology, including controls on eruptive behavior, explosive vs. effusive eruption hazards, monitoring techniques and data, eruption forecasting, and eruptive hazard mitigation. Field component in an area with recent or active volcanic activity; e.g. Hawaii Volcanoes or Lassen Volcanic National Parks.

Prerequisite(s): (GEL 060 or (EPS 101, EPS 101L)), (GEL 109 or EPS 109), (GEL 105 or EPS 105); and consent of instructor.

Course Description: Recognition and quantitative interpretation of topography and landscapes. Spectrum of landforms and related earth-surface processes, including weathering, hillslopes, fluvial systems, pedogenesis, eolian transport, and glaciation. Landscape elements from topography and field criteria; forcing mechanisms driving landscape evolution; and quantitative analyses of landscapes.

Prerequisite(s): (GEL 001 or EPS 001 or GEL 050 or EPS 050); (MAT 017A or MAT 019A or MAT 021A).

Course Description: Evolutionary history of vertebrates based on the fossil record, in a phylogenetic and chronological framework. Ecology, developmental biology, biogeography, and climate change, timing of major evolutionary events, historical setting of the appearance of major vertebrate groups, physical constraints in vertebrate evolution, effects of continental movement on vertebrate evolution.

Prerequisite(s): GEL 003 or EPS 003 or GEL 053 or EPS 142 or BIS 002A or BIO 001.

Course Description: Morphology of fossil organisms based on three-dimensional specimens and their computer models, rather than based on 2D figures. Both fossil and modern vertebrate bones are used for comparative purposes.

Prerequisite(s): GEL 141 or EPS 141 (can be concurrent).

Course Description: Introduction to interactions between Earth and life with an emphasis on how microbial metabolisms, cellular processes, evolution and ecology emerged within natural environments and have changed Earth’s surface.

Prerequisite(s): (GEL 001 or EPS 001 or GEL 002 or EPS 002 or GEL 050 or EPS 050); (CHE 002B or CHE 002BH or CHE 004B).

Course Description: Ancient ecosystems and the factors that caused them to change. Historical perspectives on the future biosphere based on species, expansion, evolution of new modes of life, geologically induced variations in resource supply, and extinction.

Prerequisite(s): Upper division course in environmental science or ecology, or an introductory course in paleobiology.

Course Description: Basic principles of nuclear chemistry and physics applied to geology to determine the ages of terrestrial rocks, meteorites, archeological objects, age of the Earth, to trace geological/environmental processes, and explain formation of the chemical elements in the Universe.

Prerequisite(s): (CHE 002C or CHE 002CH or CHE 004C); (MAT 017C or MAT 019C or MAT 021C); (PHY 007C or PHY 009C or PHY 009HC).

Course Description: Tracers of geochemical processes including isotopic, elemental, noble gas, and organic tracers that provide information about geological processes and record past geological processes influenced by physical, chemical and biological processes and conditions. Use of oxygen and hydrogen isotopes to trace the hydrologic cycle and processes and the use of carbon, nitrogen, and sulfur isotopes to trace processes and exchange between the lithosphere, hydrosphere, atmosphere and biosphere.

Prerequisite(s): (CHE 002C or CHE 002CH or CHE 004C or HYD 134); (GEL 050 or EPS 050); (GEL 050L or EPS 050L); (GEL 060 or EPS 101).

Course Description: Physical and chemical properties of seawater, fluid dynamics, air-sea interaction, currents, waves, tides, mixing, major oceanic geochemical cycles.

Prerequisite(s): (ESP 116N or GEL 116N or EPS 116); (CHE 002C or CHE 002CH or CHE 004C); (MAT 017C or MAT 019C or MAT 021C); (PHY 007B or PHY 009B or PHY 009HB); consent of instructor.

Course Description: Introduction to the origin and geologic evolution of ocean basins. Composition and structure of oceanic crust, marine volcanism, and deposition of marine sediments. Interpretation of geologic history of the ocean floor in terms of sea-floor spreading theory.

Prerequisite(s): GEL 050 or EPS 050 or GEL 116N or ESP 116N or EPS 116.

Course Description: Ecology of major marine habitats, including intertidal, shelf benthic, deep-sea and plankton communities. Existing knowledge and contemporary issues in research. Segment devoted to human use. One weekend field trip required.

Prerequisite(s): BIS 002A or (BIO 001, BIO 001L); consent of instructor.

Course Description: Modeling of earth and environmental systems using the finite difference method for the diffusion equation, advection equation and combined transport. Applications in carbon cycle box model, energy balance in 1D climate models, dissolved species advection in an aquifer, cooling of tectonic plates, landscape evolution through erosion, sediment transport in streams. Code development, program debugging and assessment skills, and quantitative comparison to data.

Prerequisite(s): (MAT 017C (can be concurrent) or MAT 019C (can be concurrent) or MAT 021C (can be concurrent)); (PHY 007C (can be concurrent) or PHY 009C (can be concurrent)); or prior introductory level programming in Python, MATLAB, or R.

