The Department of Geology offers students the chance to experience the excitement of the geological and environmental sciences in the spectacular surroundings of the Green Mountains, Adirondacks and Lake Champlain.
Students from GEOL 0201, Bedrock Geology of Vermont, examine the West Castleton Syncline in western Vermont
The curriculum takes advantage of our natural 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.
NEWS: Map of Lake Champlain's underwater landscape unveiled at Middlebury. Read the story.
Department Contact Info
Peter C. Ryan
Department Chair
McCardell Bicentennial Hall 429
802-443-3476
pryan@middlebury.edu
Eileen (Fahey) Brunetto
Academic Coordinator
McCardell Bicentenial Hall 412
802-443-5029
efahey@middlebury.edu