GEO 4060 - Structural Geology and Tectonics

Structural geology is concerned with describing and quantifying strain (deformation) observed in rocks and relating that deformation to tectonic stresses (forces) in the past. In this course, students will learn to recognize and describe a wide variety of tectonic structures and interpret the geologic history of rocks and regions based on your observations and measurements at a variety of scales. By the end of this course, students should be able to: a) characterize the composition and geometry of rock bodies, with an emphasis on geologic map and cross-section interpretation. b) Explain the fundamentals of stress, strain, and rheology and how they pertain to rock deformation. c) Relate rock deformation to plate tectonics. And d) articulate the fundamental principles of structural geology as they pertain to studying Earth processes and human interactions with these processes. Students will achieve this by collecting, analyzing, and interpreting geological data in field, lab, and classroom settings. Field trips required. Two lectures, one lab weekly.