Geosciences Course Descriptions
General Courses
GEOS
5100 Introductory Graduate Seminar (1 semester hour)
Presentations of current research by the Geosciences faculty members and
orientation for new graduate students. (1-0) Y
GEOS
5300 Cooperative Geosciences (3 semester hours) An
industrial internship in which a student gains real-world industry experience
through temporary employment at a geoscience company or government agency. The activity may be in any area of geosciences,
and must have a faculty monitor to receive UTD credit. The topic must be approved in advance by the
faculty monitor. The student is required
to provide regular updates on progress and a final project report for
evaluation. Grading is P/F. Designed as an Individual Instruction
Course. May be repeated for credit.
(3-0) R
GEOS
5301 Geology of the Metroplex (3 semester hours)
Lithologic constituents, stratigraphic history, and geologic environments of
the greater Dallas-Fort Worth metropolitan area. Special emphasis is given to the Cretaceous
sediments that underlie Tarrant and Dallas Counties, with a secondary focus on
the broader geologic environment. Three
to four 1-day (Saturday) field trips. (3-0) T
GEOS
5302 Ocean Science (3 semester hours) Overview of geological, chemical,
physical and biological aspects of oceanography, marine resources and
environmental concerns. This course is
for students seeking the M.A.T. degree.
This course cannot be used to satisfy degree requirements of geosciences
majors. (3-0) R
GEOS
5303 Computing for Geoscientists (3 semester hours)
Application of computer techniques in solving geological problems. Includes instruction in the MATLAB (r)
software, plotting facilities, introductory matrix theory, and statistics. Students will examine problems in basic
statistical analysis, graphics, and mapping of geological and geophysical
data. Development of programming skills
in areas directly related to thesis and dissertation research is encouraged. Serves as introduction to UNIX and the U.T.
Dallas computing facility. (3-0) Y
GEOS
5304 Geosciences Field Trip (3 semester hours) A study of the
geology of a selected region within North America and the Caribbean followed by
a field trip to the selected region in order to study the relationships of
geologic features within that region.
This course can only be used to partially satisfy the field experience
requirement and breadth requirement for geosciences majors. Field trip course. (May be repeated for
credit.) (3-0) Y
GEOS
5305 Petroleum Geosciences (3 semester hours) Survey of geological
and geophysical methods used to find and produce oil and gas, and to perform
economic and risk analyses that are crucial in reserve estimates and prospect
evaluation. The course is designed to
provide the student with the necessary knowledge to become an effective
contributor in the oil and gas industry. Students are expected to have the
equivalent of a BS or BA degree in Geosciences. (3-0) R
GEOS
5400 Earth Science (4 semester hours) A review of Earth processes as a whole:
time and geology; igneous and sedimentary processes and products; metamorphism;
structure; evolution of continents and oceans.
This course is open only to those students whose major undergraduate study
was in subjects other than geology.
Laboratory and field trip course. (3-3) R
GEOS
5V08 Special Topics in Geosciences (1-9 semester hours)
Courses dealing with a variety of topics including new techniques and specific
problems in rapidly developing areas of the science. Hours vary depending on course
requirements. May be repeated for credit
as topics vary. ([1-9]-[0-9]) R
GEOS
7V00 Research and Literature Seminar (1 or 2 semester hours)
Presentations and critical analysis of independent work and of the recent
literature. Pass/Fail only. (May be repeated for credit.) ([1-2]-0) Y
Geology Courses
GEOS
5373 Physical Properties of Rocks (3 semester hours) This
course provides an understanding of the physical phenomena and processes that
determine properties of rocks and soils.
Topics include porosity and permeability; surface energy, roughness, and
absorption; percolation, fractures and heterogeneous media; problems of scale;
mechanical behavior of dry and fluid saturated rocks; elasticity;
viscoelasticity, and plasticity; acoustic, electric, dielectric, thermal, and
magnetic properties. The approach is
practical, with emphasis on understanding why rocks behave as they do, and how
simple physical principles can be used to predict rock and soil properties
under various conditions. Suitable for
graduate students in any branch of geosciences who wish to obtain a broad
introduction to physical properties as they pertain to lab and field
measurements, and are applied to reservoir, engineering, and environmental
problems. (3-0) R
GEOS
5375 Tectonics (3 semester hours) Study of the earth's present tectonic
environments, including geochemistry, sedimentology, and structure; application
of present tectonic environments towards the reconstruction of ancient crustal
events; consideration of temporal aspects of crustal evolution. Oral and written presentations required.
