About the Program
Minor
The Department of Earth and Planetary Science offers a minor program in Earth and Planetary Science. This minor is flexible enough to allow students to explore a general interest or focus on a particular area. Students can work out the details by seeing an undergraduate advisor.
Declaring the Minor
In order to apply to the Earth and Planetary Science minor, students should:
- Contact undergraduate student services epsua@berkeley.edu.
- Fill out the EPS Minor Declaration Form.
Other Majors and Minors Offered by the Department of Earth and Planetary Science
Atmospheric Science: BA, Minor
Climate Science: Minor
Environmental Earth Science: BA, Minor
Geology: BA, Minor
Geophysics: BA, Minor
Marine Science: BA, Minor
Planetary Science: BA, Minor
Minor Requirements
General Guidelines
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All minors must be declared before the first day of classes in your Expected Graduation Term (EGT). For summer graduates, minors must be declared prior to the first day of Summer Session A.
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All upper-division courses must be taken for a letter grade.
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A minimum of three of the upper-division courses taken to fulfill the minor requirements must be completed at UC Berkeley.
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A minimum grade point average (GPA) of 2.0 is required in the upper-division courses to fulfill the minor requirements.
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Courses used to fulfill the minor requirements may be applied toward the Seven-Course Breadth requirement, for Letters & Science students.
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No more than one upper division course may be used to simultaneously fulfill requirements for a student's major and minor programs.
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All minor requirements must be completed prior to the last day of finals during the semester in which the student plans to graduate. If students cannot finish all courses required for the minor by that time, they should see a College of Letters & Science adviser.
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All minor requirements must be completed within the unit ceiling. (For further information regarding the unit ceiling, please see the College Requirements tab.)
Requirements
| Code | Title | Units |
|---|---|---|
| Lower Division | ||
| EPS 50 | The Planet Earth | 4 |
| Upper Division | ||
| Five upper division Earth and Planetary Science (EPS) courses. | ||
Related Courses
Terms offered: Spring 2021, Summer 2020 8 Week Session, Spring 2020
An overview of the processes that control water supply to natural ecosystems and human civilization. Hydrologic cycle, floods, droughts, groundwater. Patterns of water use, threats to water quality, effects of global climate change on future water supplies. Water issues facing California.
The Water Planet: Read More [+]
Hours & Format
Fall and/or spring: 15 weeks - 3 hours of lecture per week
Summer: 8 weeks - 6 hours of lecture per week
Additional Details
Subject/Course Level: Earth and Planetary Science/Undergraduate
Grading/Final exam status: Letter grade. Final exam required.
Terms offered: Fall 2024, Fall 2022, Fall 2021
This course covers the physical processes that determine Earth's past, present, and future climate, with a particular focus on the essentially irreversible climate change (a.k.a., global warming) caused by the burning of coal, oil, and natural gas. Topics will also
include the estimation of future warming and impacts, the Earth resources that can be used to combat climate change, and the policies being used to shift towards the use of those resources.
Introduction to Climate Change: Read More [+]
Hours & Format
Fall and/or spring: 15 weeks - 3 hours of lecture per week
Summer:
3 weeks - 16 hours of lecture per week
6 weeks - 8 hours of lecture per week
Additional Details
Subject/Course Level: Earth and Planetary Science/Undergraduate
Grading/Final exam status: Letter grade. Final exam required, with common exam group.
Instructor: David Romps
Terms offered: Prior to 2007
A science-based course on the most significant eruptions Earth has produced. Most eruptions discussed will be from within historic time and will involve information from geology (volcanology), geography, archaeology, history, art, and paleoenvironmental records such as tree-rings and ice-cores. After a two-class introduction to volcanoes, volcanic activity, and volcanology, and the hazards vs benefits of eruptions, each class will feature one of more eruptions of different types from around the world. A science-based interpretation of the eruptions and effects on human-kind and the environment, will be presented. Class participants will learn about one type of natural hazard, its causes, and the variability of volcanism on Earth.
Earth's Greatest Volcanic Eruptions: Read More [+]
Hours & Format
Summer: 6 weeks - 8 hours of lecture per week
Additional Details
Subject/Course Level: Earth and Planetary Science/Undergraduate
Grading/Final exam status: Letter grade. Final exam required.
Instructors: Self, Manga
Terms offered: Spring 2025, Spring 2024, Spring 2023
A tour of the mysteries and inner workings of our solar system. What are planets made of? Why do they orbit the sun the way they do? How do planets form, and what are they made of? Why do some bizarre moons have oceans, volcanoes, and ice floes? What makes the Earth hospitable for life? Is the Earth a common type of planet or some cosmic quirk? This course will introduce basic physics, chemistry, and math to understand planets, moons, rings, comets, asteroids, atmospheres, and oceans. Understanding other worlds will help us save our own planet and help us understand our place in the universe.
The Planets: Read More [+]
Hours & Format
Fall and/or spring: 15 weeks - 3 hours of lecture and 1 hour of discussion per week
Summer: 6 weeks - 7.5 hours of lecture and 2.5 hours of discussion per week
Additional Details
Subject/Course Level: Earth and Planetary Science/Undergraduate
Grading/Final exam status: Letter grade. Final exam required.
Instructors: Jeanloz, Dressing
Also listed as: ASTRON C12/L & S C70T
Terms offered: Summer 2024 8 Week Session, Summer 2023 8 Week Session, Summer 2022 8 Week Session
A tour of the mysteries and inner workings of our solar system. What are planets made of? Why do they orbit the sun the way they do? How do planets form, and what are they made of? Why do some bizarre moons have oceans, volcanoes, and ice floes? What makes the Earth hospitable for life? Is the Earth a common type of planet or some cosmic quirk? This course will introduce basic physics, chemistry, and math to understand planets, moons, rings, comets, asteroids, atmospheres, and oceans. Understanding other worlds will help us save our own planet and help us understand our place in the universe. This course is web-based.
The Planets: Read More [+]
Hours & Format
Summer: 8 weeks - 6 hours of web-based lecture per week
Online: This is an online course.
Additional Details
Subject/Course Level: Earth and Planetary Science/Undergraduate
Grading/Final exam status: Letter grade. Final exam required.
Instructor: Militzer
Formerly known as: Astronomy W12/Earth and Planetary Science W12
Also listed as: ASTRON W12
Terms offered: Summer 2024 First 6 Week Session, Summer 2024 Second 6 Week Session, Summer 2023 Second 6 Week Session
Introduction to earthquakes, their causes and effects. General discussion of basic principles and methods of seismology and geological tectonics, distribution of earthquakes in space and time, effects of earthquakes, and earthquake hazard and risk, with particular emphasis on the situation in California.
Earthquakes in Your Backyard: Read More [+]
Hours & Format
Fall and/or spring: 15 weeks - 2 hours of lecture per week
Summer: 6 weeks - 5 hours of lecture per week
Additional Details
Subject/Course Level: Earth and Planetary Science/Undergraduate
Grading/Final exam status: Letter grade. Final exam required.
Formerly known as: Geophysics 20
Terms offered: Spring 2025, Fall 2024, Spring 2024
Introduction to earthquakes, their causes and effects. General discussion of basic principles and methods of seismology and geological tectonics, distribution of earthquakes in space and time, effects of earthquakes, and earthquake hazard and risk, with particular emphasis on the situation in California.
Earthquakes in Your Backyard: Read More [+]
Hours & Format
Fall and/or spring: 15 weeks - 2-3 hours of lecture and 1-0 hours of discussion per week
Summer: 6 weeks - 7.5 hours of lecture and 1 hour of discussion per week
Additional Details
Subject/Course Level: Earth and Planetary Science/Undergraduate
Grading/Final exam status: Letter grade. Final exam required.
Also listed as: L & S C70Y
Terms offered: Spring 2025, Fall 2023, Fall 2022
The freshman seminar in earth and planetary science is designed to provide new students with an opportunity to explore a topic in geology or earth sciences with a faculty member in a small seminar setting. Topics will vary from semester to semester but will include such possible topics as great voyages of geologic discovery and the role of atmospheric sciences in geologic study.
Freshman Seminar in Earth and Planetary Sciences: Read More [+]
Rules & Requirements
Repeat rules: Course may be repeated for credit when topic changes.
Hours & Format
Fall and/or spring: 15 weeks - 1 hour of seminar per week
Additional Details
Subject/Course Level: Earth and Planetary Science/Undergraduate
Grading/Final exam status: The grading option will be decided by the instructor when the class is offered. Final Exam To be decided by the instructor when the class is offered.
