The faculty in the Department of Geology offer graduate programs leading to the M.S. and Ph.D. degrees in Geology.
Students admitted to the Master of Education degree program in Secondary Education may also elect geology as the subject matter field. See “Master of Education” for information on the M.Ed. degree.
The faculty also participate in the programs leading to the Master of Natural Science degree when one of the concentrations is geology. See “Master of Natural Science” for information on the M.N.S. degree.
Students applying for admission to the M.S., M.N.S., or Ph.D. degree program must submit scores on the Graduate Record Examination (GRE) Aptitude Test. The deadline for applications for the fall term is February 15.
FIELD CAMP REQUIREMENT FOR M.S. AND PH.D. STUDENTS
All Geology graduate students must have completed the equivalent of the department’s six semester hours of Geology Field Camp (GLG 450). A summer field mapping course completed as part of the student’s undergraduate course work may fulfill this requirement. Upon the student’s admission to the graduate program, the graduate committee will evaluate previous field course work and will determine whether the student must take a field course while a graduate student at ASU. The purpose of this requirement is to ensure that all geology graduate students possess basic geological mapping skills, whatever their ultimate specialty.
MASTER OF SCIENCE
The M.S. degree consists of a minimum of 30 semester hours of work beyond the bachelor’s degree; 20 or more semester hours consist of course work other than research and thesis. The program is designed to provide fundamental graduate training in geology and to prepare the student for certain careers in geology or for further graduate study.
Entrance Examination. All incoming students must take the GRE Geology Test. Course work may be assigned based on the student’s performance.
Program of Study. The student, with the approval of the advisor, selects courses that make a coherent program of study. Each M.S. candidate must include on the program of study one hour of GLG 500 Geology Colloquium and six hours of GLG 592 Research and GLG 599 Thesis, at least three of which must be GLG 599 Thesis. A maximum of six hours of thesis may appear on a program of study. One-half of the credits applicable toward the degree must be in geology courses; the remainder may include work either in geology or related fields.
Thesis Requirements. A thesis based on field, laboratory, and library study is required.
Final Examinations. A final oral examination in defense of the thesis is required.
DOCTOR OF PHILOSOPHY
The Ph.D. degree consists of a minimum of 54 semester hours of work beyond the master’s degree. At least 25 hours must consist of course work other than research and dissertation. The program is designed to develop creative scholarship and to prepare the student for a professional career in geology.
See “Doctor of Philosophy” for general requirements.
Entrance Examination. All incoming students must take the GRE Geology Test. Course work may be assigned based on the student’s performance.
Program of Study. The program of study is selected with the recommendation of the student’s supervisory committee. Each Ph.D. candidate must include on the program of study one hour of GLG 500 Geology Colloquium and at least 24 hours of a combination of GLG 792 Research and GLG 799 Dissertation.
Foreign Language Requirements. None.
Comprehensive Examinations. The student’s supervisory committee must determine the content of the comprehensive examination, consisting of a written and an oral examination. Students are required to take the comprehensive examination during their third semester in residence in the Ph.D. program.
Dissertation Requirements. A dissertation based on original work demonstrating creativity in research and scholarly proficiency in the subject area is required.
Final Examinations. A final oral examination in defense of the dissertation is required.
RESEARCH ACTIVITY
Recent faculty and student research topics include the following.
Fission Track Analysis. Development of fission-track techniques; application to tectonic processes and histories; uplift studies; thermal history studies; age dating.
Geochemistry. Isotope geochemistry and the geology of authigenic silica; environmental geochemistry; paleoclimate records; thermodynamics of fluid-mineral interfaces; synchrotron-based X-ray absorbtion spectroscopy (EXAFS); analytical and theoretical chemical studies of meteorites; geochemical exploration for ore deposits; trace element partitioning between minerals, fluids, and magmas; atmospheric geochemistry.
Geomorphology. Fault zone landforms and structure; earthquake surface rupture and paleoseismology; theoretical studies of faulting and hillslope development; engineering geologic field methods.
