Geology Home

Welcome to CC Geology!

Department Statements  ||  Rocks on the Block  ||  Geoscience Career Paths


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GY305 Sedimentology and Stratigraphy class learning about Sedimentary Rocks

 

Rocks on the Block

Thanks to the Block Plan, CC Geology’s undergraduate program provides hands-on in its essence, intensive and individualized. Classes are limited to 25 students, and upper-level Geology courses typically enroll 15 students. Taking one class at a time allows for hands-on learning in laboratories and in the 'outdoor classroom'

The Block plan allows faculty and students pursue independent study and research projects throughout the academic year and breaks. Much of this original investigation takes place away from the CC campus. Many of our students perform research as part of a capstone project.

Students who choose the geology major tend to have strong interests in both geology and environmental issues. Several of our Geo faculty contribute to CC’s interdisciplinary Environmental Program. Geology coursework can include elective courses in environmental sciences and allow capstone research that addresses environmental issues. An alternative option is a major in Environmental Science, complemented with elective coursework in Geology.

Careers in the Geosciences

Map of many potential geoscience careers and how they affect the human society and the environment we live in

Job titles/Employers of recent graduates from the CC Geology program:

  • Environmental Consulting for geotechnical firms
    • emphasizes water quality and supply & urban planning
  • Economic Geology
    • exploration of materials in high demand by renewable energy and tech industry
  • National Forest Service
  • National Park Service

Recent CC Geology graduates have been admitted to:

  • Law school
  • Medical school
  • Graduate school
  • Midwife training
  • Physiotherapy training
  • Guiding certification programs
  • Computer science specializations
  • Flight school
  • Natural resources management training

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Students and Prof Sarah Schanz performing geomorph research at Mesa Creek as part of a GY400 course focused on researching the effects of urbanizing streams

Report an issue - Last updated: 04/10/2023

Contact Us

Department of Geology
Colorado College
14 E. Cache La Poudre
Colorado Springs, CO 80903
Phone: 719-389-6621
FAX: 719-389-6910
geology@coloradocollege.edu

 

Geology News

Regionals in Hawai'i

Regional Studies visited Hawai’i from 10/30 - 11/13 to study volcanism, geochemistry, and soil science in the Big Island, Hawai’i.

We Lava Rocks! The class spent the first of three days exploring Hawai'i Volcanoes National Park

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Rodingites, Ophiolites, Serpentinites, Oh My!

Michelle Gevedon awarded an NSF grant for examining how serpeninization in relation to plate tectonics

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Michelle Gevedon, assistant professor of geology, was recently awarded a $94,017 grant by the National Science Foundation as part of her research project on rodingites in New Zealand.

This will allow Gevedon to offer CC students summer research opportunities for the next three years working with rodingites ssociated serpentinization of the Dun Mountain Ophiolite Belt in New Zealand. 

"Serpentinization of the ocean crust is an important and widespread geochemical process that greatly influences the global elemental cycling of hydrogen, carbon and sulfur – meaning it plays roles in present-day plate tectonics, and in climate change, and is also thought to have influenced the evolution of life. But, the rates and processes that control serpentinization have been notoriously challenging for geologists to constrain,” says Gevedon.

Rodingites are garnet-rich and their formation is associated with serpentine formation, so rodingite ages constrain serpentinization conditions, timing, and rates. Gevedon and CC research students hope to shed light on how serpentiziation affects various global cycles.

 

Full story by Julia Fennell ’21