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ERTH 101
Earth Processes
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Offered fall semester
A study of the physical processes that operate on and
within the Earth and determine its evolution through
geologic time. Students are encouraged to enroll
concurrently in ERTH 101L or ERTH 103L.
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ERTH 120
Introduction to Oceanography
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An introduction to the oceans, including aspects of
physical, geological, and biological oceanography.
Focus is on presentation of science in a social context.
Topics include: origin and evolution of ocean basins and
marine sediments; ocean currents, waves, tides, and sea
level; beaches, shorelines, and coastal processes; marine
life; climate; marine resources, pollution, and human
impacts on the ocean.
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ERTH 130
Spaceship Earth
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Alternate years, spring semester
Study of Earth as an immense system composed of
a gigantic rocky mass, a planet‐dominating ocean, an
active atmosphere, and an abundance of life.
Consideration of subsystems interacting across time
and space. Discussion of possible mechanisms that
may control this megasystem including controversial
topics, e.g. co‐evolution, homeostatic feedback
mechanisms, and the Gaia Hypothesis.
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ERTH 140
Water in the Rise and Fall of Civilization
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Offered fall semester, odd numbered years
A survey of how water resources have nurtured the
rise of civilizations and how changes in, or misuse of,
these resources have led to their demise. The impact of
hydrologic extremes such as floods and droughts on
social sustainability will also be examined. Case
studies from the ancient to the modern world will be
considered in the context of the underlying
hydrological processes and their environmental and
social ramifications.
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ERTH 150
The Catastrophic Earth
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A survey of natural hazards—such as earthquakes,
volcanoes, slope failures, severe weather, asteroid
impacts, and fire—and their societal implications.
Scientific principles such as plate tectonics,
volcanology, weather, space science, and statistics of
hazard occurrences, as well as topical discussions of
natural hazards in the news.
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ERTH 189
Wilderness Class
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ERTH 201
Geobiology
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Prerequisite: a 100‐level ERTH course and associated lab
Offered spring semester, odd numbered years
Consideration of life and its impact on the Earth
System over the course of Earth history including its
preserved geochemical and fossil remains, study of the
observable geological effects of life processes and in turn
the impact of geological, hydrological, and atmospheric
effects on the origins and subsequent evolution of life.
Field trips.
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ERTH 203/206
Earth's Crust
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Prerequisite: a 100‐level ERTH course and associated lab
Offered spring semester
Overview of the evolution of the crust of the Earth,
the major rock types and processes that form it, and the
main methods used to study it. Topics include:
mineralogy, igneous, sedimentary and metamorphic
petrology, structural geology, subsurface fluid flow, and
petroleum geology. Field trips.
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ERTH 340
Global Change Hydrology
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Prerequisites: MATH 132, ERTH 202, PHYS 122
Offered spring semester, even numbered years
How is global warming affecting the occurrence of
floods and droughts, and human development
influencing their severity and extent? This class will
provide an introduction to the global hydrologic cycle
and the potential changes caused by global climate
change in the presence of a growing human population.
Examples of recent research pointing to an accelerated
hydrologic cycle will be discussed, including remote
sensing and numerical modeling studies. Implications
for sustainable human development and ecosystems
will be explored, especially for the semiarid Southwest.
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ERTH 356
Volcanoes
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ERTH 380
Mineralogy, Igneous and Metamorphic Petrology
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Prerequisites: ERTH 203, CHEM 121, CHEM 122
Offered spring semesters
Builds on the content of ERTH 203, emphasizing rockforming
minerals and their occurrences in common
igneous and metamorphic rocks. Geochemical and phase
equilibria constraints on the origin and evolution of
magmas and metamorphic rocks in the mantle and crust.
Examination and identification of rocks, minerals and
their salient textures in thin section and with other
analytical methods.
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ERTH 385
Earth History and Paleontology
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Prerequisite: ERTH 201 and ERTH 203
Offered fall semester, odd numbered years
Continuation of paleontologic and stratigraphic
principles; survey of geologically important invertebrate
biota preserved as fossils; their modes of preservation,
collection techniques, taxonomy, evolution, paleobiology
and paleoecology; overview of the late Precambrian and
Phanerozoic biotic and stratigraphic histories in the
context of North America tectonics. Weekend field trips
required.
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ERTH 390
Principles of Geochemistry
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Prerequisites: CHEM 122 and ERTH 203 or 204
Offered fall semester, odd numbered years
Application of chemical principles to geologic
processes. Topics include mineral and rock chemistry,
aqueous geochemistry and geochronology. Course will
include computer modeling to solve geochemical
problems.
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ERTH 405/GEOL 503
Introduction to Soils
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Prerequisite or Corequisite: ERTH 202
Offered fall semester
Introduction to soil formation, pedogenic processes,
and soil description and mapping techniques. Meets
with GEOL 503.
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ERTH 424/GEOL 524
Sedimentary Petrography
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Prerequisite: ERTH 202, 203
Offered alternate years
Petrographic analysis and interpretation of
sedimentary rocks, with emphasis on siliciclastics.