Course Description: Geophysical methods applied to determining subsurface structure in tectonics, hydrogeology, geotechnical engineering, and hydrocarbon & mineral exploration. Theory, survey design & interpretation of reflection & refraction seismology, electrical resistivity, electromagnetics, and ground-penetrating radar measurements. Laboratory focuses on hands-on experiences with field equipment and data analysis.

Prerequisite(s): GEL 001 or EPS 001 or GEL 050 or EPS 050; MAT 017A or MAT 019A or MAT 021A; MAT 017B or MAT 019B or MAT 021B; MAT 017C or MAT 019C or MAT 021C; PHY 007A or PHY 009A or PHY 009HA; PHY 007B or PHY 009B or PHY 009HB; PHY 007C or PHY 009C or PHY 009HC.

Course Description: Theory and use of physics in the study of the solid earth. Gravity, magnetism, paleomagnetism, and heat flow. Application to the interpretation of the regional and large-scale structure of the Earth and to plate tectonics.

Prerequisite(s): MAT 017C or MAT 019C or MAT 021C; PHY 007C or PHY 009C or PHY 009HC; consent of instructor.

Course Description: Principles of planetary science. Planetary dynamics, including orbital mechanics, tidal interactions and ring dynamics. Theory of planetary interiors, gravitational fields, rotational dynamics. Physics of planetary atmospheres. Geological processes, landforms and their modification. Methods of analysis from Earth-based observations and spacecraft.

Prerequisite(s): (GEL 001 or EPS 001 or GEL 002 or GEL 028 or EPS 028 or GEL 036 or EPS 036 or GEL 050 or EPS 050 or AST 010G or AST 010L or AST 010S or AST 025); (MAT 017A or MAT 019A or MAT 021A); (PHY 007A or PHY 009A or PHY 009HA); (PHY 007B or PHY 009B or PHY 009HB); (PHY 007C or PHY 009C or PHY 009HC).

Course Description: Fundamental principles of seismic wave propagation, earthquake source mechanics, and the structure of the Earth's interior. Stress and strain, body and surface waves, seismic ray theory, earthquake location methods, magnitude scales, and seismic tomography. Theoretical concepts and practical applications in observational seismology. Seismological methods used to study earthquakes, Earth structure, and other geohazards.

Prerequisite(s): (MAT 017A or MAT 019A or MAT 021A); (MAT 017B or MAT 019B or MAT 021B); MAT 022A recommended; ECS 032A or PHY 040 or equivalent python programming course recommended.

Course Description: Theory and application of machine learning and artificial intelligence to problems in Earth and Environmental Sciences. Model fitting and regression. Feature extraction and classification from remote sensing observations. Supervised and unsupervised learning. Applications to datasets including earthquakes, streamflow, water quality, geochemistry, and petrology.

Prerequisite(s): ECS 032A or PHY 040; or equivalent python programming course; or consent of instructor.

Course Description: Theory and analysis of Earth’s surface deformation in response to tectonic, volcanic, hydrologic, and human processes. Analysis of deformation fields using geodetic, seismic, and remote sensing data. Linking patterns of surface deformation to physical mechanisms with elastic, viscoelastic, and poroelastic models. Case studies and data exercises build skills for interpreting deformation in diverse tectonic and environmental settings.

Prerequisite(s): (GEL 050 or EPS 050); (MAT 017C or MAT 019C or MAT 021C); (PHY 007C or PHY 009C or PHY 009HC); (ECS 032A or PHY 040), or consent of Instructor or equivalent Python programming course.

Course Description: Advanced geologic field studies of select localities. Observation, analysis, interpretation, and discussion of geologic features and relationships in the field, on maps and sections, in samples, and on images. Three weekend field trips or equivalent.

Prerequisite(s): GEL 110A or EPS 110A or GEL 110B or EPS 110B or GEL 110C or EPS 110C; or consent of instructor.

Course Description: Marine geochemistry with the opportunity of going to sea or into the field on land. Techniques of sea-floor mapping using bottom photography, marine geochemical sampling, and method of data reduction and sample analysis. Analysis of data/samples collected.

Prerequisite(s): Consent of instructor.

Course Description: STEM Learning Assistant Seminar. Theoretical and practical issues of effective teaching in discussion/labs: student-centered, active, cooperative learning environments, responsive teaching, and differentiated classroom instruction.

Course Description: Supervised work experience in Earth and Planetary Sciences.

Prerequisite(s): Consent of instructor.

Course Description: Guided independent study of a selected topic, leading to the writing of a senior thesis.

Prerequisite(s): Consent of instructor.

Course Description: Guided independent study of a selected topic, culminating in the writing of a senior thesis.

Prerequisite(s): Consent of instructor.

Course Description: Guided independent study of a selected topic, leading to the writing of an honors thesis.

Prerequisite(s): Consent of instructor.

Course Description: Guided independent study of a selected topic, culminating in the writing of an honors thesis.

Prerequisite(s): Consent of instructor.

Course Description: Group study focused on topics in Earth and Planetary Sciences.

Prerequisite(s): Consent of instructor.