(3-0) Y
GEOS
5441 Stratigraphy and Sedimentology (4 semester hours) Origin
and classification of sedimentary rocks, reconstruction of ancient
environments, and basic principles of modern stratigraphic nomenclature. Concepts of space and time in the rock record
and methods of stratigraphic correlation. Integrated stratigraphic
techniques. Study of sedimentary rocks
in hand specimen and outcrop. Laboratory
course. Field trips. Course is directed to graduate students not
majoring in geology and is meant to provide a practical overview of sedimentary
geology. Permission of instructor is
required to take this course. (3-3) Y
GEOS
5470 Structural Geology (4 semester hours) Examination of
stress and strain, failure criteria, fault analysis, rheologic properties of
geologic materials, fold analysis, and a survey of major structural provinces
in North America, with supplemental readings.
Laboratory includes map interpretation, standard graphical techniques,
and use of stereographic projections, oral presentations, and problem
sets. Laboratory and field trip course.
Prerequisite: PHYS 1301 or equivalent.
(3-3) Y
GEOS
7170 Workshop in Structure/Tectonics (1 semester hour)
Presentation and discussion of current research with emphasis on problems,
techniques, and recent literature. (May
be repeated for credit.) (1-0) Y
GEOS
8V70 Research in Structural Geology-Tectonics (1-9 semester hours)
May be repeated for credit. ([1-9]-0) S
Hydrogeology-Environmental
Geosciences Courses
GEOS
5310 Hydrogeology (3 semester hours) Introduction to the principles and
practice of ground- and surface- water hydrology. Study of the principles of occurrence and
geologic controls of groundwater, physical flow and geochemistry of
waters. Design and use of procedures for
typical hydrologic investigations. (3-0) Y
GEOS
5311 Applied Groundwater Modeling (3 semester hours) This
course is designed to provide students with hands-on experience using the most
commonly-applied groundwater flow and transport models (e.g. modflow/modpath,
MT3D/RT3D, GMS). Practical application
of the models and design of modeling studies is emphasized, modeling theory and
mathematics is de-emphasized. (3-0) Y
GEOS
5313 Applied Surface Water Modeling (3 semester hours/) The
development and application of watershed models emphasizing runoff, stormflow
and stormwater management design. This
class combines aspects of GIS, remote sensing and surface water hydrology from
an applied modeling perspective, using commonly applied computer models (e.g.
Rational Method, TR-20, HEC-1) to address drainage problems related to
urbanization and land-use changes. (3-0) T
GEOS
5315 The Earth: An Overview (3 semester hours) Nucleosynthetic
processes, condensation of the solar system and the formation of the Earth-Moon
system. Tectonic and magmatic processes driven by internal heat. The minerals
of igneous rocks. Modes of emplacement and eruption of igneous rocks. Rock
weathering and the external, sun-driven processes of erosion, transport and
deposition. Biogenic sediments. Continental collisions, mountain building, rock
deformation and metamorphism. Methods of dating and correlating rocks. A
history of the Earth through time. Current problems and trends in the
geosciences. Field trip. (3-0) Y
GEOS
5319 Principles of Environmental Health (3 semester hour)
Introduction to epidemiology and biostatistics.
U.S. regulatory agencies. Ethics,
risk assessment and public policy. Diseases
spread by food and water. Lung diseases
associated with particles and fibers.
Health significance of exposures to arsenic, cadmium, chromium, lead and
mercury compounds and to chemical substances - solvents, PCBs, PBBs, dioxins,
and dibenzofurans. Ionizing radiation.
Health implications of global warming (3-0) T
GEOS
7110 Workshop in Environmental Geosciences (1 semester hour)
Discussion of current topics in environmental geoscience, including student and
faculty research, scientific literature, and advanced techniques in
environmental geosciences. (1-0) R
GEOS
8V10 Research in Hydrogeology-Environmental Geosciences
(1-9 semester hours) May be repeated for credit. ([1-9]-0) S
Computing, Remote Sensing, GIS, and
GPS Courses
GEOS
5306 Data Analysis for Geoscientists (3 semester hours) Advanced
statistical techniques with important applications in Earth science, beyond the
level of GEOS 5303. Topics include
robust statistics, exploratory data analysis, surface modeling and contouring,
Kriging, analysis of point patterns and directional data. Factor, cluster and time series analysis may
also be considered. Emphasis will be on
application and theoretical understanding. Prerequisite: GEOS 5303 or
equivalent. (3-0) R
GEOS
5322 GPS (Global Positioning System) Satellite Surveying Techniques (3
semester hours) The theory and application of satellite positioning utilizing
the Global Positioning System Code and phase methodology in field observations,
data processing and analysis of Differential GPS, high accuracy static and
other rapid measurements, in real time and with post-processing. (3-0) Y
GEOS
5324 3D Data Capture and Ground Lidar (3 semester hours) The
theory and applications of 3D data acquisition in the field for geosciences and
non-geosciences studies. The basics and
applications of field digital mapping with emphasis on RTK GPS, laser range
finder, and terrestrial scanners (ground lidar). 3D digital photorealistic modeling with field
photogrammetry and digital cameras. (3-0) T
GEOS
5325 (GISC 6325) Introduction to Remote Sensing (3
semester hours) Application of airborne and satellite remote sensing for
understanding the surface of the earth.
