Geosciences

Academic Year: 
2019-20
Address: 
Guyot Hall
Phone: 
609-258-6144
Website: 
Department of Geosciences
Program offerings: 
Ph.D.
Director of Graduate Studies
Blair Schoene
Graduate Program Administrator
Sheryl Robas

Academic department detail

Overview

The Department of Geosciences, together with its affiliated interdepartmental programs and institutes, serves as Princeton’s central focus for the earth, atmospheric, oceanographic and environmental sciences. As such, the department encompasses a rich diversity of scientific expertise and initiatives that strive to understand Earth’s deep structure, climate, biosphere, atmosphere and oceans, landscapes, and how these systems interact and evolve over all timescales.

Academics and Research

The Department of Geosciences covers a wide range of fields and actively promotes interdisciplinary study and research.  Students with interest in tectonics and geophysics, seismology, Earth history, geochemistry, geochronology, petrology, mineral physics, biological oceanography, biogeochemistry, paleontology, paleoceanography and paleoclimate and environmental geology will find most of their research and educational needs accommodated within the laboratories of Guyot Hall.

Atmospheric and oceanic sciences are an integral part of the department, with students typically pursuing a degree through the AOS program (a joint program with the Geophysical Fluid Dynamics Laboratory, GFDL). In addition, Geosciences and AOS have close ties with the programs in water resources in the Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering, as well as with the Princeton Environmental Institute (PEI) and the Princeton Institute for the Science and Technology of Materials (PRISM).  We also provide computational geosciences as an interdisciplinary graduate training program.

Graduate education within the department, in general, is strongly focused on research, as well as on developing a keen sense for the interdisciplinary nature of the geosciences. As a consequence, Princeton has been extraordinarily successful in mentoring students to move on to tenure-track positions in academia as well as leading research positions in industry or government laboratories. The department offers only a Doctor of Philosophy (Ph.D.) program, for which students with and without master's degrees may apply. The target time to graduation is five years.

Equipment and Facilities

Modern earth science has a continuum of approaches, ranging from field studies to laboratory and theoretical work using sophisticated instrumentation and large computers. In addition to petrographic, mineralogic, sedimentologic, and paleontologic facilities for routine geoscientific inquiry, the department has specialized equipment for laboratory and field studies rooted in a wide array of disciplines.

Geochemistry:  Specific instruments include three inductively-coupled plasma mass spectrometers for high-precision trace element (Thermo Element 2 ICPMS and Thermo iCap) and isotope ratio (Thermo Neptune MC ICPMS) analyses; microwave for rapid silicate dissolution; modern micro-XRF setup; gas chromatographs, HPLC, and ion analyzers; infrared, ultraviolet and fluorescent spectrometers; gamma and scintillation counters; ultracentrifuges; dissolved- and solid-carbon analyzers; and modern wet-chemical laboratory facilities.  There is also a hydrothermal laboratory, including large-capacity rocking autoclaves, kinetic flow systems, optical high-pressure and high-temperature cells, and an internally heated high-pressure system.

Geochronology and Petrology:  In addition to modern mineral separation and characterization facilities, Guyot hosts new clean lab facilities suitable for ultra-low blank trace metal geochemistry used for ion chromatography for Ca, Mg, Sr, U, Pb, Sm, and Nd elemental separation.  The lab also has two IsotopX PhoeniX62 Thermal Ionization Mass Spectrometers used for high-precision U-Pb geochronology and Sr and Nd isotope measurements.  Mineral and rock geochemistry that accompanies geochronology is carried out in other facilities on campus and within Guyot, such as in the ICPMS facilities.

The Ocean Tracer Laboratory:  Includes alpha detectors and scintillation detectors for measuring low levels of radon and radium radioisotopes and a high-resolution intrinsic germanium well detector for gamma ray measurement.

The Stable Isotope Laboratory:  Contains a new V. G. Optima gas source mass spectrometer, with peripheral devices for automated analysis of carbonate minerals and for automated loading and cleaning of CO2, H2O, and N2 gas mixtures. Off-line preparation facilities are available for water samples, organic materials, and minerals.

