31 - 40 of 124 results for: GES

Materials of the Earth and hydrologically driven landscape processes. Topics: hillslope hydrology, weathering of rocks and soils, erosion, flow failures, mass wasting, and conceptual models of landscape evolution. Current and classic theory in geomorphology.

Focus is on written and oral communication in a topical context. Topics from current frontiers in earth science research and issues of concern to the public. Readings, oral presentations, written work, and peer review.

Topics: weathering, erosion and transportation, deposition, origins of sedimentary structures and textures, sediment composition, diagenesis, sedimentary facies, tectonics and sedimentation, and the characteristics of the major siliciclastic and carbonate depositional environments. Lab: methods of analysis of sediments in hand specimen and thin section. Field trips. Prerequisites: 1, 102, 103.

Solid, aqueous, and gaseous phases comprising the environment, their natural compositional variations, and chemical interactions. Contrast between natural sources of hazardous elements and compounds and types and sources of anthropogenic contaminants and pollutants. Chemical and physical processes of weathering and soil formation. Chemical factors that affect the stability of solids and aqueous species under earth surface conditions. The release, mobility, and fate of contaminants in natural waters and the roles that water and dissolved substances play in the physical behavior of rocks and soils. The impact of contaminants and design of remediation strategies. Case studies. Prerequisite: 90 or consent of instructor.

For juniors, seniors and beginning graduate students in Earth Sciences. Structure and physical properties of magmas; use of phase equilibria and mineral barometers and thermometers to determine conditions of magmatic processes; melting and magmatic lineages as a function of tectonic setting; processes that control magma composition including fractional crystallization, partial melting, and assimilation; petrogenetic use of trace elements and isotopes. Labs emphasize identification of volcanic and plutonic rocks in thin section and interpretation of rock textures. Prerequisite 102, 103, or consent of instructor.

Field seminar. Two class meetings during Autumn quarter followed by a 6-day field trip over Thanksgiving recess to Mojave Desert, Death Valley, and Owens Valley. Basin-and-range faulting, alluvial fans, playas, sand dunes, metamorphic rocks, granites of the Sierra Nevada, lava flows and and the deposits of supervolcanic eruptions, hot springs, ore deposits, and desert landscapes. Involves camping and moderate hiking. Recommended: introductory geology. Enrollment limited to 30 students; preference given to students taking GES1B concurrently, freshman and sophomores; additionally graduate students in the School of Earth Sciences.

For nonmajors and prospective majors in the earth sciences and archaeology. Four-day trip over Memorial Day weekend to study silicic and mafic volcanism in the eastern Sierra Nevada: basaltic lavas and cinder cones erupted along normal faults bounding Owens Valley, Long Valley caldera, postcaldera rhyolite lavas, hydrothermal alteration and hot springs, Holocene rhyolite lavas of the Inyo and Mono craters, subaqueous basaltic and silicic eruptions of Mono Basin, floating pumice blocks. If snow-level permits, silicic volcanism associated with the Bodie gold district. Recommended: 1 or equivalent.

For juniors, seniors, and beginning graduate students in earth sciences. Eruptive processes that create volcanic deposits and landforms; relation to physical properties of magmas. Volcanic hazards and the effects of eruptions on climate; volcanic-hosted geothermal systems and mineral resources. Required 4-day field trip over Memorial Day weekend to study silicic and mafic volcanism in the eastern Sierra Nevada. Those taking the class for 4 units will complete a 3-hour weekly lab involving hand specimen and thin section identification and interpretation, which emphasizes recognizing types of lavas and products of explosive eruptions. Prerequisite: 1, for those taking the course for 3 units; 103 and 104 or equivalent for those taking the course for 4 units.

Two to three-week long courses that provide students with the opportunity to collect data in the field as part of a team-based investigation of research questions or topics under the expert guidance of knowledgeable faculty and graduate students. Topics and locations vary. May be taken multiple times for credit. Prerequisites: GES 1, GES 102, GES 105.