Formerly known as: Geology 24
Freshman Seminar in Earth and Planetary Sciences: Read Less [-]
Terms offered: Spring 2022, Fall 2019, Spring 2019
Freshman and sophomore seminars offer lower division students the opportunity to explore an intellectual topic with a faculty member and a group of peers in a small-seminar setting. These seminars are offered in all campus departments; topics vary from department to department and from semester to semester.
Freshman/Sophomore Seminar: Read More [+]
Rules & Requirements
Prerequisites: Priority given to freshmen and sophomores
Repeat rules: Course may be repeated for credit without restriction.
Hours & Format
Fall and/or spring: 15 weeks - 2 hours of seminar per week
Additional Details
Subject/Course Level: Earth and Planetary Science/Undergraduate
Grading/Final exam status: The grading option will be decided by the instructor when the class is offered. Final Exam To be decided by the instructor when the class is offered.
Formerly known as: Geology 39
Terms offered: Spring 2018, Spring 2017, Spring 2016
Freshman and sophomore seminars offer lower division students the opportunity to explore an intellectual topic with a faculty member and a group of peers in a small-seminar setting. These seminars are offered in all campus departments; topics vary from department to department and from semester to semester.
Freshman/Sophomore Seminar: Read More [+]
Rules & Requirements
Prerequisites: Priority given to freshmen and sophomores
Repeat rules: Course may be repeated for credit without restriction.
Hours & Format
Fall and/or spring: 15 weeks - 2-4 hours of seminar per week
Summer: 6 weeks - 5-10 hours of seminar per week
Additional Details
Subject/Course Level: Earth and Planetary Science/Undergraduate
Grading/Final exam status: The grading option will be decided by the instructor when the class is offered. Final exam required.
Formerly known as: Geology 39
Terms offered: Spring 2025, Fall 2024, Spring 2024
An introduction to the physical and chemical processes that have shaped the earth through time, with emphasis on the theory of plate tectonics. Laboratory work will involve the practical study of minerals, rocks, and geologic maps and exercises on geological processes.
The Planet Earth: Read More [+]
Hours & Format
Fall and/or spring: 15 weeks - 3 hours of lecture and 3 hours of laboratory per week
Summer: 8 weeks - 7.5 hours of lecture and 7.5 hours of laboratory per week
Additional Details
Subject/Course Level: Earth and Planetary Science/Undergraduate
Grading/Final exam status: Letter grade. Final exam required.
Formerly known as: Geology 50
Terms offered: Fall 2024, Summer 2024 Second 6 Week Session, Fall 2023
This course focuses on the processes on and in the earth that shape the environment. Humanity's use of land and oceans is examined based on an understanding of these processes.
Environmental Earth Sciences: Read More [+]
Rules & Requirements
Credit Restrictions: Students will receive no credit for 80 after taking Integrative Biology 80 or Paleontology 15.
Hours & Format
Fall and/or spring: 15 weeks - 3 hours of lecture per week
Summer: 6 weeks - 7.5 hours of lecture per week
Additional Details
Subject/Course Level: Earth and Planetary Science/Undergraduate
Grading/Final exam status: Letter grade. Final exam required.
Terms offered: Spring 2025, Spring 2024, Spring 2023
This course provides a fundamental understanding of the extreme weather and climate variability that have affected Earth in recent decades. We begin with an overview of fire weather and hurricanes, using these phenomena to explore general principles that are also relevant to drought, tornadoes, and other extreme weather. Then we examine how atmospheric composition, planetary orbits, and radiation control global climate, and how all of these influence extreme weather. Additional topics include prediction of complex systems, chaos theory, feedbacks, instability, atmospheric aerosols, and air pollution. We use the atmospheres of other planets for comparison, learning more about Earth by seeing just how different planetary climate can be.
Extreme Weather and Climate: Read More [+]
Hours & Format
Fall and/or spring: 15 weeks - 3 hours of lecture per week
Additional Details
Subject/Course Level: Earth and Planetary Science/Undergraduate
Grading/Final exam status: Letter grade. Final exam required.
Instructor: Boos
Terms offered: Fall 2024, Fall 2023, Fall 2022
This course offers multidisciplinary approach to begin answering the question "Why are oceans important to us?" Upon a physical, chemical, and geologic base, we introduce the alien world of sea life, the importance of the ocean to the global carbon cycle, and the principles of ecology with a focus on the important concept of energy flow through food webs. Lectures expand beyond science to include current topics as diverse as music, movies, mythology, biomechanics, policy, and trade.
Oceans: Read More [+]
Rules & Requirements
Credit Restrictions: Students will receive no credit for EPS 82 after completing EPS N82.
Hours & Format
Fall and/or spring:
15 weeks - 3 hours of lecture and 1 hour of discussion per week
15 weeks - 3 hours of lecture and 1 hour of discussion per week
Summer:
6 weeks - 7.5 hours of lecture and 2.5 hours of discussion per week
8 weeks - 5.5 hours of lecture and 1.5 hours of discussion per week
Additional Details
Subject/Course Level: Earth and Planetary Science/Undergraduate
Grading/Final exam status: Letter grade. Final exam required.
Instructor: Edwards
Formerly known as: Earth and Planetary Science C82/Integrative Biology C82
Terms offered: Summer 2024 First 6 Week Session, Summer 2024 Second 6 Week Session, Summer 2023 Second 6 Week Session
The geology, physics, chemistry, and biology of the world oceans. The application of oceanographic sciences to human problems will be explored through special topics such as energy from the sea, marine pollution, food from the sea, and climate change.
Introduction to Oceans: Read More [+]
Rules & Requirements
Credit Restrictions: Students will receive no credit for Earth and Planetary Science N82 after taking Earth and Planetary Science/Integrative Biology/Geography C82.
Hours & Format
Summer:
6 weeks - 6 hours of lecture per week
8 weeks - 6 hours of lecture per week
Additional Details
Subject/Course Level: Earth and Planetary Science/Undergraduate
Grading/Final exam status: Letter grade. Final exam not required.
Terms offered: Spring 2013, Fall 2012, Spring 2012
Sophomore seminars are small interactive courses offered by faculty members in departments all across the campus. Sophomore seminars offer opportunity for close, regular intellectual contact between faculty members and students in the crucial second year. The topics vary from department to department and semester to semester. Enrollment limited to 15 sophomores.
Sophomore Seminar: Read More [+]
Rules & Requirements
Prerequisites: At discretion of instructor
Repeat rules: Course may be repeated for credit when topic changes.
Hours & Format
Fall and/or spring:
5 weeks - 3-6 hours of seminar per week
10 weeks - 1.5-3 hours of seminar per week
15 weeks - 1-2 hours of seminar per week
Summer:
6 weeks - 2.5-5 hours of seminar per week
8 weeks - 1.5-3.5 hours of seminar and 2-4 hours of seminar per week
Additional Details
Subject/Course Level: Earth and Planetary Science/Undergraduate
Grading/Final exam status: The grading option will be decided by the instructor when the class is offered. Final exam required.
Terms offered: Spring 2025, Fall 2024, Fall 2023
Earthquakes and El Ninos are examples of natural hazards in California. The course uses Python/Jupyter Notebook and real-world observations to introduce students to these and other Earth phenomena and their underlying physics. The students will learn how to access and visualize the data, extract signals, and make probability forecasts. The final module is a project that synthesizes the course material to make a probabilistic forecast. The course will be co-taught by a team of EPS faculty, and the focus of each semester will depend on the expertise of the faculty in charge.
PyEarth: A Python Introduction to Earth Science: Read More [+]
Hours & Format
Fall and/or spring: 15 weeks - 2 hours of lecture per week
Additional Details
Subject/Course Level: Earth and Planetary Science/Undergraduate
Grading/Final exam status: Letter grade. Alternate method of final assessment during regularly scheduled final exam group (e.g., presentation, final project, etc.).
Instructors: Fung, Boos, Dreger
PyEarth: A Python Introduction to Earth Science: Read Less [-]
Terms offered: Spring 2012, Spring 2009, Spring 2008
Group studies of selected topics which vary from semester to semester.
Directed Group Study: Read More [+]
Rules & Requirements
Repeat rules: Course may be repeated for credit without restriction.
Hours & Format
Fall and/or spring: 15 weeks - 1-4 hours of directed group study per week
Additional Details
Subject/Course Level: Earth and Planetary Science/Undergraduate
Grading/Final exam status: Offered for pass/not pass grade only. Final exam not required.