Biological Oceanography Research:  Focuses on carbon and nitrogen cycle processes and trace metals in the oceans. Instruments include controlled temperature rooms for phytoplankton and bacterial culture, epifluorescence microscopes, centrifuges, scintillation counter, gamma counter, autoclave, atomic absorption spectrometer, laminar flow hoods, trace metal clean room, Europa 20/20 mass spectrometer, gel documentation system, and fully equipped molecular biological laboratories for protein and nucleic acid research.

Geophysics: The High-Pressure Mineral Physics Laboratory contains diamond anvil cells for high-pressure/temperature studies. Included in the facility are stereomicroscopes, microdrill, gas loading system, photoluminescence, and Raman and Brillouin spectroscopy.  Access is also available to a wide range of national user facilities for conducting experiments including synchrotrons, free electron lasers, and high-powered laser facilities.  Mineral characterization is supported by shared facilities on campus featuring multiple scanning electron microscopes equipped with elemental analysis capabilities in addition to backscattered-electron and cathodoluminescence imaging, TEM, and FIB (see the imaging and analysis center on Princeton’s website). 

The department owns several 6-channel digital portable seismometers along with support equipment for small-scale field experiments. For larger experiments abroad, we use portable seismographs from the IRIS Passcal Instrument Center.

We routinely obtain data from digital archives around the world, as well as from our own field experiments.  For numerical simulations of seismic wave propagation and tomographic imaging and inversion, we have access to powerful computers provided by the Princeton Institute for Computational Sciences and Engineering (PICSciE), and to even more powerful machines provided by national supercomputing centers.

Courses

Permanent Courses

Courses listed below are graduate-level courses that have been approved by the program’s faculty as well as the Curriculum Subcommittee of the Faculty Committee on the Graduate School as permanent course offerings. Permanent courses may be offered by the department or program on an ongoing basis, depending on curricular needs, scheduling requirements, and student interest. Not listed below are undergraduate courses and one-time-only graduate courses, which may be found for a specific term through the Registrar’s website. Also not listed are graduate-level independent reading and research courses, which may be approved by the Graduate School for individual students.

