printer friendly pageGEOLSCI 4: Coevolution of Earth and Life (EARTHSYS 4)
Earth is the only planet in the universe currently known to harbor life. When and how did Earth become inhabited? How have biological activities altered the planet? How have environmental changes affected the evolution of life? Are we living in a sixth mass extinction? In this course, we will develop and use the tools of geology, paleontology, geochemistry, and modeling that allow us to reconstruct Earth's 4.5 billion year history and to reconstruct the interactions between life and its host planet over the past 4 billion years. We will also ask what this long history can tell us about life's likely future on Earth. We will also use One half-day field trip.
Terms: Aut
| Units: 4
| UG Reqs: GER: DB-NatSci, WAY-SMA
Instructors:
Leslie, A. (PI)
;
Pimentel-Galvan, M. (TA)
GEOLSCI 118X: Shaping the Future of the Bay Area (CEE 118X, CEE 218X, ESS 118X, ESS 218X, GEOLSCI 218X, GEOPHYS 118X, GEOPHYS 218X, POLISCI 218X, PUBLPOL 118X, PUBLPOL 218X)
The complex urban problems affecting quality of life in the Bay Area, from housing affordability and transportation congestion to economic vitality and social justice, are already perceived by many to be intractable, and will likely be exacerbated by climate change and other emerging environmental and technological forces. Changing urban systems to improve the equity, resilience and sustainability of communities will require new collaborative methods of assessment, goal setting, and problem solving across governments, markets, and communities. It will also require academic institutions to develop new models of co-production of knowledge across research, education, and practice. This XYZ course series is designed to immerse students in co-production for social change. The course sequence covers scientific research and ethical reasoning, skillsets in data-driven and qualitative analysis, and practical experience working with local partners on urban challenges that can empower students to drive responsible systems change in their future careers. The Autumn (X) course is specifically focused on concepts and skills, and completion is a prerequisite for participation in the Winter (Y) and/or Spring (Z) practicum quarters, which engage teams in real-world projects with Bay Area local governments or community groups. X is composed of four modules: (A) participation in two weekly classes which prominently feature experts in research and practice related to urban systems; (B) reading and writing assignments designed to deepen thinking on class topics; (C) fundamental data analysis skills, particularly focused on Excel and ArcGIS, taught in lab sessions through basic exercises; (D) advanced data analysis skills, particularly focused on geocomputation in R, taught through longer and more intensive assignments. X can be taken for 3 units (ABC), 4 units (ACD), or 5 units (ABCD). Open to undergraduate and graduate students in any major. For more information, visit
http://bay.stanford.edu.
Terms: Aut
| Units: 3-5
| UG Reqs: WAY-AQR, WAY-SI
Instructors:
Cain, B. (PI)
;
Ouyang, D. (PI)
;
Suckale, J. (PI)
...
more instructors for GEOLSCI 118X »
Instructors:
Cain, B. (PI)
;
Ouyang, D. (PI)
;
Suckale, J. (PI)
;
Wong-Parodi, G. (PI)
;
Liu, S. (TA)
;
Wagenfehr, J. (TA)
GEOLSCI 122: Planetary Systems: Dynamics and Origins (GEOLSCI 222, GEOPHYS 122)
(Students with a strong background in mathematics and the physical sciences should register for 222.) Motions of planets and smaller bodies, energy transport in planetary systems, composition, structure and dynamics of planetary atmospheres, cratering on planetary surfaces, properties of meteorites, asteroids and comets, extrasolar planets, and planetary formation. Prerequisite: some background in the physical sciences, especially astronomy, geophysics, or physics. Students need instructor approval to take the course for 2 or 4 units.
Last offered: Autumn 2019
GEOLSCI 135: Sedimentary Geochemistry and Analysis (GEOLSCI 235)
Introduction to research methods in sedimentary geochemistry. Proper laboratory techniques and strategies for generating reliable data applicable to any future labwork will be emphasized. This research-based course will examine how the geochemistry of sedimentary rocks informs us about local and global environmental conditions during deposition. Students will collect geochemical data from a measured stratigraphic section in the western United States. These samples will be collected during a four-day field trip at the end of spring break (attendance encouraged but not required). In lab, students will learn low-temperature geochemical techniques focusing on the cycling of biogeochemical elements (O, C, S, and Fe) in marine sediments throughout Earth history. The focus will be on geochemistry of fine-grained siliciclastic rocks (shale) but the geochemistry of carbonates will also be explored. This is a lab-based course complemented with lectures. Students who wish to take the course for less than 4 units must receive approval from the instructor. This course must be taken for a minimum of 3 units and a letter grade to be eligible for Ways credit.
| UG Reqs: WAY-SMA
GEOLSCI 180: Igneous Processes (GEOLSCI 280)
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. Optional labs emphasize identification of volcanic and plutonic rocks in thin section and interpretation of rock textures. Students taking the lab component should enroll in 4 units, as required for the Geological Sciences major; for the lab,
GS 102, 103, or consent of instructor are prerequisites.