Topics include: grain identification and provenance,
identification of diagenetic minerals and textures, and
interpretation of porosity and permeability
characteristics.
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ERTH 425/GEOL 525
Carbonate Sedimentology & Diagenesis
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Prerequisite: ERTH 202 and 203 or consent of instructors
Offered fall semester, alternate years
This class covers the basics of carbonate
sedimentation and diagenesis and looks at the
evolution of carbonate sediments through geologic
time (from Precambrian to recent). Included in the
class are discussions of the impact of diagenesis on
petroleum reservoir and aquifer potential. Shares
lecture with GEOL 525 but is graded separately.
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ERTH 427
Carbon Sequestration Science
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ERTH 440
Hydro Theory & Field Methods (Distance Ed)
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Prerequisites: MATH 132, PHYS 132
Offered fall semester
Fundamentals of hydrological flow and transport
will be presented. Precipitation, runoff processes, and
flood generation. Capillarity, unsaturated flow, and
infiltration. Laws of flow in porous media, hydraulic
storage, and flow to wells. Laboratory and field
exercises that demonstrate and implement
fundamental concepts of the hydrological cycle.
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ERTH 441
Aquifer Mechanics
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Prerequisite: ERTH 440
Offered spring semester
Physics of flow to wells, steady‐state and transient
solutions to well hydraulics equations, image well
theory, responses of aquifers to perturbations.
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ERTH 445
Exploration Seismology
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Prerequisites: PHYS 121 or equivalent; a 100‐level ERTH
course and associated lab; upper‐class standing
Offered fall semester, odd‐numbered years
An introductory course on seismic refraction and
reflection imaging of the subsurface, including methods of
data acquisition, processing, and interpretation in two and
three dimensions. Designed for students with a range of
Earth science and engineering backgrounds.
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ERTH 448
General Geophysics
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Prerequisites: PHYS 122 or equivalent; a 100‐level ERTH
course and associated lab; upper‐class standing
An introduction to the general field of solid Earth
geophysics. Subjects covered are the origin of the Earth;
structure and internal properties of the Earth; gravity,
magnetic, and temperature fields of the Earth; origin of the
Earth’s atmosphere, hydrosphere, and surface features.
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ERTH 450/GEOL 550
Cave and Karst Systems
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Prerequisites: CHEM 121 & 122; and either a 100‐level
ERTH course with associated lab, or BIOL 111
Offered spring semester, even years
A system‐based study of caves and karstic terrains
over time including formation mechanisms
(speleogenesis), hydrology, geochemistry, mineralogy,
and geomicrobiology. Emphasis on caves as
interactive microcosms cross‐cutting many disciplines.
Shares lecture with GEOL 550, but is graded
separately.
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ERTH 468
Evolution of the Earth
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Prerequisites: ERTH 201, 203, 204
Offered spring semester
Origin of the solar system and of the Earth; the
evolution of continents, atmosphere, and oceans;
comparative planetary evolution; tectonic regimes in
geologic history. Field trip required.
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ERTH 480
Field Methods in Earth Science
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Prerequisites: ERTH 203, 380, 385
Offered summers (6 weeks)
Collection, processing, and interpretation of field
data developed by geologic mapping in sedimentary,
igneous, and metamorphic terrane. Presentation of
geologic reports involving maps, cross sections, and
sample data.
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GEOL 566
Regional Tectonics
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Prerequisite: graduate standing or consent of instructor
Offered on demand
Study of major orogenic belts and processes of
orogeny, with emphasis on the tectonic evolution of
western North America. Fundamentals of plate
tectonics, relationships between plate tectonics and
orogeny.
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GEOP 505
Analysis of Time Series & Spatial Data
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Offered in alternate years
An introductory overview of methods for analyzing
temporal and spatial series with an emphasis on
scientific applications. Linear systems in continuous
and discrete time, Fourier analysis, spectral estimation,
convolution and deconvolution, filtering, the z and
Laplace transforms, stationary and nonstationary time
series, ARIMA modeling, forecasting, and
generalizations to multidimensional and multichannel
applications.
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GEOP 523
Theoretical Seismology
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Offered in alternate years
Linear elastic wave theory including reflection and
refraction of elastic waves, propagation of body and
surface waves, free oscillations of an elastic sphere,
seismic rays in a spherically‐stratified Earth, and
earthquake mechanisms.
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GEOP 524
Observational Seismology
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Offered in alternate years
Techniques and methods in earthquake seismology
including seismometry and seismic networks,
earthquake location, earthquake statistics, strongmotion
seismology, and seismic source parameters.
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GEOP 525
Tectonophysics
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Offered in alternate years
An analytical study of the problems of earthquake
generation, faulting, mountain building, and
volcanism. Emphasis is placed upon the formulation
of mathematical models which explain the physical
observations.
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GEOP 529
Geophysical Inverse Methods
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Offered in alternate years
Theory and practice of the various techniques of
inverting geophysical data to obtain models. Primary
emphasis is on the understanding and use of linear
inverse techniques.