AOS 522 Inverse Methods: Theory and Applications (also
GEO 522
) Course treats inverse problems from both theoretical and applied perspectives. Students learn to develop the necessary theory to pose, interpret, and solve inverse problems, focusing on topics including error characterization, linear and non-linear methods, approximations, Kalman filters, use of prior constraints, and observing system design. Concepts are illustrated with examples from the current literature on the Earth's carbon cycle.
AOS 527 Atmospheric Radiative Transfer (also
GEO 527
) The structure and composition of terrestrial atmospheres. The fundamental aspects of electromagnetic radiation, absorption and emission by atmospheric gases, optical extinction by particles, the roles of atmospheric species in the Earth's radiative energy balance, the perturbation of climate due to natural and anthropogenic causes, and satellite observations of climate systems are also studied.
AOS 537 Atmospheric Chemistry (also
GEO 537
) Natural gas phase and heterogeneous chemistry in the troposphere and stratosphere, with a focus on elementary chemical kinetics; photolysis processes; oxygen, hydrogen, and nitrogen chemistry; transport of atmospheric trace species; tropospheric hydrocarbon chemistry and stratospheric halogen chemistry; stratospheric ozone destruction; local and regional air pollution, and chemistry-climate interactions are studied.
AOS 577 Climate of the Earth: Present, Past and Future (also
GEO 577
) An examination of various components of the Earth's climate system. Emphasis is placed on the role of radiative processes, climate feedbacks and sensitivity, and the nature of energy and water balances. The dynamics and physical interpretation of principal tropospheric circulation systems, including stationary and transient phenomena observed in middle and low latitudes, are studied. Phenomena of topical interest, such as El Niño, seasonal climate anomalies, and natural and anthropogenic climate changes, are also reviewed.
AOS 578 Chemical Oceanography (also
GEO 578
) The chemical composition of the oceans and the nature of the physical and chemical processes governing this composition in the past and the present. The cycles of major and minor oceanic constituents, including interactions with the biosphere, and at the ocean-atmosphere and ocean-sediment interfaces.
CEE 573 Environmental Issues Seminar (also
GEO 525
) Current problems in environmental sciences. Element cycles; geochemistry-biotic interactions, human impacts on the environment. A new topic is chosen every semester. Recent topics have included: the global carbon cycle, alternative energies, biodiversity, and genetically modified organisms.
GEO 501 Physics and Chemistry of Minerals (also
MSE 541
) Concepts of solid-state physics and inorganic chemistry relevant to the study of minerals and materials. The emphasis is on applications to the study of planetary interiors. Topics include crystal chemistry; crystal structure and phase transitions; equations of state, dynamic, and static compression; elasticity; transport properties; lattice dynamics; lattice defects; and solid-state diffusion and creep.
GEO 503 Responsible Conduct of Research in Geosciences (Half-Term) (also
AOS 503
) Course educates Geosciences and AOS students in the responsible conduct of research using case studies appropriate to these disciplines. This discussion-based course focuses on issues related to the use of scientific data, publication practices and responsible authorship, peer review, research misconduct, conflicts of interest, the role of mentors & mentees, issues encountered in collaborative research and the role of scientists in society. Successful completion is based on attendance, reading, and active participation in class discussions. Course satisfies University requirement for RCR training.
GEO 505 Fundamentals of the Geosciences A survey of fundamental papers in the Geosciences. Topics include the origin and interior of the earth, plate tectonics, geodynamics, the history of life on earth, the composition of the earth, its oceans and atmosphere, past climate. The first of two core graduate courses.
GEO 506 Fundamentals of the Geosciences II A survey of fundamental papers in the Geosciences. Topics include present and future climate, biogeochemical processes in the ocean, geochemical cycles, orogenies, thermochronology, rock fracture and seismicity. This is the second of two core graduate courses.
GEO 507 Topics in Mineralogy and Mineral Physics (also
MSE 547
) Selected topics related to structure, properties, and stability of minerals and melts. Topics include mantle mineralogy, applications of synchrotron radiation to the study of earth materials, physics and chemistry of minerals at high pressure and temperature, and advanced concepts in mineral physics.
GEO 520 Stable Isotope Geochemistry With An Environmental Focus Examines the use of stable isotope measurements to investigate important biogeochemical, environmental, and geologic processes, today and over Earth history. Introduction to terminology, basic underlying principles, measurement techniques, commonly used analytical and computational approaches for analyzing data, followed by a review of typical applications of the isotope systems of carbon, oxygen, nitrogen, and other elements. Lectures by the instructor, problem sets, numerical modeling assignments, student presentations and a final student paper based on readings from the scientific literature.
GEO 523 Geomicrobiology (also
CEE 572
