MSCI 501C - Fundamentals of Marine Geology

Fall, odd years (2) Kuehl. Note: SMS graduate students with a strong undergraduate geology background can take MSCI 521 instead of MSCI 501C to fulfill a SMS core fundamentals requirement. Contact the instructor of MSCI 521 (C. Hein) for more details.

This course provides an introduction to the major topics of marine geology without expecting the student to have a background in geology. The course addresses the age and internal structure of the earth, the processes of plate tectonics including the formation of oceanic crust, seamounts, hydrothermal vents, the characteristics and classification of sediments and the distribution of sediments in the deep sea. Also addressed are the interrelationships among and importance of paleoceanography, climate change, and sea-level change, and the processes and characteristics of various marine, estuarine, and coastal sedimentary environments. The course includes discussion of various types of field equipment and logistics and of some economic and societal implications.