UofM Course Calendar 2007-2008: Graduate Studies

Faculty of Graduate Studies
Section 6: Programs in Graduate Studies

6.29 Geological Sciences

Head: N. Chow
General Office: 240 Wallace Building
Telephone: (204) 474 9371
Fax: (204) 474 7623
Email: brenda_miller@umanitoba.ca
Website: umanitoba.ca/geoscience

Academic Staff

Program Information
The department consists of a dynamic group interested in a wide variety of topics in the geological sciences. Research is focused on understanding Earth materials and materials analysis. The department is recognized internationally for minerals research. The department has developed numerous multidisciplinary approaches in the assessment of modern and past surface and near-surface environments, and imaging of deep continental structure and crustal dynamics. Research programs have a significant component of international collaboration and a substantial partnership with industry. To support these research efforts, the department maintains well-equipped state-of-the-art analytical facilities and has ready access to other regional and national facilities outside the department. Students regularly receive NSERC, Commonwealth and University of Manitoba Graduate Fellowships and Scholarships.

The department offers a wide variety of research programs leading to degrees of Master of Science (M.Sc.) and Doctor of Philosophy (Ph.D.). Support for research projects is typically received from NSERC, the Geological Survey of Canada, the Province of Manitoba, the University of Manitoba, and a wide variety of industry sources such as energy resources exploration and production companies, and mining companies.

Fields of Research
The general fields of research of the department include: Carbonate sedimentology, Crystallography and mineralogy, Earthquake seismology, Environmental mineralogy and geochemistry, Evaporite sedimentology, Geochemistry, Geoarcheology, Igneous mineralogy and petrology, Invertebrate paleontology, Isotope geochemistry, Lithospheric and near-surface geophysics, Paleohydrology and Paleolimnology, Petroleum geology, Petrology, Quaternary geology, Sedimentology, Stratigraphy, Tectonics and geochronology.

Research Facilities
The department is equipped for a variety of field and lab-based research projects. In addition, the department maintains the research equipment and services listed below. Access to these facilities is coordinated through the student’s thesis advisor.

X-Ray Laboratories

Two fully automated Bruker P4 four-circle single-crystal diffractometers; one with CCD detector.
Two Philips PW1729 X-ray generators; one with fully-automated PW 1710 X-ray powder diffraction (XRPD) system, graphite monochromator and PC based operating system (MDI Datascan).
Siemens D5000 automated XRPD system with incident beam monochromator and Kevex PSI-II solid state detector, using DIFFRAC-AT software.
Gandolfi and Debye-Sherrer powder cameras; two Beurger precession single-crystal instruments; spindle stage, two Nikon binocular microscopes; optical microscope.
Mössbauer spectrometer for 57Fe spectroscopy.
Two controlled- atmosphere quench furnaces for 1600聃, and a cool-seal hydrothermal bench with water pressures up to 3 kilobars.
Extensive mineralogy crystallography software: MDI Jade 5+ including Search-Match option, Rietveld structure refinement routines, molecular mechanics and molecular dynamics software.

Geochemistry Laboratory

A wet chemical laboratory fully equipped for sediment, rock and mineral analyses.
Varian AA spectrometer and Varian ICP-OES with robotic sample handling.
IOMASS element-2 HiRes LAM-ICP-MS.
Mitsubishi CA-06 moisture meter with a VA-21 high temperature furnace.
Leco induction furnace sulphur analyzer.
Accumet 950 specific ion analyzer.

Microbeam and Image Analysis Laboratory
The Microbeam Facility in Geological Sciences is set up as a Regional Facility to serve the needs of universities, industry and government institutions in Canada with a state-of-the-art electron microprobe and LAM-HR-ICP-mass spectrometer, and a scanning electron microscope and image analysis system, and includes the following equipment:

CAMECA SX100 electron microprobe with PGT EDS and 5WDS spectrometers equipped with windows based operating system.
Thermo-Finnigan Element2 HR-ICP-MS with Merchantek LUV213 laser.
Zeiss-Kontron image analysis system (IAS) with high definition colour monitors and extensive software. The IAS is linked to all cameras, optical microscopes, SEM and electron microprobe.
Cambridge Stereoscan 120 Scanning Electron Microscope with back scattered electron detector, energy dispersive X-ray detector, and digital image store facility.
Technosyn cold cathode luminescence system.
Fluid inclusion stage.
Secondary Ion Mass Spectrometer (SIMS)
CAMECA MS 7f SIMS for trace element determination, isotopic measurements and depth profiles.
Resistive Anode Encoder (RAE) for elemental mapping.

