GEO 5265 - The Magnetic Earth

This lecture, lab, and discussion course will introduce students to the fundamentals and applications of geomagnetism, paleomagnetism, and rock & mineral magnetism in the context of Earth System Science. Students will gain experience reading, discussing, reviewing, and presenting scientific literature, as well as writing grant proposals and data reports. The course also consists of a series of problem sets, which will be focused on a class project in which students will learn a variety of rock and paleomagnetic analytical techniques by generating their own data in the Utah Paleomagnetic Center and applying a variety of rock magnetic and paleomagnetic data reduction and synthesis techniques. The exact topic of the class project is TBD, but could include applying mineral magnetism to: magnetostratigraphy & stratigraphic correlation (in igneous, marine, and terrestrial systems); monitoring air pollution; geobiology; or paleoprecipitation records. The course is intended for graduate students and upper-level undergraduate students. It is assumed that students have completed GEO 3010 (Geophysics) and their general physics requirements. Completion of Earth Materials II, Structural Geology, or both is a bonus, but is not required.