Society
has become increasingly aware of the importance
of geologic constraints on a sustainable economy
within a stable and healthy environment. Topics
in this core area have traditionally resided
in classically oriented Geology programs but
are increasingly incorporated in modern, broad-spectrum
studies of urban and rural environments. Such
studies offer insights into the foundations
of Earth’s varied environments and evidence
from the past as to the nature and rate of environmental
change. Doctoral studies can be done in mineralogy
and petrology; sedimentology and stratigraphy;
paleontology and paleoecology; tectonics; geomorphology;
geochemistry; geochronology; seismology and
other areas of geophysics; and resource exploration
and development. Such work not only advances
the frontiers of these disciplines but also
improves our understanding of the factors controlling
environment and environmental change. Ongoing
research includes studies on: tectonic evolution
of the Appalachian and Caledonide orogens; deformation
mechanisms in ductile and brittle fault systems;
geothermometry and geobarometry; fluvial, eolian,
glacial, and coast erosion and deposition; and
evolutionary paleobiology of sharks.