Formerly known as: Geology and Geophysics 98
Terms offered: Fall 2024, Fall 2023, Fall 2022
Introduction to structural, compositional, and physical properties of minerals, their analogs and related substances, their genesis in various geological and synthetic processes, and laboratory techniques to identify and investigate minerals. One field trip to selected mineral deposits and visits to laboratories.
Minerals: Their Constitution and Origin: Read More [+]
Rules & Requirements
Prerequisites: Some background in chemistry and physics
Hours & Format
Fall and/or spring: 15 weeks - 2 hours of lecture and 6 hours of laboratory per week
Additional Details
Subject/Course Level: Earth and Planetary Science/Undergraduate
Grading/Final exam status: Letter grade. Final exam required.
Formerly known as: Geology 100A
Terms offered: Spring 2025, Spring 2024, Spring 2023
Introduction to the principal geologic environments where rocks are formed and displayed. Igneous, sedimentary, and metamorphic processes discussed in the context of global tectonics.
Genesis and Interpretation of Rocks: Read More [+]
Hours & Format
Fall and/or spring: 15 weeks - 2 hours of lecture and 4 hours of laboratory per week
Additional Details
Subject/Course Level: Earth and Planetary Science/Undergraduate
Grading/Final exam status: Letter grade. Final exam required.
Formerly known as: Geology 100B
Terms offered: Spring 2020, Spring 2018, Spring 2016, Spring 2015
For undergraduates interested in improving their ability to communicate their scientific knowledge by teaching ocean science in elementary schools or science centers/aquariums. The course will combine instruction in inquiry-based teaching methods and learning pedagogy with six weeks of supervised teaching experience in a local school classroom or the Lawrence Hall of Science with a partner. Thus, students will practice communicating scientific knowledge and receive mentoring on how to improve their presentations.
Communicating Ocean Science: Read More [+]
Rules & Requirements
Prerequisites: One course in introductory biology, geology, chemistry, physics, or marine science required and interest in ocean science; junior, senior, or graduate standing; consent of instructor required for sophomores
Hours & Format
Fall and/or spring: 15 weeks - 3 hours of lecture and 2 hours of fieldwork per week
Additional Details
Subject/Course Level: Earth and Planetary Science/Undergraduate
Grading/Final exam status: Letter grade. Final exam required.
Instructor: Rhew
Formerly known as: Earth and Planetary Science C100/Geography C146/Integrative Biology C100
Also listed as: GEOG C146/INTEGBI C100
Terms offered: Fall 2024, Fall 2023, Fall 2022
Geological mapping, field observation, and problem-solving in the Berkeley hills and environs leading to original interpretation of geological processes and history from stratigraphic, structural, and lithological investigations. Integration of the Berkeley hills geology into the Coast Ranges and California as a whole through field trips to key localities. Training in digital field mapping, global positioning systems, and laser surveying. Interdisciplinary focus encourages participation by nonmajors.
Field Geology and Digital Mapping: Read More [+]
Rules & Requirements
Prerequisites: 50 or equivalent introductory course in Earth and Planetary Science
Hours & Format
Fall and/or spring: 15 weeks - 7 hours of fieldwork and 2 hours of lecture per week
Additional Details
Subject/Course Level: Earth and Planetary Science/Undergraduate
Grading/Final exam status: Letter grade. Final exam not required.
Formerly known as: Geology 101
Terms offered: Fall 2024, Fall 2023, Fall 2022
Formation and evolution of the earth. Nucleosynthesis; formation of the solar system; planetary accretion; dating the earth and solar system; formation of the core, mantle, oceans, and atmosphere; plate tectonics; heat transfer and internal dynamics; stratigraphic record of environment, and evolution; climate history and climate change.
History and Evolution of Planet Earth: Read More [+]
Rules & Requirements
Prerequisites: 50
Hours & Format
Fall and/or spring: 15 weeks - 3 hours of lecture and 1 hour of discussion per week
Additional Details
Subject/Course Level: Earth and Planetary Science/Undergraduate
Grading/Final exam status: Letter grade. Final exam required.
Terms offered: Spring 2025, Spring 2024, Spring 2023
Introduction to marine geochemistry: the global water cycle; processes governing the distribution of chemical species within the hydrosphere; ocean circulation; chemical mass balances, fluxes, and reactions in the marine environment from global to submicron scales; carbon system equilibrium chemistry and biogeochemistry of fresh and salt walter; applications of natural and anthropogenic stable and radioactive tracers; internal ocean processes. Students participate in a one day field trip to sample and analyze waters in the vicinity of Tomales Bay and Point Reyes.
3 hours of lecture and 1.5 hours of discussion week, and a 10 hour field trip.
Introduction to Aquatic and Marine Geochemistry: Read More [+]
Rules & Requirements
Prerequisites: Chemistry 1A, Mathematics 1A or 16A. C82 recommended
Hours & Format
Fall and/or spring: 15 weeks - 3 hours of lecture and 1 hour of discussion per week
Additional Details
Subject/Course Level: Earth and Planetary Science/Undergraduate
Grading/Final exam status: Letter grade. Final exam required.
Instructor: Bishop
Introduction to Aquatic and Marine Geochemistry: Read Less [-]
Terms offered: Spring 2025, Spring 2024, Spring 2023
Linear systems. Linear inverse problems, least squares; generalized inverse, resolution; Fourier series, integral transforms; time series analysis, spherical harmonics; partial differntial equations of geophysics; functions of a complex variable; probability and significance tests, maximum likelihood methods. Intended for students in geophysics and other physical sciences.
Mathematical Methods in Geophysics: Read More [+]
Rules & Requirements
Prerequisites: Mathematics 53-54
Hours & Format
Fall and/or spring: 15 weeks - 3 hours of lecture and 1 hour of laboratory per week
Additional Details
Subject/Course Level: Earth and Planetary Science/Undergraduate
Grading/Final exam status: Letter grade. Final exam required.
Formerly known as: Geophysics 104
Terms offered: Spring 2025, Spring 2023, Spring 2021
Basic principles in studying the physical properties of earth materials and the dynamic processes of the earth. Examples are drawn from tectonics, mechanics of earthquakes, etc., to augment course material.
Geodynamics: Read More [+]
Rules & Requirements
Prerequisites: EPS 50, Physics 7A, or Mathematics 53, 54
Hours & Format
Fall and/or spring: 15 weeks - 3 hours of lecture and 1 hour of discussion per week
Additional Details
Subject/Course Level: Earth and Planetary Science/Undergraduate
Grading/Final exam status: Letter grade. Final exam required.
Terms offered: Fall 2023, Fall 2022, Fall 2021
Introduction to modern computer simulation methods and their application to selected Earth and Planetary Science problems. In hands-on computer labs, students will learn about numerical algorithms, learn to program and modify provided programs, and display the solution graphically. This is an introductory course and no programming experience is required. Examples include fractals in geophysics, properties of materials at high pressure, celestial mechanics, and diffusion processes in the Earth. Topics range from ordinary and partial differential equations to molecular dynamics and Monte Carlo simulations.
Computer Simulations with Jupyter Notebooks: Read More [+]
Rules & Requirements
Prerequisites: Math 1A or equivalent
Hours & Format
Fall and/or spring: 15 weeks - 2 hours of lecture and 2 hours of laboratory per week
Additional Details
Subject/Course Level: Earth and Planetary Science/Undergraduate
Grading/Final exam status: Letter grade. Final exam required.
Terms offered: Spring 2025, Spring 2024, Spring 2023
We will survey the biological oceanography underlying geochemical transformations in the sea. Students will develop a strong understanding of evolution, the central dogma of molecular biology, cell structure across the domains of life, population ecology, the metabolic strategies employed by marine organisms, and the biomarkers of life in the ocean. These biological concepts will be the foundation for understanding geochemical shifts as the earth was oxygenated, changes in inorganic nutrient pools with depth and location, nitrogen cycling, Southern Ocean silica leakage, the cryptic sulfur cycle, redox chemistry leveraged by organisms at hydrothermal vents, and the biological carbon pump.
Biological Oceanography and Biogeochemistry: Read More [+]
Hours & Format
Fall and/or spring: 15 weeks - 3 hours of lecture and 1 hour of discussion per week
Additional Details
Subject/Course Level: Earth and Planetary Science/Undergraduate
Grading/Final exam status: Letter grade. Final exam required.
Terms offered: Spring 2025, Spring 2022, Spring 2020
Collecting, analyzing, and presenting stratigraphic data; dating and correlating sedimentary rocks; recognizing ancient environments and reconstructing Earth history; seismic and sequence stratigraphy; event stratigraphy and neocatastrophism; applications of stratigraphy to climate change, petroleum geology, and archaeology.