Last offered: Spring 2020
| UG Reqs: WAY-SMA
GEOLSCI 218X: Shaping the Future of the Bay Area (CEE 118X, CEE 218X, ESS 118X, ESS 218X, GEOLSCI 118X, GEOPHYS 118X, GEOPHYS 218X, POLISCI 218X, PUBLPOL 118X, PUBLPOL 218X)
The complex urban problems affecting quality of life in the Bay Area, from housing affordability and transportation congestion to economic vitality and social justice, are already perceived by many to be intractable, and will likely be exacerbated by climate change and other emerging environmental and technological forces. Changing urban systems to improve the equity, resilience and sustainability of communities will require new collaborative methods of assessment, goal setting, and problem solving across governments, markets, and communities. It will also require academic institutions to develop new models of co-production of knowledge across research, education, and practice. This XYZ course series is designed to immerse students in co-production for social change. The course sequence covers scientific research and ethical reasoning, skillsets in data-driven and qualitative analysis, and practical experience working with local partners on urban challenges that can empower students to drive responsible systems change in their future careers. The Autumn (X) course is specifically focused on concepts and skills, and completion is a prerequisite for participation in the Winter (Y) and/or Spring (Z) practicum quarters, which engage teams in real-world projects with Bay Area local governments or community groups. X is composed of four modules: (A) participation in two weekly classes which prominently feature experts in research and practice related to urban systems; (B) reading and writing assignments designed to deepen thinking on class topics; (C) fundamental data analysis skills, particularly focused on Excel and ArcGIS, taught in lab sessions through basic exercises; (D) advanced data analysis skills, particularly focused on geocomputation in R, taught through longer and more intensive assignments. X can be taken for 3 units (ABC), 4 units (ACD), or 5 units (ABCD). Open to undergraduate and graduate students in any major. For more information, visit
http://bay.stanford.edu.
Terms: Aut
| Units: 3-5
Instructors:
Cain, B. (PI)
;
Ouyang, D. (PI)
;
Suckale, J. (PI)
...
more instructors for GEOLSCI 218X »
Instructors:
Cain, B. (PI)
;
Ouyang, D. (PI)
;
Suckale, J. (PI)
;
Wong-Parodi, G. (PI)
;
Liu, S. (TA)
;
Wagenfehr, J. (TA)
GEOLSCI 222: Planetary Systems: Dynamics and Origins (GEOLSCI 122, GEOPHYS 122)
(Students with a strong background in mathematics and the physical sciences should register for 222.) Motions of planets and smaller bodies, energy transport in planetary systems, composition, structure and dynamics of planetary atmospheres, cratering on planetary surfaces, properties of meteorites, asteroids and comets, extrasolar planets, and planetary formation. Prerequisite: some background in the physical sciences, especially astronomy, geophysics, or physics. Students need instructor approval to take the course for 2 or 4 units.
Last offered: Autumn 2019
GEOLSCI 235: Sedimentary Geochemistry and Analysis (GEOLSCI 135)
Introduction to research methods in sedimentary geochemistry. Proper laboratory techniques and strategies for generating reliable data applicable to any future labwork will be emphasized. This research-based course will examine how the geochemistry of sedimentary rocks informs us about local and global environmental conditions during deposition. Students will collect geochemical data from a measured stratigraphic section in the western United States. These samples will be collected during a four-day field trip at the end of spring break (attendance encouraged but not required). In lab, students will learn low-temperature geochemical techniques focusing on the cycling of biogeochemical elements (O, C, S, and Fe) in marine sediments throughout Earth history. The focus will be on geochemistry of fine-grained siliciclastic rocks (shale) but the geochemistry of carbonates will also be explored. This is a lab-based course complemented with lectures. Students who wish to take the course for less than 4 units must receive approval from the instructor. This course must be taken for a minimum of 3 units and a letter grade to be eligible for Ways credit.
GEOLSCI 255: Basin and Petroleum System Modeling
For advanced undergraduates or graduate students. Students use stratigraphy, subsurface maps, and basic well log, lithologic, paleontologic, and geochemical data to construct 1-D, 2-D, and 3-D models of petroleum systems that predict the extent of source-rock thermal maturity, petroleum migration paths, and the volumes and compositions of accumulations through time (4-D). Recent software such as PetroMod designed to reconstruct basin geohistory. Recommended: 251
or 253.
Terms: Win
| Units: 3-4
GEOLSCI 280: Igneous Processes (GEOLSCI 180)
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. Optional labs emphasize identification of volcanic and plutonic rocks in thin section and interpretation of rock textures. Students taking the lab component should enroll in 4 units, as required for the Geological Sciences major; for the lab,
GS 102, 103, or consent of instructor are prerequisites.
Last offered: Spring 2020
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