Sedimentological, Petroleum Geology, and Quaternary Studies Laboratories

Automated size analyzers (Sedigraph and Galai PSA Laser 2010).
RoTap sieve shaker, Soil-Test sieve shaker.
Drying ovens, muffle furnaces.
Nikon epi-fluorescence microscope.
Mettler analytical balances.
Fisher Accumet pH-Eh meters.
Carbonate analyzer, centrifuges, water chemistry field analytical kits, conductivity meters, specific ion electrodes.
Galai Image Analysis system (IAS) with colour and monochrome monitors, video camera, digitizing tablet, and statistical and GIS software.
Complete, fully-equipped clean room for microfossil and sedimentological sample preparation.
Two complete Livingston piston sediment corers, including 80 m of Mg-alloy connecting rods and 6 extra core barrels.
Vibracorer and associated sampling equipment.
Complete Acker sediment sampling system, including 3 m tripod derrick, motorized cathead hoist, 60 kg drive weight, split tube sampler, solid tube sampler, connecting rods, and a variety of bits and augers.
Extensive subsurface well log library for all of western Canada, including all hard copy logs for Alberta, Saskatchewan, and British Columbia, and a microfilm/reader-printer system for all logs in Manitoba and Saskatchewan and subsurface well cuttings and cores from Manitoba and Saskatchewan.

Invertebrate Paleontology Laboratory

Complete Nikon stereoscopic plus petrographic microscope/ photomicrographic systems, and photography facilities with Nikon and Minolta camera systems.
Adjacent sample preparation room/darkroom with various saws, grinders, and a Hillquist thin section machine.

Geophysical Laboratories

Exploranium gamma-ray spectrometer.
Scintrex magnetometer-VLF system.
Worden gravimeter.
Bison hammer seismograph.
Bison DC-resistivity system.
Scintrex magnetic susceptibility meter.
Computing facilities including GEOTOOLS and WinGLink magnetotelluric software, VISTA 2D seismic processing software, earthquake data processing software, and a high resolution colour graphics imaging system supporting satellite and multispectral geophysical imaging.
Seismograph station with equipment including three-component long-period seismometers, three-component short period seismometers, amplifier system, and helicorder display.
Larger-scale research geophysical instrumentation includes a seven-instrument broad-band portable seismograph facility, a three-component down-hole seismic system, and a Geonics PROTEM47 time-domain EM system.

Other Equipment and Facilities

Star Lake Field Station, southeast Manitoba.
R.B. Ferguson Museum of Mineralogy.
Ed Leith Cretaceous Menagerie.
Access to the Prairie Regional NMR Centre at the University of Manitoba which has a narrow bore spectrometer with solid state probes including a DOTY magic angle spinning probe and a DOTY single crystal probe.

The University of Manitoba is a founding member of the Canadian POLARIS university-government-industry consortium which has geophysical equipment including satellite telemetred broad-band seismographs, broad-band magnetotelluric, and long-period magnetotelluric instruments.

M.Sc. in Geological Sciences

Admission
Admission requirements are those of the Faculty of Graduate Studies found in the Graduate Studies Regulations Section of this Calendar. An Honours B.Sc. degree in geological sciences from the University of Manitoba, or equivalent, is a prerequisite for entering a program leading to the graduate degrees. Students with Honours degrees in physics, mathematics, engineering physics, or electrical engineering may take graduate work in geophysics provided they make up certain deficiencies in undergraduate geology and geophysics. In some cases, students with B.Sc. or B.A. degrees in other areas such as geography, soil science, biology, chemistry, or environmental science, may be accepted providing certain Honours-equivalent deficiencies are completed. Please contact the Department for details.