Stratigraphy and Earth History: Read More [+]
Rules & Requirements
Prerequisites: 50, 100A, 100B, or consent of instructor
Hours & Format
Fall and/or spring: 15 weeks - 3 hours of lecture per week
Additional Details
Subject/Course Level: Earth and Planetary Science/Undergraduate
Grading/Final exam status: Letter grade. Final exam required.
Instructor: Alvarez
Formerly known as: Geology 115
Terms offered: Fall 2024, Fall 2022, Fall 2020
Introduction to the geometry and mechanics of brittle and ductile geologic structures; their origins and genetic relation to stress fields and their use as kinematic indicators; case histories of selected regions to elucidate tectonic evolution in different plate tectonic settings. Laboratory exercises will focus on analysis of hand specimens and structural relations portrayed on geologic maps. Several trips to observe geologic structures in the field to supplement laboratory exercises.
Structural Geology and Tectonics: Read More [+]
Rules & Requirements
Prerequisites: 50
Hours & Format
Fall and/or spring: 15 weeks - 2 hours of lecture and 2 hours of laboratory per week
Additional Details
Subject/Course Level: Earth and Planetary Science/Undergraduate
Grading/Final exam status: Letter grade. Alternative to final exam.
Instructor: Burgmann
Terms offered: Fall 2024, Fall 2023, Fall 2022
Quantitative examination of landforms, runoff generation, weathering, mechanics of soil erosion by water and wind, mass wasting, glacial and periglacial processes and hillslope evolution.
Geomorphology: Read More [+]
Rules & Requirements
Prerequisites: Consent of instructor
Hours & Format
Fall and/or spring: 15 weeks - 3 hours of lecture and 3 hours of laboratory per week
Additional Details
Subject/Course Level: Earth and Planetary Science/Undergraduate
Grading/Final exam status: Letter grade. Final exam required.
Formerly known as: Geology 117
Terms offered: Spring 2025, Spring 2024, Spring 2022
Advanced geological mapping, intensive field observation, and problem solving in the field areas selected by instructors. Includes preparation of final reports.
Advanced Field Course: Read More [+]
Rules & Requirements
Prerequisites: 50, 100A-100B, 101, or consent of instructor; 119 is strongly recommended
Hours & Format
Fall and/or spring: 15 weeks - 3 hours of lecture and 2 hours of discussion per week
Summer: 6 weeks - 7.5 hours of lecture and 5 hours of discussion per week
Additional Details
Subject/Course Level: Earth and Planetary Science/Undergraduate
Grading/Final exam status: Letter grade. Final exam not required.
Instructor: Brimhall
Formerly known as: Geology 118
Terms offered: Spring 2025, Fall 2023, Fall 2021
Two to four weekend field trips to localities of geological interest.
Geologic Field Studies: Read More [+]
Rules & Requirements
Prerequisites: 101 and consent of instructor
Repeat rules: Course may be repeated for credit without restriction.
Hours & Format
Fall and/or spring: 15 weeks - 0 hours of fieldwork per week
Additional Details
Subject/Course Level: Earth and Planetary Science/Undergraduate
Grading/Final exam status: Letter grade. Final exam not required.
Formerly known as: Geology 119
Terms offered: Spring 2024, Spring 2022, Spring 2020
Gravity field, density distribution, and internal seismic structure of the Earth and planets. Constitution, composition, temperature distribution, and energetics of the Earth's interior. The geomagnetic field and the geodynamo, and concepts in seismic imaging and geophysical fluid dynamics. This
course welcomes physics, computer science, engineering and applied maths majors.
Physics of the Earth and Planetary Interiors: Read More [+]
Rules & Requirements
Prerequisites: Physics 7A-B, Mathematics 53-54, or equivalent
Hours & Format
Fall and/or spring: 15 weeks - 3 hours of lecture per week
Additional Details
Subject/Course Level: Earth and Planetary Science/Undergraduate
Grading/Final exam status: Letter grade. Alternative to final exam.
Terms offered: Spring 2025, Spring 2023, Spring 2021
An overview of the use of natural isotopic variations to study earth, planetary, and environmental problems. Topics include geochronology, cosmogenic isotope studies of surficial processes, radiocarbon and the carbon cycle, water isotopes in the water cycle, and radiogenic and stable isotope studies of planetary evolution, mantle dynamics, volcanoes, groundwater, and geothermal systems. The course begins with a short introduction to nuclear processes and includes simple mathematical models used in isotope geochemistry.
Isotopic Geochemistry: Read More [+]
Rules & Requirements
Prerequisites: Chemistry 1A-1B, Mathematics 1A-1B
Hours & Format
Fall and/or spring: 15 weeks - 3 hours of lecture and 1 hour of discussion per week
Additional Details
Subject/Course Level: Earth and Planetary Science/Undergraduate
Grading/Final exam status: Letter grade. Final exam required.
Instructor: David Shuster
Terms offered: Spring 2025, Spring 2024, Spring 2022
This course provides an introduction to the principles of stable isotope geochemistry and the application of these principles to problems in Earth and planetary science. This course provides a foundation for the physical, chemical, and biological processes that cause isotopes to fractionate in nature including the kinetic theory of gases, equilibrium thermodynamics, and the kinetics of chemical reactions. These principles will be applied to the study of problems related to the water cycle, paleoclimate, igneous petrology, biogeochemical cycles in the past and present, and planetary science.
Stable Isotope Geochemistry: Read More [+]
Hours & Format
Fall and/or spring: 15 weeks - 3 hours of lecture and 1 hour of discussion per week
Additional Details
Subject/Course Level: Earth and Planetary Science/Undergraduate
Grading/Final exam status: Letter grade. Final exam required.
Instructor: Stolper
Terms offered: Fall 2024, Fall 2022, Fall 2020
This course describes how the physical environment (light, wind, temperature, humidity) of plants and soil affects the physiological status of plants and how plants affect their physical environment. Using experimental data and theory, it examines physical, biological, and chemical processes affecting transfer of momentum, energy, and material (water, CO2, atmospheric trace gases) between vegetation and the atmosphere. Plant biometeorology instrumentation and measurements are also discussed.
Biometeorology: Read More [+]
Hours & Format
Fall and/or spring: 15 weeks - 3 hours of lecture per week
Additional Details
Subject/Course Level: Earth and Planetary Science/Undergraduate
Grading/Final exam status: Letter grade. Final exam required.
Instructor: Baldocchi
Also listed as: ESPM C129
Terms offered: Spring 2025, Spring 2024, Spring 2023
Generation of seismic waves. Synthetic accelerograms. Instrumentation to measure strong ground motion. Estimation of seismic motion at a site. Ground motion spectra. Influence of soils and geologic structures. Seismic risk mapping.
Strong Motion Seismology: Read More [+]
Rules & Requirements
Prerequisites: Mathematics 54, or equivalent and consent of instructor
Hours & Format
Fall and/or spring: 15 weeks - 3 hours of lecture per week
Additional Details
Subject/Course Level: Earth and Planetary Science/Undergraduate
Grading/Final exam status: Letter grade. Final exam required.
Formerly known as: Geophysics 130
Terms offered: Fall 2024, Fall 2023, Fall 2022
Chemical reactions in geological processes. Thermodynamic methods for predicting chemical equilibria in nature. Isotopic and chemical tracers of transport processes in the earth. Chemistry of the solid earth, oceans, and atmosphere.
Geochemistry: Read More [+]
Rules & Requirements
Prerequisites: 100A-100B, Chemistry 1A-1B
Hours & Format
Fall and/or spring: 15 weeks - 3 hours of lecture and 1 hour of discussion per week
Additional Details
Subject/Course Level: Earth and Planetary Science/Undergraduate
Grading/Final exam status: Letter grade. Final exam required.
Instructor: David Shuster
Terms offered: Spring 2025, Fall 2024, Spring 2024
Analysis and discussion of three research problems on the interactions of solid earth, hydrologic, chemical, and atmospheric processes. Emphasis is on the synthesis and application of the student's disciplinary knowledge to a new integrative problem in the earth sciences.
Case Studies in Earth Systems: Read More [+]
Rules & Requirements
Prerequisites: 50, senior standing or consent of instructor
Hours & Format
Fall and/or spring: 15 weeks - 2 hours of lecture per week
Additional Details
Subject/Course Level: Earth and Planetary Science/Undergraduate
Grading/Final exam status: Letter grade. Final exam not required.