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GEOP 558
Mechanics of Earthquakes and Faulting
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Prerequisites: ERTH 453 or equivalent and graduate
standing; or consent of instructor
Offered on demand
Observational and theoretical aspects of brittle
failure in the Earth. Fracture mechanics; fault zone
geometry and structure; earthquake sources;
paleoseismic studies; seismic hazard assessments.
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GEOP 570
Current Topics in Earthquake Seismology
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Prerequisite: consent of instructor
Offered on demand
A seminar of current research topics in earthquake
seismology with an emphasis on the critical review of
recently published papers and preprints.
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GEOP 572
Volcano Geophysical Field Methods
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GEOL/GEOP/HYDR 592
Graduate Seminar
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Prerequisite: Graduate standing
Offered spring semesters
Seminar presentations by graduate students on their
current research topics. M.S. students must present at
least one seminar; Ph.D. students must present at least
one seminar in each of two different semesters. Graded
on S/U basis; credits earned may not be applied towards
the 30 credits required for the M.S. degree
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HYD 508
Flow and Transport in Hydrologic Systems
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Prerequisites: ERTH 440 and 510
Offered spring semester
Principles of flow and transport in hydrological
systems, including rivers, lakes, aquifers, the vadose
zone, glaciers and the lower atmosphere. Fluid
mechanical and thermodynamic properties, fluid
statics, fluid dynamics, including mass, momentum
and energy conservation, and transport of heat,
particles and non‐reactive chemicals with fluid
flow. Single and multiphase laminar flow in porous
and fractured permeable media. Turbulence and
related topics that are of particular interest to
hydrologists.
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HYD 510
Quantitative Methods in Hydrology
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Prerequisite: MATH 231; Pre or Corequisite ERTH 440
Offered fall semester
Introduction to the methods of mathematical
physics used in hydrologic science. Presented in the
context of mathematical models of water and energy
balances, fluid flow, and heat & solute transport.
Application to aquifers, the vadose zone, land‐surface
runoff, rivers, and the atmospheric boundary layer.
Methods span advanced engineering calculus,
including numerics and differential equations. Use of
software (Matlab, Maple, and COMSOL Multiphysics)
for problem solving and solution presentation.
Programming with Matlab.
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HYD 531
Hydrogeology
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HYD 546
Contaminant Hydrology
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Prerequisites: ERTH 440; HYD 507
Pre‐ or Corequisite: HYD 508
Offered alternate fall semesters
The physics, chemistry, and biology of inorganic,
organic, and microbial contaminants in groundwater
and surface water systems. Mechanisms by which
contaminants are introduced. Transport and
transformations of contaminants in surface waters, the
vadose zone, and the saturated zones. Movement,
capillary trapping, and solubility of relatively immiscible
organic liquids. Contaminant isolation and remediation
techniques.
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HYD 547
Hydrological Modeling
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Prerequisites: ERTH 440, HYD 508, HYD 510
Analysis and synthesis of issues in hydrologic science.
Related engineering problem solving. Conceptual
modeling process: model conceptualization and
parameterization, model diagnosis, testing and
validation, and model prediction. Conceptual models for
testing scientific hypotheses, assimilating data,
developing policy, and solving engineering design and
operational problems. Applications to land‐surface,
surface water, vadose zone, and groundwater, singlely
and together, and to their interfaces with the atmosphere
and oceans.
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HYD 548
Laboratory & Field Methods in Hydrology
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Prerequisite: Consent of instructor
Offered on demand
Instrumentation and methodologies used in
hydrological investigations in a field or laboratory
setting. Course topics may range across a variety of
physical and chemical hydrological techniques in
vadose, groundwater and surface hydrology.
Examples of potential topical areas include, but are not
limited to, aquifer, lake and stream sample collection,
storage and analysis, aquifer and watershed
characterization, discharge measurements and tracer
tests, land surface‐atmosphere flux measurements,
and hydrologic field campaigns.
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HYD 552
Fluid/Surface Interactions
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Prerequisite: Consent of instructor
Offered on demand
Instrumentation and methodologies used in
hydrological investigations in a field or laboratory
setting. Course topics may range across a variety of
physical and chemical hydrological techniques in
vadose, groundwater and surface hydrology.
Examples of potential topical areas include, but are not
limited to, aquifer, lake and stream sample collection,
storage and analysis, aquifer and watershed
characterization, discharge measurements and tracer
tests, land surface‐atmosphere flux measurements,
and hydrologic field campaigns.
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HYD 558
Environmental Tracers in Hydrology
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Prerequisites: ERTH 440; HYD 507
Offered in alternate years
Atomic structure and abundances of environmental
isotopes. Stable isotope fractionation. Mass
spectrometry. Applications of the stable isotopes of
hydrogen, oxygen, and carbon to meteorology and
hydrology. Radioactive decay and radionuclide
production. Applications of tritium, 3He, 14C, 36Cl ,
and other radionuclides. Application of Cl‐, Br,
chlorofluorocarbons and other environmental tracers to
hydrologic problems.
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HYD 571
Advanced Topics in Hydrology
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Offered on demand
Study of special topics in hydrology.
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