Application Deadlines
The Department of Geological Sciences allows students to begin the program on September 1, January 1, or May 1. Canadian/U.S. students should send their applications with complete supporting documentation to the Department of Geological Sciences no less than three (3) months before the intended start date. International students should send their applications with complete supporting documentation to the Department of Geological Sciences no less than seven (7) months before the intended start date.

Program Requirements
Minimum program requirements of the Faculty of Graduate Studies are found in the Graduate Studies Regulations Section of this Calendar. Course GEOL 7760 plus a minimum of 12 credit hours must be selected to fulfil the course requirements of the M.Sc. thesis in Geological Sciences.

The M.Sc. (Comprehensive) requires GEOL 7760 plus a minimum of 24 credit hours to fulfil the course requirements, plus a comprehensive examination.

Reports (proposals, results and timetable of thesis work) in writing must be submitted to the Head on or before February 1 annually.

Second language reading requirement: none

Expected time to graduate: three years

Ph.D. in Geological Sciences

Admission
Admission requirements are those of the Faculty of Graduate Studies found in the Graduate Studies Regulations Section of this Calendar.

Program Requirements
Program requirements are those of the Faculty of Graduate Studies found in the Graduate Studies Regulations Section of this Calendar.

Reports (proposals, results and timetable of thesis work) in writing must be submitted to the Head on or before February 1 annually.

Second language requirement: none

Expected time to graduation: five years

Course Descriptions

NOTE: Only a limited number of the following courses are offered annually.

GEOL 7230 Geophysics of the Earth's Crust and Mantle Cr.Hrs.3 (Formerly 007.723) Processes in crust-mantle evolution and geophysical methods used to study this region of the earth. Prerequisite: [GEOL 4810 (007.481)] or [GEOL 4320 (007.432) and GEOL 4330 (007.433)].

GEOL 7260 Geophysical Information Cr.Hrs.3 (Formerly 007.726) The application of the Fourier approach in geophysics and information theory to geophysical interpretation. Prerequisites: [GEOL 4810 (007.481)] or [GEOL 4320 (007.432) and GEOL 4330 (007.433)] and third-year standing in Mathematics.

GEOL 7310 Quaternary Geology Cr.Hrs.3 (Formerly 007.731) Seminars and lectures on sedimentary aspects of the Quaternary Epoch with emphasis on glaciation. The glacial and interglacial stratigraphic record on the continents and in the ocean basins. Three-day field trip in mid-September. Prerequisites: GEOL 3490 (007.349) and GEOL 3900 (007.390).

GEOL 7350 Remote Sensing in the Earth and Planetary Sciences Cr.Hrs.3 (Formerly 007.735) Selected topics in remote sensing with emphasis on geophysical and geologic problems. Prerequisite: B.Sc. (Honours Geology, Geophysics, or Geological Engineering) or consent of instructor for graduates of other disciplines.

GEOL 7440 Principles of Paleoclimatic Reconstruction Cr.Hrs.3 (Formerly 007.744) An interdisciplinary course which examines the sedimentological, biological, and human response to climatic change; the history of Quaternary climate and its stratigraphic expression. Prerequisite: permission of instructor.

GEOL 7470 Advanced Petroleum Geology and Geochemistry Cr.Hrs.3 (Formerly 007.747) Lectures and seminars examining the four major components of petroleum geology: source and migration, reservoir, trap, and economics. Major emphasis on the origin and generation of petroleum and source rock geology. Field trip and core logging required.

GEOL 7480 Advanced Seismology 1 Cr.Hrs.3 (Formerly 007.748) Theory of wave propagation; source mechanisms; other selected topics. Prerequisite: GEOL 7260 (007.726).

GEOL 7490 Advanced Seismology 2 Cr.Hrs.3 (Formerly 007.749) Seismic surface waves and normal modes of Earth, Earth tides and dynamic evolution. Prerequisite: GEOL 7480 (007.748) or equivalent.

