FAS - Geology and Planetary Science

The Geology and Planetary Science Department offers degree programs that lead to the MS or PhD in Geology and Planetary Science. The PhD program is designed to educate scientists for basic or applied research and teaching. Graduate research may involve specialization in geology, geochemistry, geophysics, planetary science, and environmental science.

Contact Information

Department Chair: Harold B. Rollins

Main Office: 321 Engineering Hall

Phone: (412) 624-8780

Fax: (412) 624-3914

E-mail: geology@pitt.edu

Web site: http://www.geology.pitt.edu/

Research

The Department of Geology and Planetary Science at the University of Pittsburgh has an active and broadly based research faculty, and offers programs that encompass many fields of current interest in geology, coastal geology, geochemistry, geophysics, paleoecology, and planetary science. A wide variety of approaches are used, combining traditional field-based studies with computational tools such as remote sensing image analysis and geographic information systems (GIS). Much of the research is multidisciplinary, and collaboration with scientists in other departments of the University, as well as with other universities and government laboratories, is common. Federally funded departmental research programs that receive international recognition include: the study of planetary surfaces and processes, especially on Mercury, Mars, and Venus; paleomagnetism and plate tectonics; meteoritics; geological image processing and analysis; and isotope geochemistry.

Facilities

The Planetary Geology Group in the Department of Geology and Planetary Science includes the following facilities:

Planetary Science Laboratories

The Planetary Surfaces Laboratory contains UV, visible, and IR spectrometers and a goniometric photopolarimeter for characterization of the spectral reflectance of planetary surface materials, as well as a high vacuum system for simulating conditions on the surfaces of airless bodies and a H-ion gun for simulating space weathering by solar wind radiation damage in regoliths.

The Planetary Geosciences Laboratory (PGL) contains computer facilities, a collection of planetary geology datasets, and resources for map production and image analysis (for example-light tables, stereoscopes, and drafting equipment). The PGL contains an extensive collection of remote sensing data, including NASA CD-ROMs of Clementine, Galileo, Magellan, Viking, Voyager, GRSFE (Geologic Remote Sensing Field Experiment), and Volcanology (Kilauea, Mauna Loa, and Kamchatka) data; a print collection of Lunar Orbiter and Viking Lander images; selected prints of Viking Orbiter images and mosaics, Voyager images and mosaics, and Mariner 10 mosaics of Mercury and aerial photographs; and LANDSAT data of volcanic landforms in the western U.S. (CA, ID, HI, and OR) and the Central Andes (Bolivia). Also included in the PGL collection are Antarctic meteorite stranding surface maps, topographic maps of Antarctica and selected terrestrial impact craters, and U.S. Geological Survey photomosaics and maps (topographic, shaded relief, and geologic) of Mercury, Venus, the Moon, Mars, and the Galilean satellites.

Paleomagnetism Laboratory

The Paleomagnetism Laboratory houses a magnetically shielded, low-field room with superconducting rock magnetometer, large capacity thermal demagnetization ovens, computer controlled alternation field demagnetizer, high field (27KG) pulse magnetizer, and equipment for measuring magnetic susceptibility (MS) and anisotropy in magnetic susceptibility (AMS).

Radiogenic Isotope Facility

The Radiogenic Isotope Facility consists of an instrument lab and two sample preparation laboratories. Isotope measurements are carried out on a new Finnigan MAT 262 thermal ionization mass spectrometer (TIMS) equipped with a high abundance sensitivity RPQ_plus device. Additional instrumentation includes a Spectro Modula EOP inductively coupled plasma atomic emission spectrometer (ICP-AES) with autosampling capability, and a Merchantek laser ablation station with computer controlled translation stage and video observation system for use with the ICP. These instruments and the TIMS are housed in a 500-square-foot laboratory adjacent to the chemistry labs. Most chemical procedures related to radiogenic isotope sample preparation are carried out in a state-of-the-art clean chemistry laboratory, housed in a 500-square-foot space provided with positive pressure and filtration to a 95% level, 16 lineal feet of hood space, and ULPA filtered laminar flow stations for ultraclean chemical procedures. A smaller, fully equipped wet chemistry lab is available for routine ICP-AES sample preparation.

Computer Laboratory

The computer laboratory consists of a cluster of Unix workstations (Sun and SGI), Pentium Windows-95 and Macintosh personal computers, a digitizing tablet, scanner, and EKOTONIX high-resolution scanning camera. The department has received funding from the University of Pittsburgh to develop a workstation-based Spatial Data Instructional Computer Laboratory. This laboratory will be used for graduate and undergraduate instruction, providing hands-on experience with state-of-the-art techniques in Geographic Information Systems and Remote Sensing. This lab will consist of 10 SPARC ICPs networked to a SPARC Ultra Serv-2 with 128 MB of RAM, an HP DesignJet 760CE Large Format Color Printer, and a video display device. Available software packages will include Arc/Info, ENVI, and ERMapper. The new Spatial Data Laboratory allows the department to offer a new undergraduate certificate in Geographic Information Systems.

