Geology of the Western United States (Summer 2025)
Sewanee's Domain and the Southern Appalachians host a fantastic variety of geological sites, but by exploring the West, students can experience landscapes and geologic features absent in our particular neighborhood and round out their education as geo- and environmental scientists. In Geology of the Western United States, we will visit landscapes bounded by active tectonics and shaped by desert processes. We will investigate emergent coastlines and volcanoes, young mountains and old growth forests. The sites we visit will be contextualized with readings and discussion of scientific literature and current issues, and works of cultural importance. Students will collect and analyze field data in some locations. Intended to be for more than just geology majors, Western Geology can open new perspectives on the physical environment of the United States to any students interested in earth or environmental science.