Terms offered: Spring 2025, Spring 2024, Spring 2022
Physics of planetary systems, both solar and extra-solar. Star and planet formation, radioactive dating, small-body dynamics and interaction of radiation with matter, tides, planetary interiors, atmospheres, and magnetospheres. High-quality oral presentations may be required in addition to problem sets and a final exam.
Planetary Astrophysics: Read More [+]
Rules & Requirements
Prerequisites: Mathematics 53, 54; Physics 7A-7B-7C
Hours & Format
Fall and/or spring: 15 weeks - 3 hours of lecture per week
Additional Details
Subject/Course Level: Earth and Planetary Science/Undergraduate
Grading/Final exam status: Letter grade. Final exam required.
Instructors: Chiang, Dressing, Militzer
Also listed as: ASTRON C162
Terms offered: Fall 2024, Fall 2022, Fall 2021
The theory and practice of geophysical methods for determining the subsurface distribution of physical rock and soil properties. Measurements of gravity and magnetic fields, electrical and electromagnetic fields, and seismic velocity are interpreted to map the subsurface distribution of density, magnetic susceptibility, electrical conductivity, and mechanical properties.
Applied Geophysics: Read More [+]
Hours & Format
Fall and/or spring: 15 weeks - 2 hours of lecture per week
Additional Details
Subject/Course Level: Earth and Planetary Science/Undergraduate
Grading/Final exam status: Letter grade. Final exam required.
Instructor: Rector
Also listed as: CIV ENG C178
Terms offered: Spring 2025, Spring 2024, Spring 2023, Spring 2022
This course is an introduction to air pollution and the chemistry of earth's atmosphere. We will focus on the fundamental natural processes controlling trace gas and aerosol concentrations in the atmosphere, and how anthropogenic activity has affected those processes at the local, regional, and global scales. Specific topics include stratospheric ozone depletion, increasing concentrations of green house gasses, smog, and changes in the oxidation capacity of the troposphere.
Air Pollution: Read More [+]
Rules & Requirements
Prerequisites: CHEM 1A, CHEM 1B, and PHYSICS 8A or consent of instructor
Hours & Format
Fall and/or spring: 15 weeks - 3 hours of lecture and 1 hour of discussion per week
Additional Details
Subject/Course Level: Earth and Planetary Science/Undergraduate
Grading/Final exam status: Letter grade. Final exam required.
Instructor: Goldstein
Also listed as: CIV ENG C106/ESPM C180
Terms offered: Fall 2024, Fall 2023, Fall 2022, Fall 2020
This course examines the processes that determine the structure and circulation of the Earth's atmosphere and ocean, and how they control regional and global climate. The approach is deductive rather than descriptive: to determine the properties and behavior of the atmosphere and ocean based on the laws of physics and fluid dynamics. Topics will include interaction between radiation and atmospheric composition; the role of water in the energy and radiation balance; governing equations for atmospheric and oceanic motion, mass conservation, and thermodynamic energy balance; geostrophic flow, quasigeostrophic motion, baroclinic instability, and dynamics of extratropical cyclones and wind-driven ocean gyres.
Atmosphere, Ocean, and Climate Dynamics: Read More [+]
Rules & Requirements
Prerequisites: Mathematics 53, 54; Physics 7A-7B-7C
Hours & Format
Fall and/or spring: 15 weeks - 3 hours of lecture and 1 hour of discussion per week
Additional Details
Subject/Course Level: Earth and Planetary Science/Undergraduate
Grading/Final exam status: Letter grade. Final exam required.
Instructors: Chiang, Fung, Boos
Also listed as: GEOG C139
Terms offered: Spring 2024, Spring 2023, Spring 2022
Fluid dynamics, radiative transfer, and the kinetics, spectroscopy, and measurement of atmospherically relevant species are explored through laboratory experiments, numerical simulations, and field observations.
Atmospheric Chemistry and Physics Laboratory: Read More [+]
Rules & Requirements
Prerequisites: Earth and Planetary Science 50 and 102 with grades of C- or higher (one of which may be taken concurrently) or two of the following: Chemistry 120A, 120B, C130, or 130B with grades of C- or higher (one of which may be taken concurrently)
Credit Restrictions: Deficiency in C182 may be removed by successfully completing 125. Consent of instructor is required to enroll in C182 after completing 125.
Hours & Format
Fall and/or spring: 15 weeks - 1.5 hours of lecture and 5 hours of laboratory per week
Additional Details
Subject/Course Level: Earth and Planetary Science/Undergraduate
Grading/Final exam status: Letter grade. Final exam required.
Formerly known as: Chemistry C182/Earth and Planetary Science C182
Also listed as: CHEM C182
Terms offered: Spring 2025, Fall 2023, Fall 2021
The focus is the (unsolved) puzzle of the contemporary carbon cycle. Why is the concentration of atmospheric CO2 changing at the rate observed? What are the terrestrial and oceanic processes that add and remove carbon from the atmosphere? What are the carbon management strategies under discussion? How can emission protocols be verified? Students are encouraged to gain hands-on experience with the available data, and learn modeling skills to evaluate hypotheses of carbon sources and sinks.
Carbon Cycle Dynamics: Read More [+]
Hours & Format
Fall and/or spring: 15 weeks - 3 hours of lecture per week
Additional Details
Subject/Course Level: Earth and Planetary Science/Undergraduate
Grading/Final exam status: Letter grade. Final exam not required.
Instructor: Fung
Also listed as: ESPM C170
Terms offered: Fall 2024, Fall 2014, Spring 2013
Original research and preparation of an acceptable thesis. May be taken during two consecutive semesters of senior year and may be substituted for six units of the upper division requirement with consent of major adviser.
Senior Honors Course: Read More [+]
Rules & Requirements
Prerequisites: Limited to honors candidates
Repeat rules: Course may be repeated for credit up to a total of 6 units.
Hours & Format
Fall and/or spring: 15 weeks - 0-0 hours of independent study per week
Summer:
6 weeks - 0-0 hours of independent study per week
8 weeks - 0-0 hours of independent study per week
Additional Details
Subject/Course Level: Earth and Planetary Science/Undergraduate
Grading/Final exam status: Letter grade. Final exam not required.
Terms offered: Fall 2010
Written proposal signed by faculty sponsor and approved by major faculty advisor. Supervised experience relevant to specific aspects of students' EPS specialization in off-campus organization. Regular meetings with faculty sponsor and written report required.
Field Study: Read More [+]
Rules & Requirements
Prerequisites: Upper division standing and declared major in Earth and Planetary Science
Credit Restrictions: Enrollment is restricted; see the Introduction to Courses and Curricula section of this catalog.
Repeat rules: Course may be repeated for credit without restriction.
Hours & Format
Fall and/or spring: 15 weeks - 3-12 hours of fieldwork per week
Summer:
6 weeks - 7.5-30 hours of fieldwork per week
8 weeks - 6-24 hours of fieldwork per week
10 weeks - 4.5-18 hours of fieldwork per week
Additional Details
Subject/Course Level: Earth and Planetary Science/Undergraduate
Grading/Final exam status: Offered for pass/not pass grade only. Final exam not required.
Terms offered: Spring 2024, Fall 2023, Spring 2023
Group studies of selected topics which vary from semester to semester.
Directed Group Study: Read More [+]
Rules & Requirements
Repeat rules: Course may be repeated for credit without restriction.
Hours & Format
Fall and/or spring: 15 weeks - 1-4 hours of directed group study per week
Additional Details
Subject/Course Level: Earth and Planetary Science/Undergraduate
Grading/Final exam status: Offered for pass/not pass grade only. Final exam not required.
Formerly known as: Geology 198
Terms offered: Fall 2020, Fall 2015, Spring 2015
Enrollment is restricted by regulations.
Supervised Independent Study and Research: Read More [+]
Rules & Requirements
Repeat rules: Course may be repeated for credit without restriction.
Hours & Format
Fall and/or spring: 15 weeks - 1-4 hours of independent study per week
Summer:
6 weeks - 2.5-10 hours of independent study per week
8 weeks - 1.5-7.5 hours of independent study per week
Additional Details
Subject/Course Level: Earth and Planetary Science/Undergraduate
Grading/Final exam status: Offered for pass/not pass grade only. Final exam not required.
Formerly known as: Geology 199
Terms offered: Spring 2022, Spring 2021, Fall 2019
Current problems in fluid flow, heat flow, and solute transport in the earth. Pressure- and thermal-driven flow, instability, convection, interaction between fluid flow and chemical reactions. Pore pressure; faulting and earthquakes; diagenesis; hydrocarbon migration and trapping; flow-associated mineralization; contaminant problems.
