What Do Geosciences Graduates Do?

GEOSCIENCES

AT WEBER STATE UNIVERSITY

Geoscientists work in the field, lab, and with computers …

•  In the field to collect samples of rocks, fossils, and water for study …

•  In the lab where detailed information can be obtained about composition, structure, and classification of material…

•  With computers to analyze data, to prepare illustrations, and to create maps.

Geoscientists work in the Field … Describing and measuring sedimentary rock layers.

Jeff Eaton WSU students doing fieldwork in southern Utah.

Geoscientists work in the Field …

Advising on the drilling of wells and studying water movement.

Marek Matyjasik Students gathering data at the WSU well field.

Geoscientists work in the Field … Studying the interaction between surface water and ground water.

(above) Students map rocks at point where a stream sinks underground. (right) Dye tracing a sinking stream to determine its path to a spring. Jim Wilson


Monitoring the flow of streams and ground water.

Marek Matyjasik WSU faculty and students doing fieldwork in the Uinta Mountains.

Geoscientists work in the Field … Studying structure (deformation) of the rocks.

Jim Wilson

EOS


Making maps of rocks and structures to guide future development.

UGS


Geologists inspect the Wasatch Fault as revealed in a trench.

Jim Wilson

Mapping faults along which future earthquakes may occur.


Locating and studying mineral deposits.

Bingham Canyon copper mine, Utah. Jim Wilson


Searching for new energy resources.

UGS and DOE

Newly discovered Covenant oil field in central Utah.

Geoscientists Study Minerals …

Rutile, from Diamantia, Brazil

John Betts


Red Beryl from Millard Co., Utah - a rare Utah gemstone

USGS

Wikipedia Commons


Topaz from Topaz Mountain, Utah. Utah’s state gemstone.

USGS Topaz with a cube of bixbyite. Jim Wilson


Adamite, a mineral found at Gold Hill, Utah.

Wikipedia Commons


USDA

Rock Crystal Quartz


Jim Wilson

Students learn mineral properties and develop skills so that as professionals they can identify minerals and use them to map and locate new resources.

Geoscientists Study Rocks …

Basalt (volcanic) boulders in a Utah canyon

Jim Wilson


Goblins (hoodoos) at Goblin Valley State Park, Utah

Jim Wilson


Igneous intrusions into other rocks.

Jim Wilson

Dikes, Wisconsin (left) and Alta, Utah (above).


Cross-bedded sandstone layers in southern Utah.

Jeff Eaton

Geoscientists Study Fossils …

Fossil material is collected in the field, then brought back to the lab for detailed study.

Jeff Eaton Jenny Schaeffer


Two common trilobite fossils found in Millard Co., UT.

Andrew McRae

Elrathia kingi

Asaphiscus wheeleri


Utah is home to many dinosaur and mammal fossils

Jim Wilson UMNH

Students examine fossils in lab (right). Recent discovery Grand Staircase-Escalante National Monument (below).


Ammonites are common fossils found in Utah.

Jim Wilson UMNH

Geoscientists Study Sediments …

Jim Wilson

Mud cracks and salt at Death Valley,California (right) and in southern Utah (below).


Wind blown sand dune at Little Sahara, Utah

Jim Wilson


USGS scientists camp on a sand bar in the Grand Canyon.

USGS


Sand ripples (left) and animal/insect tracks in sand (right).

Jim Wilson

Heavy minerals are sorted out to make dark bands. Tracks can become fossilized.

Geoscientists Study Processes that Shape the Earth …

Such as the flow of water in rivers and streams.

Jim Wilson


Such as the flow of ice in glaciers.

Jim Wilson


Such as the failure of slopes.

Thistle Landslide, Spanish Fork Canyon, Utah.

South Weber home damaged by mudflow.

UGS


Such as the action of waves and currents.

Jim Wilson

Olympic Peninsula, Washington


Such as the growth of coral reefs.

NASA

Satellite image of Bora Bora, south Pacific.


Such as the impact of major storms.

NASA Hurricane Katrina comes ashore, 2005.

