Department of Geosciences

Chair

Bess B. Ward

Associate Chair

Guust Nolet

Director of Graduate Studies

Lincoln S. Hollister

Professor

Michael L. Bender*

F. Anthony Dahlen

Thomas S. Duffy

Lincoln S. Hollister

Gerta Keller

François Morel

Guust Nolet

Tullis C. Onstott

Michael Oppenheimer,* also Woodrow Wilson School

S. George H. Philander*

Allan M. Rubin

Jorge L. Sarmiento*

Daniel M. Sigman

John Suppe

Bess B. Ward

Associate Professor

Satish C. B. Myneni

Assistant Professor

Adam C. Maloof

Nadine McQuarrie

Frederik J. Simons

Visiting Lecturer

Gregory E. van der Vink

Associated Faculty

Michael A. Celia, Civil and Environmental Engineering

Peter R. Jaffé, Civil and Environmental Engineering

Denise L. Mauzerall, Woodrow Wilson School

Catherine A. Peters, Civil and Environmental Engineering

Ignacio Rodriguez-Iturbe, Civil and Environmental Engineering

James A. Smith, Civil and Environmental Engineering

Eric F. Wood, Civil and Environmental Engineering

Program in Atmospheric and Oceanic Sciences

Director

Jorge L. Sarmiento

Lecturer with Rank of Professor

Isaac M. Held

Ngar-Cheung Lau

Ants Leetmaa

Isidoro Orlanski

Venkatachalam Ramaswamy

Geoffrey K. Vallis

Lecturer

Leo Donner

Stephen Garner

Anand Gnanadesikan

Robert Hallberg

Sonya Legg

Hiram Levy II

Associated Faculty

Stephen W. Pacala, Ecology and Evolutionary Biology

Denise L. Mauzerall, Woodrow Wilson School

* Member of Program in Atmospheric and Oceanic Sciences

 

In keeping with our reputation as one of the most innovative geoscience departments, we put significant emphasis on environmental research that includes both large-scale and molecular-level interactions between the atmosphere, the oceans, the biosphere, the cryosphere, and the land. This is in addition to our traditionally strong programs in solid-earth geophysics and tectonics.

Graduate education within the department in general is strongly focused on research, as well as on developing a strong 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 both beginning and advanced students may apply. The average time to graduation is five years. Students qualify for the Master of Arts (M.A.) degree by successfully passing all course work, including GEO 505, 506, and the satisfactory presentation of the first-year and second-year research reports.

Most students will find their research needs adequately met in Guyot Hall, where the department is located. Atmospheric and ocean sciences are an integral part of the department, with most of the research taking place in the Geophysical Fluid Dynamics Laboratory (GFDL). In addition, there are 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).

Desirable Preparation

Advances in the earth sciences depend largely on a basic knowledge of biology, chemistry, mathematics, and physics, and the ability to apply this knowledge to geological problems. The best preparation for graduate work in this department combines a solid background in related sciences and mathematics with a basic introduction to the geological sciences. The department welcomes as candidates not only those students whose principal background is in geology, geochemistry, or geophysics, but also those who have concentrated in other sciences, such as biology, chemistry, engineering, mathematics, or physics.

Areas of Study

A student normally concentrates in one of the following areas of study:

Atmospheric and oceanic sciences track: with options to specialize in climate studies, biogeochemistry, atmospheric and oceanic dynamics, and atmospheric chemistry.  Candidates have the opportunity to apply directly to the Atmospheric and Oceanic Sciences Program or to specialize in this area from within the Geosciences Department.

Biogeochemistry, environmental, and geochemical track: with options to specialize in biogeochemical and biological oceanography, microbial ecology, paleoclimate and paleoceanography, environmental chemistry, paleontology, or stratigraphy.

Solid-earth track: with a specialization in global geophysics, mineralogy, mineral physics, petrology, planetary geology, regional geology, seismology, structural geology, or tectonics.

Interdisciplinary track: cross-cutting programs can be arranged for interdisciplinary studies to suit the student’s other needs in his or her chosen research area.

Course Work

Course work requirements depend upon the track chosen. For details, see the department Web page at geoweb.princeton.edu/students/courses.html. All incoming students are required to follow a one-year introductory course on the fundamental questions in the geosciences, covering both solid earth and environmental problems. An important part of graduate education arises from independent research, which begins in the first year. Course work in other departments that strengthens students’ background in biology, chemistry, engineering sciences, mathematics, and physics is required. Each graduate student normally will participate in instructing undergraduates for at least one term as a significant part of his or her education.