) Relationships between low temperature geochemistry and microbiology. Applications of newly developed molecular biological techniques and isotope geochemical methods and how these approaches can be used to determine the physiological state of microorganisms. Each student is expected to make a research presentation to the seminar. Visiting scholars and faculty members from other departments may occasionally contribute guest lectures to the seminar.
GEO 534 Geological Constraints on the Global Carbon Cycle Earth system and climate sensitivity relate changes in greenhouse gas concentrations and other radiative forcers to changes in temperature, both in Earth's past and in the future. The Cenozoic record provided by paleo-temperature and paleo-CO2 proxies can constrain these parameters and thus also the projected response of the planet to human-induced changes in greenhouse gas concentrations. This course will explore the concepts of climate and Earth system sensitivity, the methods and records of paleo-temperature and paleo-carbon dioxide proxies in the Cenozoic, and the statistical challenges of inferring sensitivities from these proxies.
GEO 535 Biogeochemical Cycles in Earth History Examines the evidence for changes in the cycles of biologically important elements (carbon, nitrogren, phosphorus, etc.) over Earth hisotry. Topics will include the development and evolution of biogeochemical cycles, their significance for the geologic and fossil records, and biogeochemical change during the last Ice Age. Overview lectures by the instructor and student presentations based on readings from the scientific literature and/or ongoing research.
GEO 538 Paleoclimatology This course will provide a graduate level introduction to Earth's climate history. Topics include controls on Earth's climate, a survey of sedimentary properties used in climate reconstructions, and a discussion of the major changes in climate reconstructions, and a discussion of the major changes in climate from the Precambian to the present. Intended for students in Geosciences and the Atmospheric and Oceanic Sciences program interested in Earth's present environment and its changes through time.
GEO 539 Topics in Paleoecology, Paleoclimatology, and Paleoceanography Application of the fossil record to specific geological problems in depositional environments and paleoclimatic and paleoceanographic history of the oceans are studied.
GEO 543 Rock Fracture Application of fracture mechanics to a wide range of geologic processes, including jointing, dike propagation, fault growth, and earthquake rupture are studied. Topics include the role of fractures in crustal deformation, solutions for cracks in elastic media, engineering fracture mechanics, numerical methods, and application to field and geodetic studies of natural examples.
GEO 552 Global Seismology The use of seismic data to determine large-scale, three-dimensional earth structure and earthquake source parameters. Moment-tensor representation of sources, free oscillations, surface-wave dispersion, and seismic tomography.
GEO 556 Geodynamics Seminar Special topics of current research interest in geodynamics and related disciplines
GEO 557 Theoretical Geophysics Geophysical applications of the principles of continuum mechanics; conservation laws and consti-tutive relations and tensor analysis; acoustic, elastic, and gravity wave propagation are studied.
GEO 558 Seismology Seminar A discussion and study of problems of current research interest in seismology.
GEO 559 Topics In Earth History Seminar examines the history of global change on Earth. Topics include the relationship between paleogeography, sea level and climate, the character and geometry of Earth's ancient magnetic field, the evolution of Earth's spin vector, the interpretation of global sea level variability, the deconvolution of periodic and stochastic forcing in sedimentary records, and the large-scale events and processes that affected global change and the evolution of life.
GEO 561 Earth's Atmosphere Earth's habitability depends on the continual recycling of various gases and even rocks, mainly between the atmosphere, oceans, "solid" earth and biosphere. The atmospheric and oceanic circulations that affect this recycling involve phenomena such as the weather, hurricanes, jet streams, tsunamis, the Gulf Stream, deserts, jungles, El Nino and La Nina. The class discusses how global warming will affect these phenomena.
GEO 568 Advanced Aqueous Chemistry (also
CHM 528
) This course focuses on selected topics in aqueous chemistry of the natural systems, including: chemistry of inorganic and organic species in aqueous solutions- hydration, hydrolysis, coordination chemistry of metal-ligand complexes, chemical equilibria in fresh and saline water; mineral dissolution and alteration, recrystallization and evolution of secondary phases, dissolution kinetics; nucleation and precipitation of minerals, biological control in mineral precipitation, precipitation kinetics; electron transfer in aquatic systems, redox equilibria and kinetics; chemistry of water-solid/air interfaces.
GEO 570 Sedimentology Treatment of the physical and chemical processes that shape Earth's surface, such as solar radiation, deformation of the solid Earth, and the flow of water (vapor, liquid, and solid) under the influence of gravity. In particular, the generation, transport, and preservation of sediment in response to these processes are studied in order to better read stories of Earth history in the geologic record and to better understand processes involved in modern and ancient environmental change. Taught in parallel with GEO 370.
GEO 598 Extramural Research Project Summer research project designed in conjunction with the student's advisor and an industrial, private or government sponsor that will provide practical experience relevant to the student's research area. Start no earlier than June 1. A final written report is required.