Problems in Hydrogeology: Read More [+]
Rules & Requirements
Prerequisites: Physics 7A-7B, Chemistry 1A-1B, Math 53 and 54; open to senior undergraduates with appropriate prerequisites
Hours & Format
Fall and/or spring: 15 weeks - 3 hours of lecture per week
Additional Details
Subject/Course Level: Earth and Planetary Science/Graduate
Grading: Letter grade.
Formerly known as: Geophysics C200 and Geology C200
Terms offered: Spring 2023, Spring 2022, Spring 2021
Introduction to marine geochemistry: the global water cycle; processes governing the distribution of chemical species within the hydrosphere; ocean circulation; chemical mass balances, fluxes, and reactions in the marine environment from global to submicron scales; carbon system equilibrium chemistry and biogeochemistry of fresh and salt walter; applications of natural and anthropogenic stable and radioactive tracers; internal ocean processes. Students participate in a one day field trip to sample and analyze waters in the vicinity of Tomales Bay and Point Reyes. 3 hours of lecture and 1.5 hours of discussion week, and a 10 hour field trip.
Introduction to Aquatic and Marine Geochemistry: Read More [+]
Rules & Requirements
Prerequisites: Chemistry 1A, Mathematics 1A, or 16A. C82 recommended
Hours & Format
Fall and/or spring: 15 weeks - 3 hours of lecture and 1 hour of discussion per week
Additional Details
Subject/Course Level: Earth and Planetary Science/Graduate
Grading: Letter grade.
Instructor: Bishop
Introduction to Aquatic and Marine Geochemistry: Read Less [-]
Terms offered: Fall 2012, Fall 2007, Fall 2004
Wave propagation in elastic solids; effects of anelasticity and anistropy; representation theorems; reflection and refraction; propagation in layered media; finite-difference and finite-element methods.
Elastic Wave Propagation: Read More [+]
Rules & Requirements
Prerequisites: 104 or equivalent; 121; Physics 105
Hours & Format
Fall and/or spring: 15 weeks - 3 hours of lecture per week
Additional Details
Subject/Course Level: Earth and Planetary Science/Graduate
Grading: Letter grade.
Formerly known as: Geophysics 204
Terms offered: Fall 2023, Spring 2022, Spring 2021
Group problem solving of current seismological topics. Analysis, inversion, and numerical modeling of seismic waveform data to investigate questions regarding the physics of the earthquake source and seismic wave propagation. Application of current developments and techniques in seismological research.
Laboratory in Observational Seismology: Read More [+]
Rules & Requirements
Prerequisites: 121 or 130 or 204 or consent of instructor
Hours & Format
Fall and/or spring: 15 weeks - 3 hours of lecture per week
Additional Details
Subject/Course Level: Earth and Planetary Science/Graduate
Grading: Letter grade.
Formerly known as: Geophysics 207
Terms offered: Spring 2011, Fall 2002
Introduction to Matlab programming with toolboxes. Applications come from Earth sciences and related fields including biology. Topics range from image processing, riverbed characterization, landslide risk analysis, signal processing, geospatial and seismic data analysis, and machine learning to parallel computation. Designed for beginning graduate students.
Matlab Applications in Earth Science: Read More [+]
Rules & Requirements
Prerequisites: Some programming experience in any language
Hours & Format
Fall and/or spring: 15 weeks - 1 hour of lecture and 1 hour of laboratory per week
Additional Details
Subject/Course Level: Earth and Planetary Science/Graduate
Grading: Letter grade.
Terms offered: Fall 2012, Fall 2011, Spring 2010
Overview of geological, petrological, and geochemical analysis of ore forming processes including sedimentary, magmatic, hydrothermal, and geothermal resources. Geochemical rock buffers and hydrothermal phase equilibria. Electro-geochemistry of near surface oxidation of primary ores related to climate change, hydrological evolution, and tectonics. Exploration for earth materials for conventional and sustainable technologies including multiple junction semiconductor photo-voltaic cells. Mass balance modeling of ore-forming systems and soils. Environmental management of exploration sites. Lab includes macroscopic and X-ray identification of ore and alteration minerals and ore microscopy. Field trips use digital GIS mapping methods for rock type, structure, mineralization, and wall rock alteration. Integration interpretation of geophysics with geology.
Exploration, Ore Petrology, and Geochemistry: Read More [+]
Rules & Requirements
Prerequisites: 101 or 271; 100A-100B; 118 recommended
Repeat rules: Course may be repeated for credit without restriction.
Hours & Format
Fall and/or spring: 15 weeks - 3 hours of lecture and 3 hours of laboratory per week
Additional Details
Subject/Course Level: Earth and Planetary Science/Graduate
Grading: Letter grade.
Instructor: Brimhall
Formerly known as: Geology 205
Terms offered: Spring 2011, Spring 2009, Spring 2008
Evolution of the earth in response to internal, surficial and extraterrestrial processes.
Advanced Stratigraphy and Tectonics: Read More [+]
Rules & Requirements
Prerequisites: Consent of instructor
Hours & Format
Fall and/or spring: 15 weeks - 3 hours of seminar per week
Additional Details
Subject/Course Level: Earth and Planetary Science/Graduate
Grading: Letter grade.
Formerly known as: Geology 212
Terms offered: Spring 2025, Spring 2024, Spring 2020
The composition, generation, and cooling of magmas to form igneous rocks. The physical and thermodynamic properties of silicate liquids.
Igneous Petrology: Read More [+]
Rules & Requirements
Prerequisites: Consent of instructor
Hours & Format
Fall and/or spring: 15 weeks - 3 hours of lecture and 4 hours of laboratory per week
Additional Details
Subject/Course Level: Earth and Planetary Science/Graduate
Grading: Letter grade.
Formerly known as: Geology 214
Terms offered: Fall 2023, Fall 2021, Fall 2018
This course is a graduate course designed to introduce students in the earth sciences to the geology of earthquakes, including tectonic geomorphology, paleoseismology and the analysis and interpretation of geodetic measurements of active deformation. While the focus will be primarily on seismically active faults, we will also discuss deformation associated with landslides, regional isostatic rebound, and volcanoes, as well as measurements of global plate motions. We will address methods and applications in paleoseismology, tectonic geomorphology, and geodesy. The course will address measurement techniques (e.g,. GPS, leveling, etc.), data analysis and inversion, and subsequent modeling and interpretation of the data. The integration of geodetic measurements with geologic and seismologic data allows an improved understanding of active processes.
Active Tectonics: Read More [+]
Rules & Requirements
Prerequisites: 116 or equivalent, Physics 7A or equivalent, or consent of instructor
Hours & Format
Fall and/or spring: 15 weeks - 3 hours of lecture per week
Additional Details
Subject/Course Level: Earth and Planetary Science/Graduate
Grading: Letter grade.
Formerly known as: Geology 207
Terms offered: Spring 2020, Spring 2019, Spring 2018
Application of fluid mechanics to sediment transport and development of river morphology. Form and process in river meanders, the pool-riffle sequence, aggradation, grade, and baselevel.
Fluvial Geomorphology: Read More [+]
Rules & Requirements
Prerequisites: Consent of instructor
Repeat rules: Course may be repeated for credit without restriction.
Hours & Format
Fall and/or spring: 15 weeks - 3 hours of lecture and 2 hours of laboratory per week
Additional Details
Subject/Course Level: Earth and Planetary Science/Graduate
Grading: Letter grade.
Formerly known as: Geology 217
Terms offered: Fall 2022, Fall 2021, Spring 2020
A combined seminar and lecture course covering advanced topics related to mineral physics. The interface between geophysics with the other physical sciences is emphasized. Topics vary each semester.
Advanced Concepts in Mineral Physics: Read More [+]
Rules & Requirements
Prerequisites: Consent of instructor
Repeat rules: Course may be repeated for credit without restriction.
Hours & Format
Fall and/or spring: 15 weeks - 3 hours of lecture per week
Additional Details
Subject/Course Level: Earth and Planetary Science/Graduate
Grading: Letter grade.
Formerly known as: Geophysics 220
Terms offered: Spring 2025, Spring 2024, Spring 2023
An overview of the use of natural isotopic variations to study earth, planetary, and environmental problems. Topics include geochronology, cosmogenic isotope studies of surficial processes, radiocarbon and the carbon cycle, water isotopes in the water cycle, and radiogenic and stable isotope studies of planetary evolution, mantle dynamics, volcanoes, groundwater, and geothermal systems. The course begins with a short introduction to nuclear processes and includes simple mathematical models used in isotope geochemistry.
