science @ gcc

Geology & oceanography

To view current offerings in Geology and Oceanography, please search our current course catalog & schedule.

Geology is such a diverse field and the Connecticut Valley is one of the best places in the world to study this exciting science of the earth! In our beginning geology classes you will learn about such wide-ranging topics as rocks and minerals, volcanoes, floods, glaciers and resources. All these topics have important examples in the Valley region and class discussions and field trips will illustrate how geology affects our land and life.

Geology 101, Physical Geology, covers such things as the origins of basic earth materials such as rocks and minerals, plus how the earth is shaped by both surface processes like rivers and glaciers, as well as internal processes such as plate tectonics leading to the origin of mountains, volcanoes and faults. In Geology 102, Historical Geology, you will become familiar with fossils and gain practice “reading the record of the rocks” as we study the origins and history of sedimentary rocks. Field trips are scheduled to collecting sites in eastern New York State to view the ancient environment and life of a tropical ocean that existed along eastern North America before the Pangea super continent about 400 million years ago, as well as trips to local Valley sites where Jurassic Period (Age of Dinosaurs) geological history is particularly well displayed.

Oceanography
The oceans have a volume of 320 million cubic miles and cover over 2/3rds of the earth with an average depth of 2 miles! The ocean realm has profound influences on life on earth. Humans depend on ocean resources ranging from water and food supplies to fossils fuels and other mineral resources. The ocean – climate connection is especially relevant to life on earth. Our GCC oceanography class, Geo 104, is a general introduction to ocean science. There are 3 major sections: Marine Biology, Marine Geology, and Chemistry and Physics. Topics include: marine life identification and classification, marine ecosystems, coastlines and beaches, sediment types, plate tectonics, water properties, and how the ocean moves due to waves, tides, and ocean currents. A field trip to the coast to view ecosystems, marine life, and coastal processes offers some practical experience with oceanography.