Geological Oceanography

Catalog description

Credits 4. 3 Lecture Hours. 2 Lab Hours. This course introduces the geological processes that shape our ocean basins and influence the marine environment. You will explore how plate tectonics, mid-ocean ridges and geological processes at ocean margins create key features of the world’s surface and exert great influence on ocean circulation, the distributions of life in the oceans, chemical cycling at the earth surface and global climate. You will discover how we use geophysical techniques to image the oceans and geological sampling methods to discover the information about the marine environment. You will explore the histories of marine life and Earth’s environment recorded by marine sediments and other geological features. You will develop an appreciation of the practical consequences that marine geological processes have for human society in the coastal zone, as well as the invaluable information about past climate, sea level fluctuations and natural hazards such as earthquakes that offer of society an essential perspective for anticipating and making informed decisions as we develop plans for our future. Prerequisites: OCNG 251 , GEOL 101 or GEOG 203 , or approval of instructor.