Isotopic Geochemistry: Read More [+]
Rules & Requirements
Prerequisites: Chemistry 1A-1B, Mathematics 1A-1B
Hours & Format
Fall and/or spring: 15 weeks - 3 hours of lecture and 1 hour of discussion per week
Additional Details
Subject/Course Level: Earth and Planetary Science/Graduate
Grading: Letter grade.
Instructor: David Shuster
Terms offered: Spring 2023, Spring 2022, Fall 2021
Analysis of current developments and techniques in experimental and theoretical high-pressure research, with applications in the physical sciences. Topics vary each semester.
Topics in High-Pressure Research: Read More [+]
Rules & Requirements
Prerequisites: Consent of instructor
Repeat rules: Course may be repeated for credit without restriction.
Hours & Format
Fall and/or spring: 15 weeks - 2 hours of lecture per week
Additional Details
Subject/Course Level: Earth and Planetary Science/Graduate
Grading: Letter grade.
Formerly known as: Geophyics 225
Terms offered: Fall 2022, Spring 2021, Spring 2018
This course emphasizes the fundamentals of the climate system via a hierarchy of climate models. Topics will include energy balance, numerical techniques, climate observations, atmospheric and oceanic circulation and heat transports, and parameterizations of eddy processes. The model hierarchy will also explore nonlinear and stochastic processes, and biogeochemistry. Students will build computational models to investigate climate feedbacks, climate sensitivity, and response times.
Introduction to Climate Modeling: Read More [+]
Rules & Requirements
Repeat rules: Course may be repeated for credit with instructor consent.
Hours & Format
Fall and/or spring: 15 weeks - 3 hours of lecture per week
Additional Details
Subject/Course Level: Earth and Planetary Science/Graduate
Grading: Letter grade.
Instructor: Fung
Formerly known as: Earth and Planetary Science C229/Integrative Biology C229
Terms offered: Fall 2023, Fall 2021, Fall 2019
Introduction to role of radiative processes in structure and evolution of the climate system. Electromagnetism; solar and terrestrial radiation; interactions of radiation with Earth's atmosphere, ocean, and land surface; greenhouse and runaway greenhouse effects; radiative balance of the climate system; energy-balance climate models; effects of clouds and aerosols; interactions of radiation with atmospheric and oceanic dynamics; radiative processes and paleoclimate; radiative processes and anthropogenic global warming.
Radiation and Its Interactions with Climate: Read More [+]
Rules & Requirements
Prerequisites: Physics 105, 110A, 110B
Hours & Format
Fall and/or spring: 15 weeks - 3 hours of lecture per week
Additional Details
Subject/Course Level: Earth and Planetary Science/Graduate
Grading: Letter grade.
Instructor: Collins
Terms offered: Fall 2023, Fall 2022, Fall 2021
An advanced course in the application of fluid mechanics in the earth sciences, with emphasis on the design and scaling of laboratory and numerical models. Principals of inviscid and viscous fluid flow; dynamic similarity; boundary layers; convection; instabilities; gravity currents; mixing and chaos; porous flow. Applications to mantle convection, magma dynamics, atmosphere and ocean dynamics, sediment/debris flows, and hydrogeology. Topics may vary from year to year.
Geological Fluid Mechanics: Read More [+]
Rules & Requirements
Prerequisites: Continuum/fluid mechanics at the level of 108 or consent of instructor
Hours & Format
Fall and/or spring: 15 weeks - 3 hours of lecture and 3 hours of laboratory per week
Additional Details
Subject/Course Level: Earth and Planetary Science/Graduate
Grading: Letter grade.
Formerly known as: Geophysics 238
Terms offered: Spring 2024, Spring 2023, Spring 2022, Spring 2021, Spring 2020, Spring 2019, Spring 2016
Course focuses on principles and applications of stable isotope chemistry as applied to the broad science of ecology. Lecture topics include principles of isotope behavior and chemistry, and isotope measurements in the context of terrestrial, aquatic, and marine ecological processes and problems. Students participate in a set of laboratory exercises involving preparation of samples of choice for isotopic analyses, the use of the mass spectrometer and optical analysis systems, and the anlaysis of data.
Stable Isotope Ecology: Read More [+]
Rules & Requirements
Prerequisites: Graduate standing
Hours & Format
Fall and/or spring: 15 weeks - 3 hours of lecture and 3 hours of laboratory per week
Additional Details
Subject/Course Level: Earth and Planetary Science/Graduate
Grading: Letter grade.
Instructors: Amundson, Dawson, Mambelli
Also listed as: ESPM C220/INTEGBI C227
Terms offered: Spring 2024, Spring 2021, Spring 2020, Spring 2018
A review of the mechanics of glacial systems, including formation of ice masses, glacial flow mechanisms, subglacial hydrology, temperature and heat transport, global flow, and response of ice sheets and glaciers. We will use this knowledge to examine glaciers as geomorphologic agents and as participants in climate change.
Glaciology: Read More [+]
Rules & Requirements
Prerequisites: Graduate standing or consent of instructor
Hours & Format
Fall and/or spring: 15 weeks - 3 hours of lecture per week
Additional Details
Subject/Course Level: Earth and Planetary Science/Graduate
Grading: Letter grade.
Instructor: Cuffey
Formerly known as: 241
Also listed as: GEOG C241
Terms offered: Fall 2019, Fall 2018, Fall 2017
The physical foundations of planetary sciences. Topics include planetary interiors and surfaces, planetary atmospheres and magnetospheres, and smaller bodies in our solar system. The physical processes at work are developed in some detail, and an evolutionary picture for our solar system, and each class of objects, is developed. Some discussion of other (potential) planetary systems is also included.
Solar System Astrophysics: Read More [+]
Rules & Requirements
Prerequisites: 149, 169, C160A or consent of instructor
Hours & Format
Fall and/or spring: 15 weeks - 3 hours of lecture per week
Additional Details
Subject/Course Level: Earth and Planetary Science/Graduate
Grading: Letter grade.
Instructors: Chiang, de Pater
Also listed as: ASTRON C249
Terms offered: Fall 2016, Fall 2014, Fall 2013
Review of recent literature and discussion of ongoing research at the interface between earth science and environmental science.
Advanced Topics in Earth and Environmental Sciences: Read More [+]
Rules & Requirements
Prerequisites: Consent of instructor
Repeat rules: Course may be repeated for credit without restriction.
Hours & Format
Fall and/or spring: 15 weeks - 3 hours of seminar per week
Additional Details
Subject/Course Level: Earth and Planetary Science/Graduate
Grading: Letter grade.
Formerly known as: Geology 250
Advanced Topics in Earth and Environmental Sciences: Read Less [-]
Terms offered: Fall 2023, Fall 2021, Spring 2019
In this course, we will focus on the (unsolved) puzzle of the contemporary carbon cycle. Why is the concentration of atmospheric CO2 changing at the rate observed? What are the terrestrial and oceanic processes that add and remove carbon from the atmosphere? What are the processes responsible for long-term storage of carbon on land and in the sea? Emphasis will be placed on the observations and modeling needed to evaluate hypotheses about carbon sources and sinks. Past records will be examined for clues about sensitivity of carbon processes to climate variations.
Carbon Cycle Dynamics: Read More [+]
Hours & Format
Fall and/or spring: 15 weeks - 6 hours of lecture per week
Additional Details
Subject/Course Level: Earth and Planetary Science/Graduate
Grading: Letter grade.
Formerly known as: Geology 219
Terms offered: Spring 2025, Fall 2024, Spring 2024
Lectures on various topics representing current advances in seismology and geophysics, including local crustal and earthquake studies, regional tectonics, structure of the earth's mantle, and core and global dynamics.
Advanced Topics in Seismology and Geophysics: Read More [+]
Rules & Requirements
Repeat rules: Course may be repeated for credit without restriction.
Hours & Format
Fall and/or spring: 15 weeks - 1 hour of lecture per week
Additional Details
Subject/Course Level: Earth and Planetary Science/Graduate
Grading: Letter grade.
Formerly known as: Geophysics 250
Terms offered: Spring 2025, Fall 2024, Spring 2024
Lectures on various topics representing current advances in all aspects of earth and planetary science.
Advanced Topics in Earth and Planetary Science: Read More [+]
Rules & Requirements
Repeat rules: Course may be repeated for credit without restriction.
Hours & Format
Fall and/or spring: 15 weeks - 1.5 hours of colloquium per week
Additional Details
Subject/Course Level: Earth and Planetary Science/Graduate
Grading: Offered for satisfactory/unsatisfactory grade only.