Course Description: Special study for upper division undergraduates in Earth and Planetary Sciences, including but not limited to research, literature review, data collection, or fieldwork.

Prerequisite(s): Consent of Instructor.

Course Description: Earthquake processes from the geologic record. Fault mechanics, earthquake physics, and hazard models. Geological techniques for the study of earthquakes, including mapping of active faults, evolution of fault-related landforms, paleoseismology, Quaternary geochronology, and fault slip-rate analysis. One-day required field trip, and three-day required overnight field trip. Map and assess a previously unstudied active fault for a final project.

Prerequisite(s): (GEL 001 or EPS 001 or GEL 050 or EPS 050); (MAT 017A or MAT 019A or MAT 021A); (MAT 017B or MAT 019B or MAT 021B); (PHY 007A or PHY 009A or PHY 009HA); or equivalent.

Starting Fall Quarter 2026, this course is no longer offered.

Course Description: Introduction to the study of the Earth. Earth's physical and chemical structure; internal and surface processes that mold the Earth; geological hazards and resources.

Course Description: Solid and fluid earth and its place in the solar system. How the solid earth interacts with the atmosphere, hydrosphere, biosphere, and extraterrestrial environment.

Starting Fall Quarter 2026, this course is no longer offered.

Course Description: The history of life during the three and one-half billion years from its origin to the present day. Origin of life and processes of evolution; how to visualize and understand living organisms from their fossil remains.

Prerequisite(s): GEL 001 recommended.

Starting Fall Quarter 2026, this course is no longer offered.

Course Description: Exercises in understanding fossils as the clues to interpreting ancient life, including their functional morphology, paleoecology, and evolution.

Prerequisite(s): GEL 003 (can be concurrent); GEL 003 required concurrently.

Starting Fall Quarter 2026, this course is no longer offered.

Course Description: The big five mass extinctions that occurred in deep-time, with comparisons to the extinctions that are occurring currently. Similarities and dissimilarities between the past and modern extinctions.

Prerequisite(s): Ability to interpret a table of data.

Starting Fall Quarter 2026, this course is no longer offered.

Course Description: Exposure to geologic features and earth processes in the field. Experiential instruction in earth-science concepts, spatial visualization, landscape evolution, deep time, critical thinking skills, and integrative scientific themes. One 4-5 day field trip.

Prerequisite(s): Consent of instructor; at least one previous GEL class, or concurrent enrollment.

Starting Fall Quarter 2026, this course is no longer offered.

Course Description: Fundamental scientific concepts underlying issues such as global warming, pollution, and the future of nonsustainable resources presented in the context of anthropogenic processes as well as natural forcing of paleoenvironmental change throughout Earth's history.

Starting Fall Quarter 2026, this course is no longer offered.

Course Description: Introduction to evolutionary biology, paleobiology, ecology and paleoecology, using dinosaurs as case studies.

Starting Fall Quarter 2026, this course is no longer offered.

Course Description: Introductory survey of the marine environment. Oceanic physical phenomena, chemical constituents and chemistry of water, geological history, the seas biota and human utilization of marine resources.

Starting Fall Quarter 2026, this course is no longer offered.

Course Description: Introductory survey of the marine environment. Oceanic physical phenomena, chemical constituents and chemistry of water, geological history, the seas biota and human utilization of marine resources.

Starting Fall Quarter 2026, this course is no longer offered.

Course Description: Impact of earthquakes, tsunami, volcanoes, landslides, and floods on humans, structures, and the environment. Discussion of the causes and effects of disasters and catastrophes, and on prediction, preparation, and mitigation of natural hazards.

Starting Fall Quarter 2026, this course is no longer offered.

Course Description: Impact of earthquakes, tsunami, volcanoes, landslides, and floods on humans, structures, and the environment. Discussion of the causes and effects of disasters and catastrophes, and on prediction, preparation, and mitigation of natural hazards.

Starting Fall Quarter 2026, this course is no longer offered.

Course Description: The geologic history of California, the origin of rocks and the environments in which they were formed, the structure of the rocks and the interpretation of their structural history, mineral resources, and appreciation of the California landscape. Offered in alternate years.

Starting Fall Quarter 2026, this course is no longer offered.

Course Description: Appreciation of the geologic framework underlying the inherent beauty of U.S. National Parks. Relationship of individual parks to geologic processes such as mountain building, volcanism, stream erosion, glacial action and landscape evolution.

Starting Fall Quarter 2026, this course is no longer offered.

Course Description: Appreciation of the geologic framework underlying the inherent beauty of U.S. National Parks. Relationship of individual parks to geologic processes such as mountain building, volcanism, stream erosion, glacial action and landscape evolution.

Starting Fall Quarter 2026, this course is no longer offered.

Course Description: Origin, evolution and distribution of life in our solar system and the Universe. Detecting habitable worlds, Drake equations, necessities and raw materials for life, philosophical implications of the search for life elsewhere.

Starting Fall Quarter 2026, this course is no longer offered.

Course Description: Modern ideas about the unifying ideas of fractal geometry, chaos and complexity. Basic theory and applications with examples from physics, earth sciences, mathematics, population dynamics, ecology, history, economics, biology, computer science, art and architecture. Offered in alternate years.

