Geology

Track Advisor

Bruce Lieberman
blieber@ku.edu

The geology track is intended to provide students with in-depth understanding of broad aspects of paleontology.  Faculty members in the Department of Geology work closely with personnel of the Natural History Museum and Biodiversity Research Center to provide this experience.  Courses in the Geology track are taught by faculty members in the Department of Geology or allied faculty members from the Kansas Geological Survey and the Natural History Museum and Biodiversity Research Center.  The faculty members in the Department of Geology focus on theoretical and practical issues related to the study of the history of life preserved in the fossil record.

Requirements

Students pursuing the Geology track will be required to complete 18 credit hours of course work in Geology, 18 hours of required Museum Studies courses, and 6 hours of internship, distributed as follows:

1. Required Museum Studies courses (18 hours)

2. Required Geology courses (10 hours)
   
   GEOL 521 Paleontology (3) A study of the structure and evolution of ancient life; the nature and diversity of life through time; the interactions of ancient organisms with their environments and the information that the study of fossils provides about ancient environments; the use of fossils to determine the ages of rocks and the timing of past events in earth history; and the patterns of extinction through time.
   
   GEOL 523 Paleontology Laboratory ( 1) Laboratory course in the study of fossils with emphasis on the practice of paleontology and the morphology of ancient organisms.
   
   GEOL 725 Paleontology of Lower Vertebrates (3) General account of the osteology, geologic distribution, and evolution of the principal groups of fishes, amphibians, reptiles, and birds. Lectures and laboratory.
   
   GEOL 726 Paleontology of Higher Vertebrates (3) Evolution of mammals and anatomical modification involved in the processes as ascertained from the fossil record. Lecture and laboratory.

3. Elective Geology courses (8 credit hours selected from the courses listed below)
   
   GEOL 528 The Biology and Evolution of Fossil Plants (3) A lecture course in which fossil plants, protists, and fungi are examined throughout geologic time. Emphasis will be directed at paleoecology, biogeography, and the stratigraphic distribution and composition of ancient floras.
   
   GEOL 529 Laboratory in Paleobotany (1) An examination of selected fossil plants throughout geological time and the techniques used to study them; laboratory will include identification and the use of plant fossils in bistratigraphy.
   
   GEOL 721 Micropaleontology (3) Systematics, paleontology, evolution, and biostratigraphy of microfossils, particularly forminifera, ostracodes, and conodonts. Preparation of material for study. Applications of micropaleontology to geologic problems.
   
   GEOL 722 Paleontology (3) Principles of ecology as applied to the interpretation of past environments.
   
   GEOL 731 Terrigenous Depostional Systems (3) Processes that operate in recent sedimentary environments, responses of sediment to those processes, and criteria for determining depositional environments of ancient sedimentary rocks. Lectures, practical exercises, and field trips.
   
   GEOL 732 Carbonate Depositional Systems (3) Patterns and processes of contemporaneous carbonate deposition and diagenesis, depositional models; application to interpretation of carbonate rocks. Lecture, discussion, laboratory, and field trips.
   
   GEOL 921 Advanced Invertebrate Paleontology (1-3) Detailed study of systematics, morphology, stratigraphic distribution, and paleoecology of major groups of organisms in the fossil record. Specific group or groups covered will vary according to students' and faculty members' needs and interests. May be repeated.
   
   Appropriate courses from other Museum Studies tracks.

4. Internship (6 hours)
   
   GEOL 723 Paleontology Museum Apprenticeship (1-6) Provides directed, practical experience in care and management of paleontology collections, public education, exhibits, and museum administration with emphasis tailored to fit the needs and interests of each student. Students should expect to spend a minimum of five hours per week for each hour in which they are enrolled. May be repeated.

5. Master's Examination
   
   The final examination will typically be of an oral format. It will be conducted by three faculty members in the Department of Geology or others coopted for the examination. The examination will focus primarily on the student's internship and other coursework. The student advisor in the geology track will chair the examination, which can be expected to last for about two hours.

For more information about the Department of Geology, click here.