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Academic Courses Regularly Taught

Dr. Scott T. Marshall || Department of Geological and Environmental Sciences || Appalachian State University

GES1101 - Introduction to Physical Geology

Modern civilization and life in general are inherently tied to geology. This class is designed to provide an introduction to geology with a focus on physical and chemical Earth processes. Topics include but are not limited to:

  • Formation of the Earth
  • Earth's inner structure and composition
  • Plate tectonics
  • Volcanoes
  • Earthquakes
  • How mountains form and change with time
  • Earth's history and geologic time
  • Water resources

GES3160/PHY3160 - Introduction to Geophysics

This course provides an introduction to the application of physics to study geologic structures, phenomenon, and processes. Geophysics is a large and diverse field, thus only selected methods will be covered. Because computers are essential tools for modern geophysicists, many class assignments will involve using computers to visualize and/or interpret data. Topics covered include but are not limited to:

  • Data acquisition & processing
  • Global seismology and seismotectonics
  • The earthquake cycle
  • Seismic reflection & refraction methods
  • Ground-Penetrating Radar (GPR)
  • Gravity and isostasy
  • Electrical resistivity methods

GES3455 - Quantitative Data Analysis for Earth and Environmental Scientists

Modern Earth and environmental scientists deal with complex and often very large data sets that are typically not useful or interpretable in raw form. This course provides an introduction to automating processing, visualizing, and interpreting Earth and environmental science data using the scientific computing language, MATLAB. Previous programming experience is helpful, but not required. Topics covered include Earth science applications of:

  • Variable types
  • Conditional statements
  • Loops & vectorized code
  • String manipulation
  • File input/output
  • Image processing
  • Curve fitting and interpolation
  • Advanced plotting (including 3D visualizations)