Prerequisite(s): MAT 016A or MAT 017A or MAT 019A or MAT 021A.

Starting Fall Quarter 2026, this course is no longer offered.

Course Description: Role of eruptions, and eruptive products of volcanoes in shaping the planet's surface, influencing its environment, and providing essential human resources.

Starting Fall Quarter 2026, this course is no longer offered.

Course Description: Introduction to geomorphology, climate and geology of rivers and watersheds, with case examples from California. Assessment of impacts of logging, agriculture, mining, urbanization and water supply on river processes. Optional river field trips.

Starting Fall Quarter 2026, this course is no longer offered.

Course Description: Nature of the sun, moon, and planets as determined by recent manned and unmanned exploration of the solar system. Comparison of terrestrial, lunar, and planetary geological processes. Search for life on other planets. Origin and evolution of the solar system. (Former course GEL 113 & GEL 113G.)

Starting Fall Quarter 2026, this course is no longer offered.

Course Description: The Earth, its materials, its internal and external processes, its development through time by sea-floor spreading and global plate tectonics.

Prerequisite(s): High school physics and chemistry.

Starting Fall Quarter 2026, this course is no longer offered.

Course Description: Introduction to classification and recognition of minerals and rocks and to interpretation of topographic and geologic maps and aerial photographs.

Prerequisite(s): GEL 050 (can be concurrent).

Starting Fall Quarter 2026, this course is no longer offered.

Course Description: Introduction to interactions between Earth and life with an emphasis on how metabolism, cellular processes, evolution and ecology emerged within natural environments and have changed Earth’s surface.

Prerequisite(s): GEL 001 or GEL 002 or GEL 050.

Starting Fall Quarter 2026, this course is no longer offered.

Course Description: Physical and chemical properties of Earth materials; structure, chemical composition, and identification of rock-forming minerals; mineral-rock associations, and their origin from silicate liquids, aqueous fluids, and solid state transformations.

Prerequisite(s): (CHE 002A or CHE 002AH or CHE 004A); (CHE 002B or CHE 002BH or CHE 004B); (MAT 017A or MAT 019A or MAT 021A); (GEL 001 or GEL 050); GEL 050L.

Course Description: Exploration of how students learn and develop understanding in science and mathematics classrooms. Introduction to case studies and interview techniques and their use in K-6 classrooms to illuminate factors that affect student learning.

Starting Fall Quarter 2026, this course is no longer offered.

Course Description: Work-learn experience on and off campus in all subject areas offered by the department. Internships supervised by a member of the faculty.

Prerequisite(s): Consent of instructor; lower division standing.

Starting Fall Quarter 2026, this course is no longer offered.

Course Description: Directed group study.

Prerequisite(s): Consent of instructor.

Starting Fall Quarter 2026, this course is no longer offered.

Course Description: Special study for undergraduates.

Prerequisite(s): Consent of instructor; lower division standing.

Starting Fall Quarter 2026, this course is no longer offered.

Course Description: Study of processes and products of rock deformation. Introduction to structural geology through a survey of the features and geometries of faults and folds, techniques of strain analysis, and continuum mechanics of rock deformation.

Prerequisite(s): GEL 050; GEL 050L; (PHY 007A or PHY 009A); (MAT 016A or MAT 017A or MAT 019A or MAT 021A); consent of instructor.

Starting Fall Quarter 2026, this course is no longer offered.

Course Description: Laboratory study of the processes and products of rock deformation. Introduction to the practice of structural geology through observations and analysis of rock deformation, including field measurement techniques and geologic mapping.

Prerequisite(s): GEL 050; GEL 050L; (PHY 007A or PHY 009A); GEL 101 (can be concurrent); consent of instructor.

Starting Fall Quarter 2026, this course is no longer offered.

Course Description: Field mapping projects and writing geological reports. Weekly classroom meetings devoted to preparation of maps, cross sections, stratigraphic sections, rock descriptions, and reports. Seven-eight days for field trips will occur on weekends during the quarter.

Prerequisite(s): GEL 101; GEL 101L.

Starting Fall Quarter 2026, this course is no longer offered.

Course Description: Origin and occurrence of igneous rocks. Laboratory exercises emphasize the study of these rocks in hand specimen and thin section.

Prerequisite(s): GEL 060; (MAT 016A or MAT 017A or MAT 019A or MAT 021A); CHE 002B (can be concurrent).

Starting Fall Quarter 2026, this course is no longer offered.

Course Description: Evolution and ecological structure of the biosphere from the origin of life to the present.

Prerequisite(s): GEL 003 or GEL 053 or BIS 002A or BIS 002B.

Starting Fall Quarter 2026, this course is no longer offered.

Course Description: Exercises in determining the ecological functions and evolution of individuals, populations, and communities of fossil organisms in field and laboratory.

Prerequisite(s): GEL 107 (can be concurrent).

Starting Fall Quarter 2026, this course is no longer offered.