General Examination

The general examination for advancement to Ph.D. candidacy is normally taken before the end of the second year of graduate work. The examination is designed to establish the student’s depth and breadth of knowledge in the chosen fields of specialization, acquaintance with scholarly methods of research, and the ability to organize and present research material. The examination is based in part on a written report submitted by the student describing the research activities undertaken during the first two years. A research progress report is also required near the end of the student’s first year.

Dissertation

The dissertation shows that the candidate has technical mastery in the chosen field and is capable of independent research. It is expected to be a positive contribution to knowledge, which may consist of a new scientific generalization, a new body of integrated facts that carries scientific implications that extend beyond itself, or a substantial improvement in technique or procedure.

The final public oral examination is a final examination in the field of study. In addition to defending the dissertation, candidates are expected to respond to questions relating to the specific principles involved in their research and to questions ranging widely over related subjects.

The student’s advisory committee contains members of the faculty, including faculty from other departments or institutions, as appropriate.

Equipment, Facilities, and Other Resources

Modern earth science has a continuum of approaches, ranging from field studies to laboratory and theoretical work using sophisticated instrumentation and computers. In addition to collections of appropriate materials and the petrographic, mineralogical, sedimentalogical, and paleontological facilities to study them, the department has specialized equipment for laboratory and field studies of seismology and experimental studies on rocks at high pressure and temperature; crystal structural studies by X-ray diffraction, and by ultraviolet, visible, infrared, and Raman spectroscopy; the study of mineral fluid inclusions; compositional and radioisotopic studies of ocean and river water and rock; and stable carbon, oxygen, and nitrogen isotope analysis of fluids, organic remains, and minerals. Extensive laboratory facilities for chemical and biological work include a wide array of analytical instruments, molecular biological and microbiological facilities and a clean room.

Geochemistry. Specific instruments include gas chromatographs, HPLC, and ion analyzers; infrared, ultraviolet, and fluorescent spectrometers; gamma and scintillation counters; ultracentrifuges; a Cameca electron microprobe, single-crystal cameras, and an automated powder and single-crystal X-ray diffraction system for work at room and high temperatures; field-gun emission scanning and transmission electron microscopes; ICP and ICP-MS, dissolved- and solid-carbon analyzers and wet-chemical laboratory facilities.

The geomicrobiology laboratory is located in the basement of the department and houses fume hoods and crushing, grinding, powdering, and separation equipment. The laboratory also includes a chemical stock room, two HEPA-filtered hoods, a UV sterilization hood, a -80oC freezer, -20o C freezers, refrigerators, an anaerobic glove bag, incubators, water baths, high-temperature ovens, centrifuges, a UV spectrometer, a Robocycler for DNA amplification, qPCR instruments and electrophoresis apparatus. The laboratory’s analytical facilities include a LICOR CO2 analyzer and a Dionex ICMS. The laboratory’s optical microscopy and fluid inclusion section houses two microthermometry stages, a cathodaluminoscope, and two high-quality optical microscopes. A digital color CCD and an analog B/W CCD camera and image analyzer is connected through the local computer network for uploading digital photomicrographs. The BMX60 microscope is equipped with epifluorescence imaging with UV cubes and filter sets appropriate for DNA and protein stains, and FISH- and phase-contrast objectives.

Biogeochemistry/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, a scintillation counter, a gamma counter, an autoclave, an atomic absorption spectrometer, laminar flow hoods, a trace-metal clean room, a Europa 20/20 mass spectrometer, an automated DNA sequencer, a gel documentation system, and fully equipped molecular biological laboratories for protein and nucleic acid research.

The department houses extensive facilities for stable isotope research, with mass spectrometers and peripherals for both dual-inlet and continuous-flow methods, including four Finnigan stable-isotope ratio-mass spectrometers, one large-volume flask auto-sampler, two dedicated gas chromatographic systems, and one dedicated combustion system (elemental analyzer). Current applications include isotope ratio measurements of oxygen gas extracted from the atmosphere, ocean water, and air trapped in snow, firn, and glacial ice; isotope ratio measurements of the atmospheric trace gases nitrous oxide, methane, and carbon dioxide; gas ratio and isotope ratio measurements of various atmospheric “major” gases in modern air; and isotope ratio measurements of dissolved and particulate forms of N and C in diverse natural systems.