Supporting facilities are provided by the University's Computing Services and Systems Development (CSSD), including photo-quality color printers, document and slide scanners, and video capture/editing and 3-D rendering capabilities that are accessible for research use.

Admissions

Prospective graduate students must meet Faculty of Arts and Sciences requirements for entrance into graduate programs (see Admissions for details). Students applying to the Department of Geology and Planetary Science may be admitted to full graduate status or with provisional status, depending on their undergraduate major area of study, grade point average, and Graduate Record Examination scores. Full graduate status may be offered to students who have completed an appropriate undergraduate program in one of the natural or physical sciences related to geology and planetary science (for example-astronomy, biology, chemistry, engineering, geology, mathematics, physics) and received satisfactory grades (generally B or higher) in their science and math courses. Each application is individually reviewed as there is no rigid credit requirement or series of courses required for admission.

Students who have received a master's degree from the Department of Geology and Planetary Science and wish to enter the PhD program should submit a standard application to the department. They will be judged on the same basis as all other applicants. Students with course deficiencies or a QPA below 3.00 may be admitted with provisional status. Provisional students are not eligible for teaching assistantships. Transfer from provisional to full status may occur upon formal recommendation of the department following satisfactory completion (grades of A or B) of course deficiencies noted at time of admission and/or completion of four courses (12 credits) for which graduate credit is earned with at least a 3.00 (B) average. Courses taken to remove deficiencies do not contribute toward fulfillment of graduate degree course requirements. To initiate change of status, the student's initial or major advisor must notify the Graduate Committee Chair in writing, and the Graduate Committee Chair must formally request of the Assistant Dean of Graduate Studies that the student be awarded full graduate status.

Financial Assistance

Financial assistance for graduate students is provided in the form of teaching and research appointments, fellowships, traineeships, tuition scholarships, and loans. Application for financial aid should be made on the regular application for admission to graduate study. Admission to graduate study does not carry any implication concerning the award of financial aid. Only students with full graduate status are eligible for financial assistance. Information concerning competitive grants and fellowships may be obtained from FAS Graduate Studies, Student Services (322 Thackeray Hall). See also Fellowships and Traineeships and Financial Aid.

Degree Requirements

The minimal requirements established by the Graduate Faculty of the University, as described under General Academic Regulations beginning, and any additional requirements of FAS Graduate Studies described under FAS Degree Requirements, should be read in conjunction with department-specific degree requirements described in the following sections.

Requirements for the Master's Degree

The Master of Science degree requires completion of a minimum of 24 credits of which 18 must be formal lecture classes. Six credits of thesis research are also required as is a comprehensive examination. The student must present a thesis showing marked accomplishment in the field of his/her major subject and competency in the methods and techniques of scientific investigation. The thesis is to be the result of an independent investigation conducted by the student. There is an oral defense of the thesis as well as a formal departmental seminar presentation. All MS theses shall serve as sources of published material.

Requirements for the PhD Degree

The Doctor of Philosophy degree requires completion of 72 credits of which 36 must be formal lecture and laboratory courses. Completion of a preliminary evaluation by the beginning of the second year is required in order to guide selection of remaining courses. Upon successfully completing the preliminary evaluation and required course work, and after beginning his/her dissertation research, the comprehensive examination must be taken before the end of the third year; students entering with a master's degree should take the exam during the second year. Students are encouraged to take the comprehensive examination as soon as possible. The purpose of the comprehensive examination is to demonstrate that the student has mastery of the field of interest and the ability to do dissertation-level research. The comprehensive examination must be passed at least eight
months before the PhD degree is awarded. If the degree is not completed within three calendar years after passing the examination, the student must repeat the examination unless exempted upon the recommendation of his/her doctoral committee with the approval of the Department Chair.

The comprehensive examination consists of two parts: preparation of two written research proposals and an oral examination. The proposals must be provided to the comprehensive examination committee at least two weeks prior to the oral presentation. Questions will focus on the proposal topics and closely related areas, but may also cover other areas. The student should demonstrate knowledge of facts and concepts, resource materials, history, and current literature in the research areas covered in the proposals, and the ability to integrate the research materials into new, creative concepts as may be required for the successful completion of significant research.

After completion of the comprehensive examination, the student should consult with his/her major advisor and propose a dissertation committee. After the specific dissertation topic has been chosen and data collection begun, the student must schedule a dissertation overview. At this meeting, the student shall present a clear and concise statement of the purpose and scope of the dissertation research, a detailed plan of research, and the expected significance of the research. The purpose of the dissertation overview is for the committee to approve formally of the dissertation topic, and to critique the research plan and proposed methodology. The overview provides an opportunity for the members of the committee to review the student's research program. Subsequently, the student shall schedule a dissertation overview once per year in order to keep the dissertation committee informed of progress, and to give the members an opportunity to suggest possible improvements in research methodology or analysis.

