Geology

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NEWS: Map of Lake Champlain's underwater landscape unveiled at Middlebury.Read the story. The Department of Geology provides students with an opportunity to experience the methods of science, using geologic examples. In addition, we endeavor to provide students who wish to pursue the field of geology with the opportunity to acquire basic knowledge and principles, which will equip them for further professional training. With the Green Mountains to the east and the Adirondacks and Lake Champlain to the west, the environs of Middlebury College afford an excellent setting for study and research in geological, limnological/oceanographic, and environmental science.

The curriculum takes advantage of this setting by stressing field-oriented and laboratory-supported inquiry into problems in all facets of earth science, especially environmental geology, geomorphology, marine geology, oceanography/limnology, petrology, and tectonics. Students are encouraged to develop skills for obtaining and interpreting observational data. Since Vermont is a classic area for the study of mountain system evolution, one general theme of the program is to relate geological process to the origin and evolution of global tectonic patterns, integrating data from the world's oceans and continental areas. Geology majors have used their Middlebury degree as a stepping-stone to graduate school in the geosciences; to industry; to teaching careers; and to careers in environmental science, business, law, and architecture.