Course Description: Geological and environmental factors controlling climate change, the greenhouse effect with a detailed analysis of the history of Earth's climate fluctuations over the last 600 million years. Past and present climate records are used to examine potential future climatic scenarios.

Prerequisite(s): (GEL 001 or GEL 050 or GEL 116N or ESP 116N); CHE 002A; consent of instructor.

Starting Fall Quarter 2026, this course is no longer offered.

Course Description: Sediment formation, transport, and deposition. Interpretations of sedimentary processes across landscapes and through time in the context of environmental and geological problems. Reconstruction of ancient environmental change from sedimentary rocks.

Prerequisite(s): GEL 001 or GEL 050.

Starting Fall Quarter 2026, this course is no longer offered.

Course Description: Methods of stratigraphic and sedimentologic analysis of modern and ancient sediments. Identification of major sediment and sedimentary rock types. Outcrop and subsurface analysis of sedimentary basins. GE credit with concurrent enrollment in GEL 109. Includes four one-day field trips.

Prerequisite(s): GEL 050L; GEL 109 (can be concurrent).

Starting Fall Quarter 2026, this course is no longer offered.

Course Description: Advanced application of geologic field methods to the study of deformed rocks and their interpretation in terms of tectonic processes. Includes development and interpretation of geologic maps, cross sections and stratigraphic sections. Six days/week for three weeks in an off-campus location.

Prerequisite(s): GEL 103; GEL 060 recommended.

Starting Fall Quarter 2026, this course is no longer offered.

Course Description: Advanced application of geologic field methods to the study of volcanic and plutonic rocks and their interpretation in terms of igneous processes. Includes development and interpretation of geologic maps, cross sections, stratigraphic sections, and outcrop scale observations. Six days/week for three weeks in an off-campus location.

Prerequisite(s): GEL 105; GEL 109.

Starting Fall Quarter 2026, this course is no longer offered.

Course Description: Advanced application of geologic field methods to a special project location and the interpretation of field observations in terms of its geologic processes and geologic history. Variable field location and specific activities. Six days/week for three weeks in an off-campus location.

Prerequisite(s): Consent of instructor.

Starting Fall Quarter 2026, this course is no longer offered.

Course Description: Advanced oceanographic topics: Chemical, physical, geological, and biological processes; research methods and data analysis; marine resources, anthropogenic impacts, and climate change; integrated earth/ocean/atmosphere systems; weekly lab and one weekend field trip.

Prerequisite(s): GEL 001 or GEL 002 or GEL 016 or GEL 016V or GEL 050.

Starting Fall Quarter 2026, this course is no longer offered.

Course Description: Long-term and large-scale perspectives on the origins of the universe, stars and planets, life, human evolution, the rise of civilization and the modern world. Multi-disciplinary approach to "Big History" involving cosmology, astronomy, geology, climatology, biology, anthropology, archeology and traditional history.

Starting Fall Quarter 2026, this course is no longer offered.

Course Description: Risk, prediction, prevention and response for earthquakes, volcanic eruptions, landslides, floods, storms, fires, impacts, global warming.

Starting Fall Quarter 2026, this course is no longer offered.

Course Description: Nucleosynthesis of chemical elements, physical and chemical properties of elements, ionic substitution, elemental partition, distribution and transport among planetary materials, basic thermodynamics and phase diagrams, isotopic geochronometers, stable isotope fractionation, mixing and dilution, advection and diffusion, geochemical cycles.

Prerequisite(s): GEL 060 (can be concurrent); CHE 002B.

Starting Fall Quarter 2026, this course is no longer offered.

Course Description: Introduction to Earth surface processes with a focus on topics of current environmental interest such as nuclear power and waste disposal, acid mine drainage, carbon sequestration, history of polar ice sheets and sea level change.

Prerequisite(s): CHE 002A; CHE 002B.

Starting Fall Quarter 2026, this course is no longer offered.

Course Description: Geologic aspects of land use and development planning. Geologic problems concerning volcanic and earthquake hazards, land stability, floods, erosion, coastal hazards, non-renewable resource extraction, waste disposal, water resources.

Prerequisite(s): GEL 001 or GEL 050; consent of instructor.; one course in Geology (GEL).

Starting Fall Quarter 2026, this course is no longer offered.

Course Description: Integrative multidisciplinary field analysis of streams. Class project examines hydrology, geomorphology, water quality and aquatic and riparian ecology of degraded and pristine stream systems. Includes cooperative two-week field survey in remote wilderness settings with students from diverse scientific backgrounds.

Prerequisite(s): Consent of instructor. Upper division or graduate standing in any physical science, biological science, or engineering.

Starting Fall Quarter 2026, this course is no longer offered.

Course Description: Principles of physical and chemical volcanology. Taught in a volcanically active setting (e.g., Hawaii) with a strong field component.

Prerequisite(s): GEL 060; GEL 109; consent of instructor.

Starting Fall Quarter 2026, this course is no longer offered.

Course Description: Quantitative description and interpretation of landscapes with emphasis on the relationships between physical processes, mass conservation, and landform evolution. Topics covered include physical & chemical weathering, hillslopes, debris flows, fluvial systems, alluvial fans, pedogenesis, eolian transport, glaciation and Quaternary geochronology.

