Website designed by Liz Chesser '04 and maintained by and Sue Swanson .
Please direct any departmental questions
to Chair Carl Mendelson
Page Last Updated April 21, 2008
Contents Copyright 2001-2 Beloit College

No science offers greater diversity for research and observation than geology. Encompassing the behavior of the Earth and the evolution of life, the study of geology incorporates techniques and principles developed in physics, chemistry, and biology, and embraces advances in computer technology to analyze complex natural systems.

The Program | Careers | The Facilities | Research Opportunities | Contact Us | The Faculty

THE PROGRAM

Beloit’s geology curriculum has a rich history, stressing first-hand learning through laboratory and field experiences. Names of Beloit graduates such as Thomas C. Chamberlin, Rollin D. Salisbury, and Oscar E. Meinzer pervade both the geologic literature and the philosophical base upon which modern geology is founded. Our academic pro-gram has continued to build on rigor and excellence, as is evidenced by a recent published study showing Beloit College ranking tenth in the nation as a source of Ph.D.s in the earth sciences among four-year private undergraduate institu-tions (data from 1920 through 1995). If the results of this study were normalized to the size of the student body, Beloit would rank significantly higher because it has the smallest student population in the top ten colleges.

The geology major at Beloit includes a firm foundation derived from courses in the other strong scientific disciplines at Beloit. Careful advising provides a step- wise progression of courses in the first two years; options increase as primary skills are acquired, permitting greater depth and probing of the subject matter in upper-level courses. Rivers, streams, quarries, and the nearby Kettle Moraine area allow for practical applications of techniques and ideas discussed in class. Weekend and longer field trips expand coverage to central Wisconsin, northern Michigan, Minnesota, and Iowa, and provide an introduction to areas known for their classic geology.

Following the spring term, extended field trips expose our students to all sections of the country, including the East Coast, Gulf of Mexico, Smoky Mountains, Ouachita Mountains, Ozarks, Colorado Plateau, Basin and Range, and the Sierra Nevada. These field trips are usually at minimal cost, with food being the major expense. In some years we have led more ambitious field excursions to places such as New Zealand, Iceland, Scotland, and, in 1999, to the Swiss and Italian Alps. These trips, while more costly, are excel-lent opportunities to gain a worldview of geology. We focus on geology but also strive to enhance our awareness of the culture and history of the region. Beloit prides itself on having a strong interna-tional program, and a global awareness includes an appreciation for worldwide geologic factors.

CAREERS

Because career goals and requirements differ, the department offers two majors: geology and environmental geology. The geology major is for students who want to go on to specialize in the scientific and practical applications of geology; the environmental geology major addresses the needs of students who are more inter-ested in the fields of conservation policy, natural-resource development, environ-mental law, regional and urban planning, and government. The course load is similar, but the environmental geology major replaces some of the depth in geology with biology courses related to ecological systems and course work in political science and economics. An undergraduate thesis is built into our program to ensure that every graduating senior has professional experience in applying geology to the solution of some problem, and is thoroughly acquainted with writing a professional paper and pre-senting results orally before a group of peers. To further increase the perspective of career opportunities, well-known leaders in the field are brought to the campus by the T. C. Chamberlin Geology Club, providing students an exposure to a variety of professional tracks.

Beloit also offers a minor in geology. Regardless of career choice, the depart-ment of geology is committed to prepar-ing Beloit students to be responsible citizens of planet Earth. We hope to provide all students with the geologic sophistication to make informed choices and with the opportunity to enrich their lives and professions through a greater understanding of the Earth on which they live.

THE FACILITIES

Chamberlin Hall houses one of the better-equipped undergraduate geology departments in North America, thus facilitating teaching and research at the undergraduate level. Rocks and fossils can be thin-sectioned in our specimen-preparation laboratory and analyzed using Zeiss research polarizing microscopes or our fully automated scanning electron microscope (new in 2001), which includes an energy-dispersive spectrometer. Mineralogical studies are accomplished using Siemens X-ray units, one of which has been upgraded and computerized. Our inductively coupled argon plasma atomic emission spectrometer (ICAP) permits determination of major- and trace-element composition of rocks. Equipment used by students for sampling and measuring streams complies with national standards, and portable instruments allow chemical analyses of waters at the field site. Modern computers are equipped with software for graphics, image analysis, and three-dimensional rendering of data. Our geographic information systems (GIS) facility draws upon spatial data we collect in the field and permits analysis and comparison of diverse studies, including those of other academic disciplines, thus promoting interdisciplinary research. Finally, all campus buildings (including student residence halls) are connected to the Beloit fiber-optic network, facilitating communication and data transfer within the College and through the World Wide Web.

