Geology

^{Photo credit: NASA}

New - Starting Fall 2013

The Geology Program at Keystone College seeks to provide students with a broad understanding of fundamental Earth processes including Plate Tectonics, natural resource and mineral formation, weathering and erosion, and climate change. This four-year degree combines classroom instruction with extensive training in laboratory and field skills and is intended to prepare a new generation of geoscience professionals to work in a variety of fields.

The program is designed to prepare students to successfully complete the Pennsylvania State Fundamentals of Geology Exam, which allows them to apply for a Professional Geologist (PG) license after 5 years of geologic work experience. This designation as a PG is highly valued throughout the industry as a marker knowledge and skill.

Curriculum         

The Geology curriculum is also designed to introduce students to a wide variety of equipment used to study the Earth. Students will master basic geology equipment such as Brunton Compasses and microscopes, which will prepare them for more advanced work analyzing rocks samples on Keystone’s Inductively Coupled Plasma – Optical Emissions Spectrometer (ICP-OES). 

Introductory courses such as Physical Geology and Earth Systems History provide students with a strong foundation in geologic processes, while upper level courses such as Petrology and Structural Geology refine those skills while preparing students for careers in the geosciences.

Fieldwork

Along with classroom instruction and laboratory analysis, the Geology Program stresses fieldwork as a way to enhance students’ problem solving skills and prepare them for the real world challenges that face those entering the workforce in the geosciences.

Research, Projects and Program Features
	Geology in Costa Rica Students will participate in numerous local fieldtrips as well as be given the opportunity to study the geology of Costa Rica on a nine-day trip that takes them from active volcanoes to ancient oceanic complexes found on the country’s Pacific coast.
	Seismic Monitoring Station Students at Keystone College can monitor global earthquakes in near real-time from a seismograph that was acquired through the Lamont Doherty Cooperative Seismic Network (LCSN).

Program News

New degrees in Geology and Public Health Keystone College continues to expand its academic offerings with the introduction of two new bachelor’s degrees in public health and geology, both starting in the fall of 2013. Keystone Professor Provides Earthquake Expertise La Plume – Moments after a 5.8 magnitude earthquake shook buildings throughout the East Coast, Dr. Ian Saginor became a very busy man.