Prerequisite(s): (GEL 001 or GEL 050); (MAT 016B or MAT 017B or MAT 019B or MAT 021B).

Starting Fall Quarter 2026, this course is no longer offered.

Course Description: Evolutionary history of vertebrates; fossil record and phylogeny; timing of major evolutionary events; appearance of major vertebrate groups; physical constraints in vertebrate evolution; paleobiogeography of vertebrates; effect of continental movement on vertebrate evolution; dinosaurs and other strange vertebrates. Offered in alternate years.

Prerequisite(s): GEL 003 or GEL 053 or BIS 002A.

Starting Fall Quarter 2026, this course is no longer offered.

Course Description: Augments lecture GEL 141 through handling of specimens enabling in-person examination of three dimensional features observed in vertebrate skeletons, both fossil and living. Offered in alternate years.

Prerequisite(s): GEL 141 (can be concurrent).

Starting Fall Quarter 2026, this course is no longer offered.

Course Description: Ancient ecosystems and the factors that caused them to change. Species, expansion, evolution of new modes of life, geologically induced variations in resource supply, and extinction provide historical perspective on the biosphere of future.

Prerequisite(s): Upper division course in environmental science or ecology, or an introductory course in paleobiology.

Starting Fall Quarter 2026, this course is no longer offered.

Course Description: Basic principles of nuclear chemistry and physics applied to geology to determine the ages of terrestrial rocks, meteorites, archeological objects, age of the Earth, to trace geological/environmental processes, and explain formation of the chemical elements in the Universe. Offered irregularly.

Prerequisite(s): (CHE 002C or GEL 055); (PHY 007C or PHY 009C or GEL 056); (MAT 016C or MAT 017C or MAT 019C or MAT 021C).

Starting Fall Quarter 2026, this course is no longer offered.

Course Description: Use of oxygen and hydrogen isotopes in defining hydrologic processes; carbon, nitrogen, and sulfur isotopes as indicators of exchange between the lithosphere, hydrosphere, atmosphere and biosphere. Radiogenic, cosmogenic, and noble gas isotope tracers. Offered irregularly.

Prerequisite(s): (CHE 002C or GEL 055 or HYD 134); GEL 050; GEL 050L; GEL 060.

Starting Fall Quarter 2026, this course is no longer offered.

Course Description: Physical and chemical properties of seawater, fluid dynamics, air-sea interaction, currents, waves, tides, mixing, major oceanic geochemical cycles.

Prerequisite(s): (ESP 116N or GEL 116N); (PHY 007B or PHY 009B); (MAT 016C or MAT 017C or MAT 019C or MAT 021C); (CHE 002C or GEL 055); consent of instructor.

Starting Fall Quarter 2026, this course is no longer offered.

Course Description: Introduction to the origin and geologic evolution of ocean basins. Composition and structure of oceanic crust; marine volcanism; and deposition of marine sediments. Interpretation of geologic history of the ocean floor in terms of sea-floor spreading theory.

Prerequisite(s): GEL 050 or (GEL 116N or ESP 116N).

Starting Fall Quarter 2026, this course is no longer offered.

Course Description: Ecology of major marine habitats, including intertidal, shelf benthic, deep-sea and plankton communities. Existing knowledge and contemporary issues in research. Segment devoted to human use. One weekend field trip required.

Prerequisite(s): BIS 002A; consent of instructor; a course in general ecology.

Starting Fall Quarter 2026, this course is no longer offered.

Course Description: Introduction to quantitative methods in analyzing geological data including basic principles of statistics and probability, error analysis, hypothesis testing, inverse theory, time series analysis and directional data analyses.

Prerequisite(s): (MAT 016A (can be concurrent) or MAT 017A (can be concurrent) or MAT 019A { can be concurrent } or MAT 021A (can be concurrent)); GEL 056; or prior introductory level programming in Python, Matlab, or R.

Starting Fall Quarter 2026, this course is no longer offered.

Course Description: Geophysical methods applied to determining subsurface structure in tectonics, hydrogeology, geotechnical engineering, and hydrocarbon & mineral exploration. Theory, survey design & interpretation of gravity, electrical resistivity, electromagnetic, reflection & refraction seismology, and ground-penetrating radar measurements.

Prerequisite(s): (GEL 001 C- or better or GEL 050 C- or better); (MAT 016C C- or better or MAT 017C C- or better or MAT 019C C- or better or MAT 021C C- or better); (PHY 007A C- or better or PHY 009A C- or better); (PHY 007B C- or better or PHY 009B C- or better); (GEL 056 C- or better or PHY 007C C- or better or PHY 009C C- or better).

Starting Fall Quarter 2026, this course is no longer offered.

Course Description: Theory and use of physics in the study of the solid earth. Gravity, magnetism, paleomagnetism, and heat flow. Application to the interpretation of the regional and large-scale structure of the earth and to plate tectonics. Offered irregularly.

Prerequisite(s): (MAT 016C or MAT 017C or MAT 019C or MAT 021C); (GEL 056 or PHY 007C or PHY 009C).