Focus on interpretation of images obtained by passive and active imaging
systems using electromagnetic radiation, especially visible, infra-red, and
radar. Laboratory course. (2-3) Y
GEOS
5326 (GISC 7365) Remote Sensing Digital
Image Processing (3 semester hours) Introduction to remote sensing digital
image processing techniques. Topics covered include principles of remote
sensing and remote sensors, image visualization and statistics extraction,
radiometric and geometric correction, image enhancement, image classification
and change detection. Innovative image
processing approaches will also be introduced.
State-of-the-art commercial image processing software is used for labs
and applications development. Prerequisite: GISC 6325. (3-0) Y
GEOS
5329 (GISC 7366) Applied Remote Sensing (3 semester hours) Focuses
on the application of remote sensing techniques to solving real world urban and
environmental problems in areas such as urban and suburban landscape, land use
and land cover, transportation and communication, vegetation and forestry, biodiversity
and ecology, water and water quality control, soils and minerals, geology and
geomorphology studies. The current
generation, industry standard software is used for labs and applications development. Prerequisite: GISC 6325/GEOS 5325. (3-0) Y
GEOS
5330 Geospatial Applications in Earth Science (3 semester hours)
Application of geospatial techniques in solving earth science problems.
Emphasis will be placed on the use of the Global Positioning System in survey
and geodetic applications, airborne and ground-based LiDAR (Light Detection and
Ranging), and digital acquisition and analysis techniques. Case histories will
be considered and supplemented by hands-on exercises using a broad range of
digital acquisition and analysis equipment and tools. (3-0) Y
GEOS
7327 (GISC 7367) Remote Sensing Workshop (3 semester hours) An
independent project is designed and conducted by the student, after instructor
approval. The project develops and demonstrates student's competence in using
remote sensing techniques in a substantive application to his/her field of
interest. Projects may be developed in coordination with a local government,
utility, business, or other entity, which uses remote sensing in operations and
research. A formal presentation and a
project report are required. Prerequisites: GISC 6381 and GISC 7365/GEOS
5326. (3-0) Y
GEOS
8V21 Research in Remote Sensing, GIS and GPS (1-9 semester hours)
May repeat for credit. ([1-9]-0) S
Geochemistry Courses
GEOS
5352 Geochemistry of Igneous Rocks (3 semester hours) Chemical
composition of igneous rocks and the major processes that control the
distribution of the elements in silicate melts.
Topics to be covered include the composition of the earth, the structure
of silicate melts, trace element partitioning between crystals and melts, and
the use of major and trace elements in deciphering the formation and evolution
of silicate melts. (3-0) T
GEOS
5356 Isotope Geochemistry (3 semester hours) Synthesis of the
elements in stars and chronologies for the galaxy. Isotope systematics in meteorites, abundance
anomalies, cosmogenic nuclides, and solar system chronologies. The development of the modern multi-collector
mass spectrometer. Mass fractionation
laws, double spiking techniques, and high precision isotope ratio
measurements. Isotope geochemistry of noble
gases and radiogenic nuclides as pertaining to the composition and history of
the mantle and crust. Application of stable isotopes to studies of diagenesis
and water-rock interaction, groundwater management, paleoceanography and
secular variations in the isotopic composition of seawater. High-temperature and, where applicable, low-temperature
water-rock interactions pertaining to the origin of igneous rocks. The evolution of radiogenic Sr in sea
water. Radiometric age dating as applied
to the solution of geologic problems. (3-0) R
GEOS
8V50 Research in Geochemistry (1-9 semester hours) (May be
repeated for credit.) ([1-9]-0) S
Geophysics and Seismology Courses
GEOS
5380 Seismic Interpretation (3 semester hours) Seismic reflection
profiling as it is used to map the distribution of sedimentary layers and
faults in the subsurface. Special
emphasis is given to applications in hydrocarbon exploration. Extensive use is made of software processing
packages. (3-0) T
GEOS
5387 Applied Geophysics (3 semester hours) This is the
Geosciences core graduate course in geophysics. Emphasis is on the application
of geophysical methods to the solution of geological problems and the
connection between geophysical measurements and the physical properties of
Earth materials. Topics include seismology; gravity; magnetics; electromagnetics;
resistivity; ground penetrating radar; and well logging. Case histories will be
considered in addition to the technical aspects of data collection, processing
and interpretation. (3-0) Y
GEOS
5395 Satellite Geophysics and Applications (3 semester hours)
This course concerns both the theory and application of observing geophysical