Our departmental resources include extensive collections of rock suites from all over the world. In addition, the department houses a well-curated fossil collection representative of the plant and animal kingdoms through geologic time. On display in our hallway is a portion of the world-famous Beane Crinoid Collection, with additional specimens available for research on this unique faunal assemblage from the Mississippian rocks of central Iowa.

RESEARCH OPPORTUNITIES

Our students are strongly encouraged and supported to present their own research results at professional meetings, where they have the opportunity to meet with a diverse cross-section of scientists and fellow students. Many students have worked with faculty members on the Beloit campus; others have completed research projects as part of an off-campus internship.

Examples of recent projects include

• a paleoecologic study of Pliocene sediments bearing human fossils at the Laetoli Archaeological Site, Tanzania
• a computer-assisted analysis of wetlands destruction in a northern Illinois county
• the origin of calcareous nodules in a local tributary of the Rock River, Wisconsin
• stratigraphic interpretation of bog cores collected in the Kettle Moraine area
• remote-sensing analysis of the Boundary Waters Canoe Area in northern Minnesota
• a canoe-based investigation of the complex structural geology of the Quetico wilderness, Ontario, Canada
• volcanic hazards associated with eruptions of Volcán Arenal, Costa Rica
• the paleoecology of Ordovician sedimentary rocks in southern Wisconsin
• the experimental determination of constraints on the composition of the Martian mantle
• the effects of the removal of a dam on a local stream.

The departmental tradition of student research is enriched by Beloit’s membership in two consortia dedicated to the development of research skills in undergraduates: the Pew Midstates Science and Mathematics Consortium, and the Keck Geology Consortium. The Keck Consortium comprises twelve outstanding undergraduate departments of geology at liberal arts colleges. Students and faculty at these institutions embark on summer research projects, workshops, and professional exchanges that provide the students with one of the most exciting undergraduate learning environments available any-where. Because of the close cooperation among the faculty from these institutions, the breadth of expertise available at a Keck college like Beloit rivals that found in major research universities. Beloit students participate extensively in Keck projects throughout the United States and abroad.

Keck Projects

Summer 1996

• Environmental and structural geology problems near Butte, Montana
• The effect of recent forest fires on the water quality of a central Idaho lake

Summer 1997

• Sedimentologic and faulting history of the Clarks Fork region of northwestern Wyoming
• Mapping lava flows in the Cascades of southern Oregon
• Remote-sensing on the history of volcanism on Venus.

Summer 1998

• The application of GIS to data collected in Big Bend National Park, Texas
• Tectonic history of the San Andreas fault in California
• Chemical changes as precipitation moves from the canopy to the soil in a Massachusetts forest

Summer 1999

• Using radiometric-dating techniques to elucidate the uplift history of the Bighorn Mountains, Wyoming
• The paleoecology and sedimentology of Upper Ordovician rocks in Ohio and Kentucky
• The diversity if oysters in the Rookery Bay estuary, southwestern Florida
• Field geophysical methods to map out a Jamaican slave village

Summer 2000

• Detailed mapping and petrographic analysis along a narrow E-W corridor across the Coast Steep Zone, Prince Rupert, British Columbia, to help constrain the metamorphic and structural history of the region
• Mapping and petrographic analysis to determine conditions of metamorphism and constrain the origin of the protolith of the Airport Ophiolite, Syros, Greece
• Remote sensing and field mapping to interpret drainage basin development in the Circle Creek Basin of the City of Rocks National Reserve as it relates to the migration of the Yellowstone Hot Spot

