GEOL 300

This course covers the fundamentals of structural geology, which deals with stresses in Earth materials and the response to stress in those Earth materials (deformation). Rocks can deform in many ways, which results in deformation structures, such as folds, faults, ductile shear zones, metamorphic cleavage, and joints (fractures). This course is designed to introduce the student to the principles and importance of structural geology, whose impacts range from earthquakes at tectonic plate margins, the concentration of hydrocarbons and metals in structural traps for resource development, to the design and implementation of engineering projects. Laboratories introduce mapping techniques and the analysis of geological maps and structures.