Starting Fall Quarter 2026, this course is no longer offered.

Course Description: Principles of planetary science. Planetary dynamics, including orbital mechanics, tidal interactions and ring dynamics. Theory of planetary interiors, gravitational fields, rotational dynamics. Physics of planetary atmospheres. Geological processes, landforms and their modification. Methods of analysis from Earth-based observations and spacecraft.

Prerequisite(s): (GEL 001 or GEL 002 or GEL 028 or GEL 036 or GEL 050 or AST 010G or AST 010L or AST 010S or AST 025); (MAT 016A or MAT 017A or MAT 019A or MAT 021A); (PHY 007A or PHY 009A); (PHY 007B or PHY 009B); (GEL 056 or PHY 007C or PHY 009C).

Starting Fall Quarter 2026, this course is no longer offered.

Course Description: Advanced field studies of selected geologic terrains, interpretation and discussion of field observations. Offered irregularly.

Prerequisite(s): Consent of instructor.

Course Description: Exploration of effective teaching practices based on examination of how middle school students learn math and science. Selected readings, discussion and field experience in middle school classrooms.

Prerequisite(s): Consent of instructor; major in mathematics, science, or engineering; or completion of a one-year sequence of science or calculus.

Course Description: Exploration and creation of effective teaching practices based on examination of how high school students learn mathematics and science. Field experience in high school classrooms.

Prerequisite(s): Major in mathematics, science, or engineering; or completion of a one-year sequence of science or calculus and consent of the instructor.

Starting Fall Quarter 2026, this course is no longer offered.

Course Description: STEM Learning Assistant Seminar. Theoretical and practical issues of effective teaching in discussion/labs: student-centered, active, cooperative learning environments, responsive teaching, and differentiated classroom instruction.

Starting Fall Quarter 2026, this course is no longer offered.

Course Description: Supervised work experience in geology.

Prerequisite(s): Upper division standing; project approval prior to internship.

Starting Fall Quarter 2026, this course is no longer offered.

Course Description: Guided independent study of a selected topic, leading to the writing of a senior thesis.

Prerequisite(s): Open to Geology majors who have completed 135 units and who do not qualify for the Honors Program.

Starting Fall Quarter 2026, this course is no longer offered.

Course Description: Guided independent study of a selected topic, leading to the writing of a senior thesis.

Prerequisite(s): Open to Geology majors who have completed 135 units and who do not qualify for the Honors Program.

Starting Fall Quarter 2026, this course is no longer offered.

Course Description: Guided independent study of a selected topic, leading to the writing of an honors thesis.

Prerequisite(s): Open to Geology majors who have completed 135 units and who qualify for the Honors Program.

Starting Fall Quarter 2026, this course is no longer offered.

Course Description: Guided independent study of a selected topic, leading to the writing of an honors thesis.

Prerequisite(s): Open to Geology majors who have completed 135 units and who qualify for the Honors Program.

Starting Fall Quarter 2026, this course is no longer offered.

Course Description: Group study focused on topics in Geology.

Prerequisite(s): Senior standing in Geology or consent of instructor.

Starting Fall Quarter 2026, this course is no longer offered.

Course Description: Special study for advanced undergraduates.

Course Description: Fieldwork over spring break. Application of stratigraphic techniques to research problems. Collection, compilation, and interpretation of field data. Integration of data with models for deposition and interpretations of Earth history. Topics will vary. Offered irregularly.

Prerequisite(s): GEL 109; GEL 110; or consent of instructor; GEL 206 recommended.

Course Description: Topics in advanced methods of stratigraphic analysis, regional stratigraphy and sedimentation, and sedimentary basin analysis. Emphasis on techniques used to interpret stratigraphic record and on current issues in stratigraphy and sedimentation. Offered irregularly.

Prerequisite(s): GEL 109; GEL 109L; or consent of instructor; GEL 144 recommended.

Course Description: Active deformation associated with faults, landslides, and volcanoes. Geodetic measurement techniques such as triangulation, trilateration, leveling, Global Positioning System (GPS), and radar interferometry. GPS data acquisition and analysis. Inversion of geodetic data and mechanical models of crustal deformation. Offered irregularly.

Prerequisite(s): Graduate standing or consent of instructor.

Course Description: Nature and evolution of tectonic features of the Earth. Causes, consequences, and evolution of plate motion, with selected examples from the Earth's deformed belts. Offered irregularly.

Prerequisite(s): GEL 101; or consent of instructor.

Course Description: Discussion and evaluation of current research in a given area of geophysics. Topic will change from year to year. Offered in alternate years.

Prerequisite(s): Consent of instructor.

Course Description: Origins of those structures in rocks associated with brittle and ductile deformation. Theoretical analysis, using continuum mechanics, and experimental evidence for the origin of the structures with emphasis on deformational processes in the earth. Offered irregularly.

Prerequisite(s): GEL 101; or consent of instructor.

