Students seeking a geology degree at the University of Arkansas at Little Rock explore the fascinating world of earth sciences. They dive deep into the mysteries of our planet through the study of geology, meteorology, oceanography, and Geographic Information Systems (GIS). Our Geology Program seeks to relate these disciplines to intelligent living with the earth to understand the interplay between earth and humanity. Students are encouraged to develop a scientific understanding of earth systems from the atomic to the planetary scale. They study processes that occur over timescales that span seconds to billions of years.
The study of geology draws heavily on the allied fields of chemistry, physics, mathematics, and biology. Our students also explore sub-disciplines such as geochemistry, biogeochemistry, and geophysics.
Some of the major themes of coursework and research in the Geology Program include:
Geochemistry
Distribution and movement of chemical species in the Earth system
Geoinformatics (including GIS)
The science and the technology which develops and uses information science infrastructure to address the problems of geography, geosciences and related branches of engineering
Geomorphology
Processes of landform evolution and landscape development
Hydrogeology
Interrelationships of water and geologic materials and processes
Mineralogy
Formation, chemical and physical properties, and classification of minerals
Oceanography
Study of the planet’s oceans and marine systems
Paleontology
Study of prehistoric life forms on Earth through the examination of fossils
Petrology
Formation, properties, and classification of rocks
Sedimentology
Genesis, transport, and deposition of sediment, and the formation of sedimentary rocks
Structural Geology
Geoformation of earth materials and resulting geologic structures
Tectonics
Regional to global-scale deformation and structures resulting from interactions among pieces of the Earth’s rigid outer layer, or lithosphere.