Geophysics. Earthquake surface rupture and paleoseismology; environmental geophysics; physics and chemistry of earth and planetary interiors; high pressure experimental geophysics; thermal modeling of subduction zones.
Mineralogy. High-resolution transmission electron microscopy; order/disorder in clays and related minerals; amorphous to crystalline transitions; graphitic carbon and the structures of poorly crystalline materials; polytypism and stacking sequences in sheet silicates (micas, chlorites, clays); surface studies: scanning tunneling and atomic force microscopy of mineral surfaces; determination of oxidation states and specific site environments through electron energy-loss spectroscopy (EELS); TEM cathodoluminescence studies of defects; airborne minerals: small airborne particles, air quality, air pollution; mineral thermodynamics and spectroscopy; high pressure mineralogy; phase transformation studies.
Mineral Physics. Electrical properties of silicate minerals, melts, and partial melts; effects of shock on hydrous minerals; shock metamorphism in meteorites; grain boundary diffusion; kinetic processes and reaction mechanisms; mineral deformation and deformation microstructures.
Paleontology. Invertebrate paleontology; paleoecology; faunal evolution of western North America.
Planetary Studies. Compositional and physical properties of the terrestrial planets; comparative geomorphology of the moon, Earth, Mars, Mercury, Venus, and the outer planet satellites; Venus tectonics; thermal infrared spectroscopy of planetary materials; planetary volcanic processes; laboratory simulation of eolian processes on Venus, Mars, and Earth; impact cratering experiments; meteorite studies.
Petrology. High temperature, high pressure phase equilibrium experiments, and models for the origin of major igneous rock types; volatile diffusion in silicate melts; experimental determination of mantle minerals and melts; field and analytical studies of temperature, pressure, and fluids during metamorphism; computer modeling of heat and mass transfer at convergent plate margins; subduction zones; continental extension; mineral equilibria in ore deposits.
Remote Sensing. Geologic mapping based on integrated field and remote sensing studies; multispectral mineralogical investigations; urban environmental studies.
Structure and Tectonics. Structural and tectonic evolution of Arizona and the North American Cordillera; regional geology of the Transantarctic Mountains; Cordilleran tectonics; relation between fluid and tectonic processes; fission-track analysis applied to tectonics; active tectonic processes.
Volcanology. Explosive eruption processes; mechanisms of dike intrusion; structures in lava flows; multiphase flow in volcanic and geothermal systems textures and volatile contents of volcanic domes; mineralization related to rhyolite domes; laboratory simulation of lava flow processes; field studies throughout the western United States, Hawaii, and Central and South America.
Center for Solid-State Science, Materials Research Science and Engineering Center, and Affiliated Departments. Analytical equipment routinely used by Geology students includes: a JEOL JSX–8600 electron microprobe analyzer/SEM equipped with an image analysis system; 10 transmission electron microscopes specialized for high-resolution imaging (less than or equal to 1.7 Å resolution), EELS and EDS chemical analysis, and surface studies, state-of-the-art scanning tunneling, and “atomic” force microscopes. Automated X-ray diffraction and fluorescence facilities are available, as is an ion microprobe. The high-pressure laboratory for experimental petrology is equipped with a complete range of vessels for investigations ranging from hydrothermal alteration to partial melting of planetary mantles.
Space Photography Laboratory. The Space Photography Laboratory contains an extensive research collection of photographs of the moon, Mars, Mercury, and outer planet satellites. A dedicated image processing facility with interactive and hardcopy capabilities is available for research utilizing spacecraft images.
Center for Meteorite Studies. The Department of Geology houses one of the largest collections of meteorites in the world. Geochemical and cosmochemical research is being undertaken in the Center for Meteorite Studies, including the following topics: trace element geochemistry, nature of asteroidal interiors, computer models of condensation in the nebula, meteorite mineralogy, organic compound investigations, chemical fractionation in meteorites, elemental partitioning in meteoritic minerals, transmission electron microscopy of chondritic meteorites.
Omnibus Graduate Courses: See omnibus graduate courses that may be offered.
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