Course Description: Discussion and application of stable isotope techniques for scientific research problems. Emphasizes carbon, oxygen, nitrogen, hydrogen and sulfur isotopes. Laboratory develops basic skills of cryogenic gas extraction and specific techniques for individual research using stable isotopes. Offered irregularly.

Prerequisite(s): Consent of instructor; graduate standing.

Course Description: Critical discussion and review of selected topics in paleoceanography and paleoclimatology relating to the history of the processes controlling and affecting climate change and ocean circulation throughout the geologic record. Topics vary. Offered irregularly.

Prerequisite(s): GEL 108; GEL 150A; or consent of instructor.

Course Description: Impacts of management and land use activities on the geomorphology of rivers and streams. Evaluation and use of analytical tools for river assessment. Assessment of river and stream restoration strategies and emerging issues in river management.

Prerequisite(s): GEL 139; or equivalent; graduate standing.

Course Description: Modern climate change and linkages between the ocean-atmosphere-cryosphere-terrestrial climate system. Importance of the ocean in forcing climate change, and the impacts of anthropogenic processes on the ocean. Topics vary. Offered irregularly.

Prerequisite(s): Graduate standing or consent of instructor.

Course Description: Recent advances in the analysis of landforms and their evolution. Detailed investigation of the tools used to document surface processes. Evaluation of concepts and processes that govern landscape evolution. Offered irregularly.

Prerequisite(s): GEL 050; GEL 050L; MAT 016B or MAT 017B or MAT 019B or MAT 021B recommended.

Course Description: Inversion of data for model parameters. Evaluation of parameter uncertainties. Linear and nonlinear problems for discrete and continuous models. Bakus-Gilbert inversion. Offered irregularly.

Prerequisite(s): Consent of instructor.

Course Description: Elastodynamic wave equation. Greens functions and source representations. Ray theory. Plane and spherical waves and boundary conditions. Elastic wave propagation in stratified media.

Prerequisite(s): Consent of instructor.

Course Description: Physics of the earth's crust, mantle, and core. Laplace's equation and spherical harmonic expression of gravity and magnetic fields. Elastic wave equation in geologic media. Body and surface seismic waves. Equations of state, thermal structure of the earth. Offered irregularly.

Prerequisite(s): PHY 009B; (MAT 022B or MAT 027B or BIS 027B).

Course Description: Critical review of selected topics in geochemistry including: ore genesis, hydrothermal and geothermal fluids, recent and ancient sediments, isotope geology, origin and chemistry of the oceans. Subject varies yearly depending on student interest.

Prerequisite(s): GEL 146; or consent of instructor.

Course Description: Astrophysical context on origin of Solar System, synthesis of chemical elements, condensation sequence, star and planet formation, cosmochronology, building blocks of planets, development on planets' layered structure, atmosphere and hydrosphere and the role of comets/asteroids for volatile delivery. Offered irregularly.

Prerequisite(s): Graduate standing or consent of instructor.

Course Description: Topical seminar designed to help graduate students develop and maintain familiarity with current and past literature related to igneous rock petrogenesis.

Prerequisite(s): GEL 143; or consent of instructor; graduate standing in Geology.

Course Description: Introduction to techniques and methods of design and executing experiments on Earth-forming minerals and rocks. Problems and examples from igneous and metamorphic petrology will be utilized. Offered irregularly.

Prerequisite(s): GEL 143; or consent of instructor.

Course Description: Selected problems in paleontology. Subject to be studied will be decided at an organizational meeting. Offered irregularly.

Prerequisite(s): Graduate standing in geology or a biological science.

Course Description: One or more major methods used in the study of fossils: Morphometrics and three-dimensional reconstruction of fossils, phylogenetic methodology, the application of geochemical techniques, and electron microscopy.

Course Description: Laboratory research techniques for new graduate students in Geology. Demonstration of and exposure to appropriate techniques in research.

Prerequisite(s): (MAT 016A or MAT 017A or MAT 019A or MAT 021A); (MAT 016B or MAT 017B or MAT 019B or MAT 021B); (MAT 016C or MAT 017C or MAT 019C or MAT 021C); ((PHY 007A or PHY 009A); (PHY 007B or PHY 009B); (PHY 007C or PHY 009C)); or consent of instructor.

Course Description: Presentation and discussion of current topics in geology by visiting lecturers, staff, and students.

Course Description: Seminar/discussion group to review and discuss latest research in structural geology and tectonics, and on-going research of participants. Topics will vary each quarter depending on the interests of the group. Occasional field trips to areas of current interest.

Prerequisite(s): Graduate student in geology or consent of instructor.

Course Description: Seminar dealing with current problems in tectonics of selected regions. Topics will change from year to year. Emphasis on study of recent literature. Offered irregularly.

Prerequisite(s): GEL 101; consent of instructor.

Course Description: Group study.

Course Description: Research.

Course Description: Introduction to academia at UC Davis. Introduction to graduate-level research, professional development skills, and methods for undergraduate-level teaching. Includes methods in scientific communication (written, oral and poster presentations); literature review and synthesis; professional development; discussions on campus teaching resources, presenting information, managing classroom dynamics, and assessing student’s work.

Course Description: Teaching assistant training.