Advanced Topics in Earth and Planetary Science: Read Less [-]
Terms offered: Spring 2025, Fall 2024, Spring 2024
Each week, the seismicity of the previous week, in California and worldwide, is reviewed. Tectonics of the region as well as source parameters and waveforms of interest are discussed and placed in the context of ongoing research in seismology.
Earthquake of the Week: Read More [+]
Rules & Requirements
Repeat rules: Course may be repeated for credit without restriction.
Hours & Format
Fall and/or spring: 15 weeks - 2 hours of discussion per week
Additional Details
Subject/Course Level: Earth and Planetary Science/Graduate
Grading: Letter grade.
Formerly known as: Geophysics 255
Terms offered: Fall 2024, Fall 2023, Fall 2022
Weekly presentations to introduce new graduate students and senior undergraduates to current research conducted in the Department of Earth and Planetary Science.
Research in Earth Science: Read More [+]
Rules & Requirements
Repeat rules: Course may be repeated for credit without restriction.
Hours & Format
Fall and/or spring: 15 weeks - 2 hours of lecture per week
Additional Details
Subject/Course Level: Earth and Planetary Science/Graduate
Grading: Offered for satisfactory/unsatisfactory grade only.
Formerly known as: Geology 260
Terms offered: Fall 2024, Fall 2023, Fall 2022
Geological mapping, field observation, and problem solving in the Berkeley hills and environs leading to original interpretation of geological processes and history from stratigraphic, structural, and lithological investigations. Integration of the Berkeley hills geology into the tectonic and paleo-climatic record of the Coast Ranges and California as a whole through systematic field mapping in key localities and reading of original literature. Training in digital field mapping, use of digital base maps, and use of global positioning systems.
Field Geology and Digital Mapping: Read More [+]
Rules & Requirements
Prerequisites: 50 or equivalent introductory course for majors
Credit Restrictions: Students will receive no credit for 271 after taking 101.
Hours & Format
Fall and/or spring: 15 weeks - 7 hours of fieldwork and 2 hours of lecture per week
Additional Details
Subject/Course Level: Earth and Planetary Science/Graduate
Grading: Letter grade.
Instructor: Brimhall
Terms offered: Spring 2025, Spring 2023, Spring 2021, Spring 2019
Deterministic and probabilistic approaches for seismic hazard analysis. Separation of uncertainty into aleatory variability and epistemic uncertainty. Discussion of seismic source and ground motion characterization and hazard computation. Development of time histories for dynamic analyses of structures and seismic risk computation, including selection of ground motion parameters for estimating structural response, development of fragility curves, and methods for risk calculations.
Seismic Hazard Analysis and Design Ground Motions: Read More [+]
Hours & Format
Fall and/or spring: 15 weeks - 3 hours of lecture and 1 hour of discussion per week
Additional Details
Subject/Course Level: Earth and Planetary Science/Graduate
Grading: Letter grade.
Instructor: Abrahamson
Also listed as: CIV ENG C276
Seismic Hazard Analysis and Design Ground Motions: Read Less [-]
Terms offered: Spring 2025, Fall 2024, Summer 2024 3 Week Session
Individual conferences to be arranged. Provides supervision in the preparation of an original research paper or dissertation.
Research: Read More [+]
Rules & Requirements
Repeat rules: Course may be repeated for credit without restriction.
Hours & Format
Fall and/or spring: 15 weeks - 1-12 hours of independent study per week
Summer:
6 weeks - 3-30 hours of independent study per week
8 weeks - 2-23 hours of independent study per week
10 weeks - 2-18 hours of independent study per week
Additional Details
Subject/Course Level: Earth and Planetary Science/Graduate
Grading: Letter grade.
Terms offered: Spring 2025, Fall 2024, Spring 2024
Topics will be announced each semester.
Seminar: Read More [+]
Rules & Requirements
Repeat rules: Course may be repeated for credit without restriction.
Hours & Format
Fall and/or spring: 15 weeks - 2-6 hours of lecture per week
Additional Details
Subject/Course Level: Earth and Planetary Science/Graduate
Grading: Letter grade.
Formerly known as: Geology 290
Terms offered: Spring 2025, Fall 2024, Spring 2024, Fall 2023, Spring 2023
The departments of Astronomy and Earth and Planetary Science offer a joint research seminar in advanced topics in planetary science, featuring speakers drawn from graduate students, postdoctoral researchers, faculty, and visiting scholars. Topics will span planetary interiors; surface morphology; atmospheres; dynamics; planet formation; and astrobiology. Speakers will vary from semester to semester. Meetings will be held once a week for 1 hour each, and the schedule of speakers will be determined on the first day of class. To pass the class, participants will be required to give a 30-minute presentation, either on their own research or on recent results from the literature.
Planetary Science Seminar: Read More [+]
Rules & Requirements
Repeat rules: Course may be repeated for credit without restriction.
Hours & Format
Fall and/or spring: 15 weeks - 1-1 hours of seminar per week
Additional Details
Subject/Course Level: Earth and Planetary Science/Graduate
Grading: Offered for satisfactory/unsatisfactory grade only.
Also listed as: ASTRON C292
Terms offered: Fall 2018, Spring 2017, Spring 2015, Spring 2014, Spring 2013
After a brief overview of the chemistry of carbon dioxide in the land, ocean, and atmosphere, the course will survey the capture and sequestration of CO2 from anthropogenic sources. Emphasis will be placed on the integration of materials synthesis and unit operation design, including the chemistry and engineering aspects of sequestration. The course primarily addresses scientific and engineering challenges and aims to engage students in state-of-the-art research in global energy challenges.
Energy Solutions: Carbon Capture and Sequestration: Read More [+]
Rules & Requirements
Prerequisites: Chemistry 4B or 1B, Mathematics 1B, and Physics 7B, or equivalents
Hours & Format
Fall and/or spring: 15 weeks - 3 hours of lecture per week
Additional Details
Subject/Course Level: Earth and Planetary Science/Graduate
Grading: Letter grade.
Instructors: Bourg, DePaolo, Long, Reimer, Smit
Also listed as: CHEM C236/CHM ENG C295Z
Energy Solutions: Carbon Capture and Sequestration: Read Less [-]
Terms offered: Fall 2024, Fall 2023, Fall 2022
Directed Group Study for Graduates: Read More [+]
Rules & Requirements
Repeat rules: Course may be repeated for credit without restriction.
Hours & Format
Fall and/or spring: 15 weeks - 0 hours of independent study per week
Additional Details
Subject/Course Level: Earth and Planetary Science/Graduate
Grading: The grading option will be decided by the instructor when the class is offered.
Formerly known as: Geology 298
Terms offered: Spring 2021, Spring 2020, Spring 2019, Spring 2015, Fall 2014, Spring 2014, Spring 2013
For graduate students interested in improving their ability to communicate their scientific knowledge by teaching ocean science in elementary schools or science centers/aquariums. The course will combine instruction in inquiry-based teaching methods and learning pedagogy with six weeks of supervised teaching experience in a local school classroom or the Lawrence Hall of Science with a partner. Thus, students will practice communicating scientific knowledge and receive mentoring on how to improve their presentations.
Communicating Ocean Science: Read More [+]
Rules & Requirements
Prerequisites: One course in introductory biology, geology, chemistry, physics, or marine science required and interest in ocean science,junior, senior, or graduate standing; consent of instructor required for sophomores
Hours & Format
Fall and/or spring: 15 weeks - 2.5 hours of lecture, 1 hour of discussion, and 2 hours of fieldwork per week
Additional Details
Subject/Course Level: Earth and Planetary Science/Professional course for teachers or prospective teachers
Grading: Letter grade.
Instructor: Ingram
Also listed as: GEOG C301/INTEGBI C215
Terms offered: Fall 2021, Fall 2020, Fall 2019
Discussion, curriculum, class observation, and practice teaching in geology, geophysics, and earth science.
Professional Preparation: Supervised Teaching of Geology and Geophysics: Read More [+]
Rules & Requirements
Prerequisites: Graduate standing and appointment as graduate student instructor
Repeat rules: Course may be repeated for credit without restriction.
Hours & Format
Fall and/or spring: 15 weeks - 1 hour of discussion per week
Additional Details
Subject/Course Level: Earth and Planetary Science/Professional course for teachers or prospective teachers
Grading: Offered for satisfactory/unsatisfactory grade only.
Formerly known as: Earth and Planetary Science 300
Professional Preparation: Supervised Teaching of Geology and Geophysics: Read Less [-]
Contact Information
Undergraduate Student Services
Anna Atkinson
319 McCone Hall
https://eps.berkeley.edu/student-resources/contact-student-services-advisors