Research-Geosciences-Fort Lewis College

The Department of Geosciences is well equipped for undergraduate instruction in geology. Our field equipment includes turbidity meters, flow meters, Brunton compasses, mine lamps, and a portable seismic refraction unit. The Department has four Trimble GeoExplorer GPS units, Trimble Pathfinder Office software, access to the FLC GPS base station maintained by the Engineering Department, and 20 Garmin 12 GPS units. We recently acquired 20 new Garmin GPSMap units that are a valuable addition to geology and geography classes as well as student research. Students are familiarized with this equipment during field trips and field camp and can check out equipment for independent research.

Computer hardware and software in the Department of Geosciences includes 9 Gateway Pentium-III 450 PCs, running all FLC networked campus software. This includes state-of-the-art ArcGIS 9.2 software (ArcInfo, including 3D, Geostatistical, Image Analysis, and Spatial Analyst extensions). Peripheral equipment includes a Calcomp digitizing tablet and large-format HP inkjet plotter.

Our inventory of laboratory facilities continues to evolve. The most exciting new arrival is the ICP-OES (inductively coupled plasma - optical emission spectrometer) machine acquired through a grant written by Dr. Hannula and Dr. Gonzales. This machine is able to identify and quantify trace elements in water, soil, and rock samples and is a special addition to coursework, student research, and faculty research. We recently acquired a set of new petrographic microscopes for mineralogy and petrology, thanks to donations from the Four Corners Geological Society.

The department maintains a field laboratory in a separate building on campus. This lab contains rock cutting and polishing equipment and will hopefully soon see the arrival of a new thin section machine and X-ray diffraction or flourescence machine. The building also houses an extensive collection of well cuttings and cores from the Four Corners region. In the future, the lab will also have a separate library where many years of donated publications and maps can be stored and used.

Student Senior Thesis Work

A valuable part of a geoscience education at Fort Lewis College is the completion of a senior thesis by every graduating geology major. Under the guidance of a faculty advisor, students select a research topic at the end of their junior year. They conduct research during summer and fall of their senior year, then compile a written thesis and presentation during their final semester. Many students present their work at regional and national meetings, and it is possible that senior thesis work will evolve into a first publication.

2008 Thesis Work in Progress:

Dan Bassett - Sequence stratigraphy of the Hermosa Formation

Patrick Coplan - Magmatic histories of tertiary intrusives at Engineer Mountain

Elizabeth Easley - Iridium concentrations in the McDermott Formation

Eli Gruber - Evaluating failure constraints of Florida River Landslide Complex

Dustin Held - Charactierization of recent Piedra River Landslide

Devin Hencmann - Interdune carbonate lens in lower Navajo Sandstone

Brooke Herb - Geochemistry of 1.7 Ga granite in the Needle Mountains

Katie Jorgensen - Two-year water quality study in rural Thailand villages

Ryan Kizer - Searching for oil in the Hermosa Group of eastern Paradox Basin

Travis Laverty - Petrologic comparison of four intrusive complexes in Archuleta Co.

Meghan Marsters - Metamorphic analysis of the Vallecito Conglomerate