Summer 2001

• Sedimentary analysis of cores from lakes and bogs in Chapmpaign County, Ohio, and detailed description of the diatom assemblages to use as a proxy for late-glacial climatic and environmental change relating to the retreat of the Laurentide ice sheet around 15,000 BP from its maximum advance
• Characterization of estuarine environments and sub-environments using mollusk assemblages from Rookery Bay National Estuarine Research Reserve, Florida

Summer 2002

• Development of a high-resolution record of climate change over the past 1000-2000 years using stable isotope ratios of carbon and oxygen in lacustrine sediments from cores as proxies for climate change in Lough Carra, western Ireland

Summer 2003

• Geologic mapping in the Gobi Desert, Mongolia and field work focusing on
  • sources for sedimentary rocks, and
  • ages for igneous rocks to provide age constraints
• Sampling and analysis of tilefish mounds in Cozumel, Mexico
• Describing and evaluating the results of relatively recent subduction on a variety of protoliths in Greece

CONTACTING US

If you want to find out more about our program and alumni, you can contact us via telephone, e-mail, or regular mail.

Carl Mendelson, chair of the department, will be happy to help you via phone 608-363-2223 or email mendelsn@beloit.edu The mailing address is Department of Geology, Beloit College, Beloit, Wisconsin 53511

If you would prefer a student perspective, click here for interested students; they will be sure to give you a clear idea of what it’s like to be a geology major at Beloit College.

Finally, be sure to visit our website at http://geology.beloit.edu

Of course, the best way to find out about geology at Beloit is to visit the campus! We’ll be happy to show you around and introduce you to students and faculty.

THE FACULTY

Steve Ballou, technician and safety officer. B.S., Beloit College. Professional firefighter and paramedic. Interests span the spectrum of geologic and environmental studies. ballous@beloit.edu

Carol Mankiewicz, professor of biology and geology, B.S. and M.S., UCLA; Ph.D., University of Wisconsin, Madison. Worked for the U.S. Geological Survey (Conservation Division). Interests include modern and ancient reefs, calcareous algae, marine science, environmental science, and modes of fossilization. Program director for Beloit’s interdisciplinary minor in Environmental Studies. mankiewi@beloit.edu, http://www.beloit.edu/biology/mankiewicz/mankiewicz_home.html

Carl V. Mendelson, professor of geology and department chair, A.B. and Ph.D., UCLA. Interests include the physical and biological history of Earth (and other worlds), fossil evidence for the earliest stages of evolution, paleobiology of dinosaurs, stratigraphic analysis, the history of geology, and environmental science.mendelsn@beloit.edu

Jim Rougvie, assistant professor of geology, B.S., University of Iowa; M.A. and Ph.D., University of Texas-Austin. Interests include the role of fluids in the Earth's crust in both metamorphic and low-T environments. rougviej@beloit.edu

Sue Swanson, associate professor of geology, B.A., Gustavus Adolphus College; M.S. and Ph.D., University of Wisconsin, Madison. Interests include wetlands hydrogeology; artesian systems, particularly relating to the formation and flow of springs; the effects of urbanization on groundwater quality and quantity; and water-resources management. swansons@beloit.edu, http://geology.beloit.edu/swanson

Steve Vavrus, visiting research associate, B.S., Purdue; M.S. and Ph.D., University of Wisconsin-Madison. Interests include the atmosphere, oceans and ice cover, and how they interact with one another. sjvavrus@facstaff.wisc.edu

Richard C. Stenstrom, emeritus professor of geology, B.S., Beloit College; M.S. and Ph.D., University of Chicago. Interests include geo-chemical processes, deformation of rocks, environmental geology, hydrology, remote sensing, and geographic information systems. Past president of the National Association of Geoscience Teachers. stenstrom@beloit.edu

Henry H. Woodard, emeritus professor of geology, A.B., Dartmouth College; Ph.D., University of Chicago. Interests include mineralogy, igneous and metamorphic rocks, and active volcanoes. Recipient, National Association of Geo-science Teachers Neil A. Miner Award (1987) for exceptional contributions to the stimulation of interest in earth science. Former coordinator, Keck Geology Consortium. woodard@beloit.edu