Geophysics and Structural Geology. The High-Pressure Mineral Physics Laboratory contains diamond anvil cells for high-pressure/temperature studies. Included in the facility are stereomicroscopes, a microdrill, an electric discharge machine, a cryogenic loading system, and equipment for photoluminescence, Raman and Brillouin spectroscopy. Access to second- and third-generation synchrotron radiation facilities is available. Two scintag PADV automated powder diffractometers, one of which is equipped with a furnace that can heat samples to 1250°C, are available for sample characterization. Electron microprobe, scanning electron microscopes, and transmission electron microscopes are also available at PRISM. All these facilities are supported by a departmental machine shop.

Much of the seismological data analysis and geodynamical computations are performed in our “computer laboratory,” which includes three Beowolf clusters, and numerous peripherals for text and color graphics output. We obtain our data from digital archives from around the world, as well as from our own field experiments with portable seismic instrumentation.

We also have a “structural geology laboratory,” consisting of a seminar/layout room and two computer workrooms with UNIX workstations, Macs, and peripherals for dealing with large maps and images. First-year graduate students in geophysics also receive brief training to serve as assistant system managers for computer laboratories. We have extensive laboratory facilities for paleontology and marine geochemistry.

Shared Facilities. The department’s machine shop features several lathes and drill presses, including a fully programmable lathe, which is used to manufacture the field-sampling equipment. DNA sequencing facilities, a FACScan flow cytometer, a molecular dynamics imager for mapping radioactive samples, and the laser confocal facility are readily available. The geosciences X-ray diffraction laboratory houses two Scintag PAD spectrometers, one of which possesses a high-temperature stage. The laboratory also makes use of CEBIc’s ICP-MS.

The electron beam facility at PRISM houses a Phillips XL30 FEG SEM, a CAMECA SX50 EPMA, a Phillips CM200 FEG TEM, and a Zeiss 910 TEM. GC-MS, HPMS, and MALDI-TOF facilities for detailed organic characterization are available in the mass spectrometry facility of the chemistry department.

Library. The department library collection consists of more than 75,500 volumes (with an additional 25,000 volumes in a storage facility), including all major domestic and foreign journals in the earth sciences and worldwide government survey publications. The library’s map collection contains more than 300,000 geologic, topographic, physical, cultural, and political maps. The library also houses the Digital Map and Cartographic Information Center, which provides access to geospatial data, digital map services, the GIS, reference, instruction, and consultation. The library has remote and local electronic access to all major indexes covering the sciences and technology.

Courses

GEO 500 Field Geology

Staff

Study of geological, geochemical, and geophysical data related to a specific geologic province; includes an extended field trip. Past trips have been to Hawaii, the Sierra Nevada, the Rio Grande Rift, Costa Rica, Taiwan, the Pacific Northwest, and Brittany.

GEO 501 Physics and Chemistry of Minerals and Materials (also CHM 527, MSE 541)

Thomas S. Duffy

Concepts of solid-state physics and inorganic chemistry relevant to the study of minerals and materials. 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 505, 506 Fundamentals of the Geosciences I and II

Bess B. Ward, Staff

A year-long survey, in sequence, of fundamental papers in the geosciences. Topics in GEO 505 (fall) include the origin and interior of the Earth, plate tectonics, geodynamics, the history of life on Earth, the composition of the Earth, the Earth’s oceans and atmospheres, and past climate. Topics in GEO 506 (spring) include the present and future climate, biogeochemical processes in the ocean, geochemical cycles, orogenies, thermochronology, rock fracture, and seismicity. A core course for all beginning graduate students in the geosciences.

GEO 507, 508 Topics in Mineralogy and Mineral Physics

Thomas S. Duffy

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, the physics and chemistry of minerals at high pressure and temperature, and advanced concepts in mineral physics.

GEO 513 Igneous Petrology

Staff

Isotopic, petrologic, geochemical, structural, and geophysical constraints on melting are examined. The role of igneous processes for the origin and evolution of planetary lithospheres and astheno-spheres is examined as well.

GEO 515 Metamorphic Petrology

Lincoln S. Hollister

Determination of the physical conditions of metamorphism and their relation to tectonic events and deformation based on thermodynamic calculations, experimental phase equilibria, and field relations.

GEO 518 Petrology Seminar

Staff

Special topics of current research interest in petrology, crystal chemistry, and geochemistry are explored.

GEO 523 Geomicrobiology (also CEE 572)

Tullis C. Onstott

Explores relationships between low-temperature geochemistry and microbiology. Applications of molecular biological techniques and isotope geochemical methods to determine the physiological state of microorganisms in situ are addressed. Covers microbial ecosystems in aquifers, oil reservoirs, hydrothermal vents, hot springs, deep-subsurface, and other extreme environments. The format is a combination of lectures, reading, and class presentations. Visiting scholars and faculty members from other departments may occasionally contribute guest lectures to the seminar.