GEOL 7520 Advanced X-Ray Crystallography Cr.Hrs.3 (Formerly 007.752) Seminar and laboratory course covering symmetry theory, point groups and space groups, x-ray diffraction theory, the powder method, single-crystal precession photography, derivation of unit cell dimensions and space group. Prerequisite: GEOL 4280 (007.428).

GEOL 7530 Structural Crystallography Cr.Hrs.3 (Formerly 007.753) Seminar and laboratory course covering course data collection and reduction methods, crystal structure solution by Patterson and Fournier synthesis, and by direct methods, crystal structure refinement, analysis of errors, and crystal-chemical topics of interest to the participants. Prerequisite: GEOL 7520 (007.752).

GEOL 7540 Isotope Geology and Geochronology Cr.Hrs.3 (Formerly 007.754) The principles and methods of isotopic age determination and the measurement of geological rate processes using certain radioactive nuclides and the variations of the isotopic compositions of their daughter products. The evolution of the earth's mantle,continental and oceanic crust. The application of light, stable isotope fractionation to understanding geological processes.

GEOL 7550 Hydrothermal Petrochemistry Cr.Hrs.3 (Formerly 007.755) The chemistry, mineralogy, and petrology of mineral deposits and alteration zones of the hydrothermal type, and their association with igneous and tectonic events. Theory and experimental data on metasomatic processes.

GEOL 7570 Advanced Mineralogy 1 Cr.Hrs.3 (Formerly 007.757) Detailed seminar study of important rock-forming and ore minerals based on current research publications, covering crystal structure and chemistry, origin and paragenesis. Lab introduction to principal chemical and physical methods of analyzing minerals.

GEOL 7580 Advanced Mineralogy 2 Cr.Hrs.3 (Formerly 007.758) Detailed seminar study of selected minerals related to students' interests based on current research publications, covering crystal structure and chemistry, origin and paragenesis. Lab assignments to examine diverse properties of the discussed species.

GEOL 7590 Advanced Paleontology 1 Cr.Hrs.3 (Formerly 007.759) Topics in paleobiology of the invertebrates, and principles of paleontology. Upon request, course may be adapted to individual requirements of students in other disciplines (for example, specific groups of invertebrates, paleoecology, trace fossils, etc.). Prerequisite: GEOL 3310 (007.331) and GEOL 4310 (007.431) or permission of instructor.

GEOL 7600 Advanced Paleontology 2 Cr.Hrs.3 (Formerly 007.760) Topics in paleobiology of the invertebrates, and principles of paleontology. Upon request, course may be adapted to individual requirements of students in other disciplines (for example, specific groups of invertebrates, paleoecology, trace fossils, etc.). Prerequisite: GEOL 3310 (007.331) or GEOL 4310 (007.431) or permission of instructor.

GEOL 7610 Advanced Igneous Petrology Cr.Hrs.3 (Formerly 007.761) The origin of magmas, and their association with tectonic regimes, and earth structure. Crystallization and differentiation of magmas, and the distribution of elements and isotopes.

GEOL 7620 Advanced Metamorphic Petrology Cr.Hrs.3 (Formerly 007.762) Natural mineral assemblages and their association with igneous and tectonic events. Theory of variable physchem regimes, heterogeneous equilibrium, and reaction processes.

GEOL 7630 Ductile Strain in Geologic Minerals Cr.Hrs.3 (Formerly 007.763) The theory, mechanics and interpretation of naturally occurring ductile strain in consolidated and semi-consolidated rocks. Applications of analysis to engineering geology and structural geology.

GEOL 7640 Folding of Rocks Cr.Hrs.3 (Formerly 007.764) Ideal fold theory and mechanisms; experimental folding; fold geometry and styles; fold families; interference folding; interpretation of areas that have undergone folding.

GEOL 7650 Fracturing of Rocks Cr.Hrs.3 (Formerly 007.765) Experiments on, theory and properties of, fractures ranging in scale from micro-rocks to large scale fault zones; mechanisms of fracturing; interpretation of stress conditions leading to fracturing.