fields from space-borne platforms. The observation procedures including orbital
mechanics are introduced and signal propagation, errors and uncertainties will
be addressed. Concepts of current satellite missions such as radar and laser
altimetry, space gravimetry and magnetometry, and synthetic aperture radar will
be discussed. Applications of satellite geophysical observations in tectonics,
geodynamics, ocean and ice surface monitoring, hydrology, and terrain modeling
will be introduced through student projects and presentations. (3-0) Y
GEOS
5481 Digital Geophysical Signal Processing (4 semester hours)
Principles of the analysis of geophysical signals in both time and space. Includes integral transforms, spectral
analysis, linear filter theory and deconvolution techniques. Computer applications are emphasized. Laboratory course. Prerequisite: GEOS 5303 or
equivalent may be taken concurrently. (3-3) R
GEOS
5484 Near-Surface Geophysical Imaging (4 semester hours) This
course concerns the theoretical and practical aspects of geophysical data
collection. The planning and execution of small-scale surveys, of the type
employed in engineering, groundwater and environmental site evaluations, is
featured. Techniques covered include both refraction and reflection seismology
and both low and high frequency, single and multi-channel ground-penetrating
radar. Advantage is taken of both the similarities and complementary behaviors
of seismic and radar waves. An
integration, of both seismic and radar data is emphasized in
interpretation. A background in calculus
(MATH 2417) and general physics (PHYS 1301) is required. Permission of instructor is required. (3-3) T
GEOS
5490 Applied Geophysics (4 semester hours) The theoretical
basis and practical aspects of the collection, processing and interpretation of
geophysical data. A broad range of
methods will be discussed including: gravity, magnetic, electrical and
seismic. Applications to geologic
problems at a variety of scales from the near surface to continental will be
considered. A laboratory will feature
geophysical data acquisition and interpretation for a specific local geological
target. (3-3) Y
GEOS
6382 Geophysical Inversion Theory (3 semester hours)
Theoretical and practical aspects of fitting mathematical models to data in
geophysics. Topics covered include the inversion of both discrete systems and
integral equations, for linear and non-linear relationships between data and
parameters. Particular attention is paid
to assessment of model accuracy and uniqueness.
Prerequisites: Advanced calculus (MATH 2419) and linear algebra (MATH
2418) or equivalent. (3-0) R
GEOS
6392 Reflection Seismology (3 semester hours) Theoretical and practical
aspects of seismic reflection data acquisition and processing. Includes the wave equation, the convolutional
model, coded sources, the array response, velocity estimation, statics,
filtering, pre- and post-stack migration, and direct and indirect detection of
hydrocarbons, VSPs, AVO and 3-D processing. Prerequisites: GEOS 5481, and GEOS
5392 or equivalent. (3-0) R
GEOS
6393 Computational Seismology (3 semester hours)
Principles of parallel computing with applications to seismology. Includes overviews of current computer
cluster and switch architectures, writing and debugging parallel code,
characterization of machine performance, fast Fourier transforms, Radon
transforms, solution of matrix and wave equations. Laboratory course. Prerequisites: GEOS 5303,
GEOS 5481, and any numerical analysis course. (2-3) R
GEOS
6395 Seismic Modeling (3 semester hours) Theory and application of the major
techniques for computation of synthetic seismograms. Topics include asymptotic ray theory, spectral
and slowness methods, finite differences, finite elements, Kirchhoff, and
boundary integral methods. Readings will
be drawn from the literature. Prerequisites: GEOS 5392 and any two graduate
seismology courses. (3-0) R
GEOS
6396 Seismic Inversion (3 semester hours) Theory and
application of the major techniques for inversion of seismic data. Topics include linear and nonlinear matrix
methods, Wiechert-Herglotz integration, extremal inversion, migration, wavefield
imaging of body and surface waves, and tomography, imaging of VSPs, and Born
inversion. Readings will be drawn from
the literature. Prerequisite: Any two
graduate seismology courses. (3-0) R
GEOS 7190 Workshop in Seismology (1 semester hour) Informal presentation and discussion of current research of graduate students and faculty, of new computing equipment and software, and of current research literature. (Pass/Fail grading only. May be repeated for credit.) (1-0) S
GEOS 8V80 Research in Geophysics (1-9 semester hours) May be repeated for credit. ([1-9]-0) S
GEOS
8V90 Research in Seismology (1-9 semester hours) May repeat for
credit. ([1-9]-0) S
Thesis and Dissertation Courses
GEOS
8398 Thesis (3 semester hours) May be repeated for credit. (3-0) S
GEOS
8399 Dissertation (3 semester hours) May be repeated for credit. (3-0) S
GEOS
8V99 Dissertation (1-9 semester hours) May be repeated for credit. [(1-9)-0] S