GEO 524 Environmental Issues Seminar (see ENV 524)

GEO 526 Geochemical Reactions at the Natural Interfaces

Satish C. B. Myneni

Covers the chemistry of interfacial reactions at the solid-water, air-water, liquid-water, and organism-water that are pertinent to their nature. The molecular structure and properties of the natural interfaces, water chemistry at the interfaces and applications of thermodynamics, and recently developed in situ spectroscopic and microscopic methods to study these systems are discussed. Special emphasis is on the applications of interfacial chemistry in environmental chemistry.

GEO 527 Atmospheric Radiative Transfer (see AOS 527)

GEO 536 Paleoceanographic and Sediment History of Ocean Basins

Gerta Keller

Paleoceanographic and paleoclimatic implications of phyletic and community evolution in space and time as recorded by marine microfossils are examined as well. Patterns of marine sedimentation and distribution of deep-sea hiatuses through time. Special emphasis is on critical events in ocean history such as Late Cretaceous, the terminal Eocene, the oligotaxic Oligocene, and the Neogene glacial history.

GEO 537 Atmospheric Chemistry (see AOS 537)

GEO 538 Paleoclimatology

Michael L. Bender

Provides a graduate-level introduction to Earth’s climate history. Topics include the study of controls on Earth’s climate, a survey of sedimentary properties used in climate reconstructions, and a discussion of the major changes in climate from the Precambrian period to the present. Intended for students in the geosciences department and the atmospheric and oceanic sciences program who are interested in Earth’s present environment and its changes through time.

GEO 539 Topics in Paleoecology, Paleoclimatology, and Paleoceanography

Gerta Keller

The application of the fossil record to specific geological problems in depositional environments and the paleoclimatic and paleoceanographic history of the oceans are studied.

GEO 540 Topics in Deformation of the Upper Crust

John Suppe

The major deformation processes of the upper crust, above and near the brittle-plastic transition: fault-related folding, critical-taper wedge mechanics, detachment faulting, state of stress in crust, and faulting.

GEO 541 Regional Structural Geology

John Suppe

Study of the application of stratigraphy, petrology, geophysics, and other geologic disciplines to the structural history of major world regions.

GEO 542 Principles of Structural Geology

Allan M. Rubin, John Suppe

Brittle and plastic behavior of rocks; mechanics of jointing, intrusion, faulting, folding, and fabric generation; measurement of finite strain in rocks; and principles of subsurface structural interpretation are studied.

GEO 543 Rock Fracture

Allan M. Rubin

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 544 Structural Geology Seminar

Staff

Special topics of current research interest in structural geology and related disciplines.

GEO 547 Atmospheric Thermodynamics and Convection (see AOS 547)

GEO 552 Global Seismology

F. Anthony Dahlen

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 553 Lithospheric Seismology

Robert A. Phinney

Seismic techniques for studying lithospheric and crustal structure; elastic wave excitation and propagation in stratified mediums, with an emphasis on propagator matrices; and modern data acquisition and processing methods for imaging subsurface structure.

GEO 557 Theoretical Geophysics

F. Anthony Dahlen

Geophysical applications of the principles of continuum mechanics; conservation laws and constitutive relations; tensor analysis; and acoustic, elastic, and gravity wave propagation.

GEO 558 Seismology Seminar

Staff

Discussion and study of problems of current research interest in seismology.

GEO 567 Geochemistry

Michael Bender

A review of the chemical composition of Earth’s major realms, the governing processes, and their temporal evolution. Course examines the origin and chemistry of the solar system, chemistry of the core, mantle, oceanic crust, and continental crust; the origin and evolution of the oceans and atmosphere, the prisms of the theory of the origin of the solar system, geodynamics, biogeochemistry, stable isotope geochemistry, and radiogenic isotope geochemistry.

GEO 573 Physical Oceanography (see AOS 573)

GEO 577 Weather and Climate Dynamics (see AOS 577)

GEO 578 Chemical Oceanography (see AOS 578)

GEO 598 Extramural Summer Research Project

Staff

Summer research project, designed in conjunction with the student’s adviser and an industrial, private, or government sponsor that will provide practical experience relevant to the student’s research area. Starts no earlier than June 1. A final written report is required. Students considering applying for this course should review the recommended guidelines before consulting their adviser and director of graduate studies.