Geoscientists Study Volcanoes …

Lava flow in Hawaii

USGS


Sampling sulfurous gases at Mt. Baker, Washington

USGS


Arenal Volcano, Costa Rica

Matthias Prinke, Wikipedia Commons


Okmok Caldera, Alaska

AVO - USGS Christina Neal


Kasatoschi Volcano, Alaska

AVO - USGS Jerry Morris


AVO - USGS Jessica Larsen

Measuring the temperature of rocks inside the crater of a volcano.


Skylight of a lava tube in Hawaii.

HVO - USGS


Sunset Crater, Arizona

USGS


Eruption of Stromboli, Italy, showing paths of projectiles.

Wolfgang Beyer, Wikipedia Commons


Aniakchak Caldera, Alaska - a large explosion-collapse feature

M. Williams, National Park Service"

Geoscientists Study Earthquakes …

Identifying faults and preparing maps of areas with high risk of earthquakes.

The Wasatch Fault at the mouth of American Fork Canyon.

USGS


And create maps of areas with high risk of earthquakes.

USGS

Earthquake occurrences in Utah.


And attempt to prevent property damage and loss of lives.

USGS


To determine the type of ground motion.

USGS

Offset rows in lettuce field El Centro, California, earthquake, 1979. Univ. of Colorado

Deformed fence, Hebgen Lake earthquake Montana, 1959.

Geoscientists Study Climate Change …

Desert sand dunes move into an African village.

USGS

Geoscientists Study Climate Change …

Melting of the Shepard Glacier over a 92 year period as shown by photographs at Glacier National Park.

USGS

Geoscientists Study Other Planetary Bodies …

NASA

Mars

Earth’s Moon


The 1st civilian on the moon was a geologist, Harrison Schmitt.

USGS


Harrison Schmitt collecting rocks on the Moon, Apollo 17.

NASA


Rock “berries” on Mars (Circle is sampling spot by the Mars rover.)

Rock “berries” on Earth Zion National Park, Utah

NASA

Jim Wilson

Geoscientists Study Other Planetary Bodies … Volcano erupting on Io, a moon of Jupiter.

NASA

Geoscientists use Computer Techniques … Creating maps that the public can understand and use.

UGS

Geoscientists use Computer Techniques … Creating images of areas that cannot be directly observed.

USGS Seamount and volcano on the floor of the Pacific Ocean.

Geoscientists use Computer Techniques … To bring out subtle differences in images of rocks.

USGS

Modified color satellite image of the Atlas Mountains, Morocco.

Geoscientists use Computer Techniques … To make 3-D images of the Earth.

USGS

Geoscientists use Computer Techniques … Such as remote sensing data to study the Earth.

USGS

Satellite image of mountains and folded rocks at Coahuilla, Mexico.

Weber State Faculty and Students … Use equipment such as the scanning electron microscope (SEM) to image and analyze tiny grains and details of rock.

Jim Wilson

Volcanic ash particle.

USGS

Weber State Faculty and Students … Use equipment such as the x-ray diffractometer to identify specific minerals and measure their atomic spacings.

Jim Wilson

Weber State Faculty and Students …

Use equipment such as the atomic force microscope to study the surfaces of materials.

Marek Matyjasik

Microorganism on surface of a calcite grain. Width of the image Is less than 2 microns.

Weber State Geosciences Graduates find employment with …

U. S. Geological Survey Utah Geological Survey

National Forest Service National Park Service

Utah Dept. of Environmental Quality

Oil exploration and production

Mineral extraction industries

City and county government, planning & zoning

Environmental and engineering consulting

Public school system

Geosciences General Education and Science Inquiry

at Weber State University.

GEO PS 1020 Dinosaurs and the Fossil Record GEO PS/SI 1030 Earthquakes and Volcanoes GEO PS 1060 Environmental Geosciences GEO PS/SI 1110/1115 Dynamic Earth: Physical Geology & Lab GEO PS/SI 1130 Introduction to Meteorology GEO PS/SI 1350 Principles of Earth Science (for Elementary Ed. majors) GEO SI 3010 Oceanography and Earth Systems

Only one GEO course is allowed for Physical Science Gen. Ed., but a second course can be counted for Science Inquiry.

Thanks for Viewing Geosciences at Weber State University

Mt. Redoubt Volcano, Alaska

AVO - USGS Dennis Josefcyzk

What Do Geosciences Graduates Do?

Education

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