Organic Geochemistry

Catalog description

An introduction to the properties and cycling of natural organic materials will be presented to benefit graduate students studying marine systems. The course is designed to follow the geologic cycle of organic matter, from production in living organisms to burial in sediments and preservation in the depositional record. Specific topics include factors controlling preservation in sediments, methanogenesis, diagnetic alterations of organic compounds, fossil fuel production and degradation, life in the deep biosphere, biomarkers for ancient life, and isotopic variations in the sedimentary record.