Following approval of the dissertation overview by the committee, the Department Chair and the Assistant Dean of Graduate Studies, the student may apply for admission to candidacy.

Each student must write and present a dissertation embodying an extended original investigation of a problem of significance in the student's field of specialization. The dissertation must add to the general store of knowledge or understanding in its field and be of sufficient importance to merit publication. The dissertation shall be defended during a departmental meeting with the dissertation committee and shall be presented at a public departmental seminar. The degree shall be awarded upon submission of the results for publication as a peer reviewed article in an acceptable journal.

There is no formal language requirement, although individual advisors may require a reading knowledge of a foreign language.

Course Listings

Undergraduate Courses That May Carry Graduate Credit

GEOL 1001 Mineralogy

GEOL 1003 Igneous and Metamorphic Petrology

GEOL 1020 Sedimentology and Stratigraphy

GEOL 1050 Regional Geology of the United States

GEOL 1051 Groundwater Geology

GEOL 1055 Environmental Science, Ethics, & Public Policy

GEOL 1060 Geomorphology

GEOL 1079 Field Methods

GEOL 1080 Geoarcheology

GEOL 1100 Structural Geology

GEOL 1200 Paleontology

GEOL 1201 Extinctions

GEOL 1240 Evolution of Vertebrates

GEOL 1400 Introduction to Solid-Earth Geophysics

GEOL 1410 Exploration Geophysics

GEOL 1413 Well Logging

GEOL 1445 GIS, GPS, and Computer Methods

GEOL 1460 Remote Sensing of the Earth

GEOL 1500 Chemistry of Earth and its Environment

GEOL 1501 Analytical Geochemistry

GEOL 1515 Environmental Geochemistry

GEOL 1601 Economic Geology of Ores

GEOL 1602 Mineral and Energy Resources

GEOL 1640 Geologic and Environmental Hazards

GEOL 1701 Planetary Geology

Courses Carrying Graduate Credit

Geology

GEOL 2021 Advanced Igneous Petrology

GEOL 2023 Advanced Metamorphic Petrology

GEOL 2024 Precambrian Geology

GEOL 2050 Carbonate Petrology

GEOL 2051 Sandstones

GEOL 2052 Clastic Depositional Environments

GEOL 2054 Soils and Micromorphology

GEOL 2100 Advanced Structural Geology

GEOL 2110 Plate Tectonics

GEOL 2111 Geotectonics

GEOL 2201 Seminar in Systematics and Evolution

GEOL 2202 Micropaleontology

GEOL 2203 Paleoecology

GEOL 2204 Biostratigraphy and Taphonomy

GEOL 2220 Evolution and the Fossil Record

GEOL 2221 Morphological Analysis

GEOL 2451 GIS and Computer Methods

GEOL 2640 Geologic and Environmental Hazards

Geophysics

GEOL 2400 Physics of the Earth's Interior 1

GEOL 2401 Physics of the Earth's Interior 2

GEOL 2430 Geomagnetism and Paleomagnetism

GEOL 2431 Rock Magnetism

Geochemistry

GEOL 2500 Advanced Geochemistry

GEOL 2515 Advanced Environmental Geochemistry

GEOL 2520 Isotope Geochemistry

GEOL 2521 Introduction to Mass Spectrometry

GEOL 2522 Mass Spectrometry of Organics

Planetary Sciences

GEOL 2701 Planetary Physics 1

GEOL 2702 Planetary Physics 2

GEOL 2720 Lunar Geochemistry

GEOL 2740 Meteorites and the Solar System

GEOL 2750 Volcanology

General

GEOL 2000 Research and Thesis for the Master's Degree

GEOL 2990 Independent Study

GEOL 3000 Research and Dissertation for the PhD Degree

GEOL 3900 Topics in Geology

GEOL 3901 Topics in Sedimentology

GEOL 3902 Directed Study

GEOL 3910 Topics in Geotectonics

GEOL 3920 Topics in Paleoecology and Paleontology

GEOL 3921 Topics in Paleoenvironmental Analysis

GEOL 3940 Topics in Geophysics

GEOL 3950 Topics in Geochemistry

GEOL 3960 Topics in Environmental Studies

GEOL 3970 Topics in Planetary Science

GEOL 3975 Topics in Volcanology

GEOL 3980 Topics in Igneous Petrology

GEOL 3985 Topics in Geoarcheology

Courses 3900-3970 may be elected by students who wish to pursue topics not covered in regularly scheduled courses. Arrangements must be made with the appropriate staff member before registration.