GEOL 7680 Physical Volcanology Cr.Hrs.3 (Formerly 007.768) Forms and environments of lava extrusion and flow; mechanics of pyroclastic eruptions and transport; nature of pyroclastic deposits; magma chambers; volcano development and destruction.

GEOL 7690 Precambrian Geology Cr.Hrs.3 (Formerly 007.769) Examination of the major lithologic components of the Precambrian Shields of Canada, Australia, and South Africa. Emphasis will be on the origin of these components, discussion of early crustal development, and similarities and differences of Precambrianand younger processes.

GEOL 7700 Advanced Clastic Sedimentology Cr.Hrs.3 (Formerly 007.770) Lectures and seminars on clastic depositional environments. Critical evaluation of accepted facies models followed in each case by examination of the ancient record. One week field trip and core logging required. Prerequisite: Permission of instructor.

GEOL 7720 Geophysical Imaging and Data Processing Cr.Hrs.3 (Formerly 007.772) Advanced frequency filter design; deconvolution methods for seismogram; velocity and wavefield stacking; various digital methods for potential field data; principles of tomography and geophysical imaging techniques. Prerequisite: GEOL 3740 (007.374) and GEOL 7260 (007.726) or consent of instructor.

GEOL 7740 Workshop in the Geological Sciences 1 Cr.Hrs.3 (Formerly 007.774) Critical, in-depth group study of problems and new concepts in the geological sciences; discussion of current research by staff and visiting scientists; students will pursue individual research interests and will work with staff on specific topics.

GEOL 7750 Workshop in the Geological Sciences 2 Cr.Hrs.3 (Formerly 007.775) Critical, in-depth group study of problems and new concepts in the geological sciences; discussion of current research by staff and visiting scientists; students will pursue individual research interests and will work with staff on specific topics.

GEOL 7760 Seminar in Geological Sciences Cr.Hrs.3 (Formerly 007.776) A discussion of topics of current interest from the whole spectrum of geological sciences to inform students on research work outside their specialty. Required of all graduate students. For ancillary credit only. Geological Sciences Colloquium Weekly discussion of topics of current interest. Presentation of recent research from geological literature, the department, and visitors. Required of all graduate students who have received credit for GEOL 7760 (007.776).

GEOL 7770 Distribution of Ores: Metallogeny Cr.Hrs.3 (Formerly 007.777) Distribution of geological metal accumulations in space and time. Brief introduction to existing organizational frameworks, followed by a systematic review of metalliferous environments and associations. Offered in alternate years. Prerequisite: GEOL 4300 (007.430) or consent of instructor.

GEOL 7780 Advanced Carbonate Sedimentology Cr.Hrs.3 (Formerly 007.778) Lectures and seminars on selected topics of carbonate sedimentology, including depositional environments, lithofacies sequences and diagenesis. Offered in alternate years. Prerequisite: GEOL 3900 (007.390) or permission of instructor.

GEOL 7790 Advanced Instrumental Techniques in Geology Cr.Hrs.3 (Formerly 007.779) Lectures and laboratory course covering the application of microbeam, mass spectrometer, diffraction and wet geochemical analytical techniques in mineralogy and geochemistry. Includes coverage of ICP, PIXE, powder and single crystal diffraction and electron microprobe analysis.

GEOL 7800 Evaporite Sedimentology Cr.Hrs.3 (Formerly 007.780) Lectures and seminars on evaporite sedimentology, including depositional environments, diagenesis and stratigraphy of evaporitic sequences. One week field trip immediately before or during fall term required.

GEOL 7810 Electromagnetic Methods in Geophysics Cr.Hrs.3 (Formerly 007.781) Examination of the theory and application of electromagnetic methods in geophysics. Topics include: electrical properties of earth materials, review of EM methods, EM theory for layered media, EM responses of simple structures and case studies.

GEOL 7820 Environmental Geophysics Cr.Hrs.3 (Formerly 007.782) Examination of the application of geophysics to environmental targets. Topics will vary according to student interest and may include aspects of new-surface geophysics, engineering geophysics, geophysics of global climate change and geophysical risk assessment.


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