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Program Requirements
The program curriculum is designed to provide a rigorous foundation in physical sciences and the flexibility to create an individualized program in preparation for careers in industry, teaching, and research. The program is accepted for professional qualification in most Canadian provinces.
U1 Required Courses (21 credits)
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EPSC 203 Structural Geology (3 credits)
Overview
Earth & Planetary Sciences : Primary igneous and sedimentary structures, attitudes of planes and lines, stress and strain, fracturing of rocks, faulting, homogeneous strain, description and classification of folds, foliation and lineation, orthographic and stereographic projections.
Terms: Fall 2013
Instructors: Rowe, Christen Danielle (Fall)
Winter
2 hours lectures, 3 hours laboratory
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EPSC 210 Introductory Mineralogy (3 credits)
Overview
Earth & Planetary Sciences : Crystal chemistry and identification of the principal rock-forming and ore minerals. Elementary crystallography. Optional 2-day field trip.
Terms: Fall 2013
Instructors: Paquette, Jeanne (Fall)
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EPSC 212 Introductory Petrology (3 credits)
Overview
Earth & Planetary Sciences : A survey of igneous, sedimentary and metamorphic rocks and the processes responsible for their formation. The laboratory will emphasize the recognition of rocks in both hand-specimen and thin section using optical microscopes.
Terms: Winter 2014
Instructors: Francis, Donald M (Winter)
Winter
2 hours lectures, 3 hours laboratory
Prerequisite: EPSC 210
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EPSC 220 Principles of Geochemistry (3 credits)
Overview
Earth & Planetary Sciences : Basic concepts in geochemistry and the application of geochemical principles of chemistry to geological subdisciplines. Particular emphasis on origin of elements, controls on their distribution in Earth and cosmos, isotopes, organic geochemistry and water chemistry. Application of phase diagrams to geology.
Terms: Fall 2013
Instructors: Baker, Don (Fall)
Fall
2 hours lecture, 3 hours laboratory
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EPSC 231 Field School 1 (3 credits)
Overview
Earth & Planetary Sciences : Geological mapping of selected areas, preparation of maps, reports from field notes, aerial photographs, etc.
Terms: Winter 2014, Summer 2014
Instructors: Hynes, Andrew J (Winter) Francis, Donald M (Summer)
This course, given in Sutton, has an additional fee of $531.44 to cover the costs of transportation, meals and accommodation as well as other field expenses. The fee is refundable during the period where a student can drop the course with full refund. The Department of Earth and Planetary Sciences subsidizes a portion of the cost for this activity.
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EPSC 312 Spectroscopy of Minerals (3 credits)
Overview
Earth & Planetary Sciences : Interaction of minerals with electromagnetic radiation. Optical mineralogy on thin and polished sections. Demonstrations of other spectroscopic techniques applied to the identification of minerals and to the analysis of their composition and structure.
Terms: Winter 2014
Instructors: Baker, Don (Winter)
Winter
6 hours laboratory and relevant in-lab lectures
Prerequisite: EPSC 210
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MATH 222 Calculus 3 (3 credits)
Overview
Mathematics & Statistics (Sci) : Taylor series, Taylor's theorem in one and several variables. Review of vector geometry. Partial differentiation, directional derivative. Extreme of functions of 2 or 3 variables. Parametric curves and arc length. Polar and spherical coordinates. Multiple integrals.
Terms: Fall 2013, Winter 2014, Summer 2014
Instructors: Grieve, Nathan; L Kassaei, Payman (Fall) Jakobson, Dmitry (Winter) Trudeau, Sidney (Summer)
U1 Complementary Course (3 credits)
3 credits, one of:
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EPSC 201 Understanding Planet Earth (3 credits)
Overview
Earth & Planetary Sciences : Learn about Earth's origin, its place in the solar system, its internal structure, rocks and minerals, the formation of metal and fossil fuel deposits, and the extinction of dinosaurs. Discover the impact of the volcanic eruptions, earthquakes and mountain chains on Earth's past, present and future. Explore 125 million-year-old Mount Royal.
Terms: Fall 2013, Winter 2014
Instructors: Williams-Jones, Anthony E (Fall) Mucci, Alfonso (Winter)
Fall or Winter
3 hours lectures; afternoon field trips
Restriction: Not open to students who have taken or are taking EPSC 233.
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EPSC 233 Earth and Life History (3 credits)
Overview
Earth & Planetary Sciences : Interpretation of stratified rocks; history of Earth with special emphasis on the regions of North America; outline of the history of life recorded in fossils.
Terms: Winter 2014
Instructors: Halverson, Galen (Winter)
Fall
3 hours lectures
U2 and/or U3 Required Courses (24 credits)
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EPSC 320 Elementary Earth Physics (3 credits)
Overview
Earth & Planetary Sciences : Physical properties of Earth and the processes associated with its existence as inferred from astronomy, geodesy, seismology, geology, terrestrial magnetism and thermal evolution.
Terms: Fall 2013
Instructors: Liu, Yajing (Fall)
Fall
3 hours lectures
Prerequisite: MATH 222
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EPSC 334 Invertebrate Paleontology (3 credits)
Overview
Earth & Planetary Sciences : Preservation of fossils; the fossil record of invertebrates; use of fossils in stratigraphy and paleoecology; fossils in evolutionary studies. Fossils of invertebrates are studied in the laboratory.
Terms: This course is not scheduled for the 2013-2014 academic year.
Instructors: There are no professors associated with this course for the 2013-2014 academic year.
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EPSC 340 Earth and Planetary Inference (3 credits)
Overview
Earth & Planetary Sciences : Introduction to modern techniques for combining geological, geophysical, and geochemical measurements with theoretical knowledge about Earth and other planets. Use of tools from time series analysis and inverse methods to build models and test hypotheses within the Earth and Planetary Sciences.
Terms: Fall 2013
Instructors: Wing, Boswell (Fall)
Fall
2 hours lectures, 3 hours laboratory
Prerequisites: Completion of U1 year in Earth & Planetary Sciences or permission of instructor
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EPSC 350 Tectonics (3 credits)
Overview
Earth & Planetary Sciences : Rheology of the Earth, mechanics of the crust and mantle and core, convection in the mantle, evolution and kinematics and deformations of the oceanic and continental plates, thermal evolution of the Earth, the unifying theory of plate tectonics.
Terms: Winter 2014
Instructors: Rowe, Christen Danielle (Winter)
Winter
3 hours lectures
Prerequisites: EPSC 320, Calculus 3 or equivalent
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EPSC 355 Sedimentary Geology (3 credits)
Overview
Earth & Planetary Sciences : The origin, classification, diagenesis and economic importance of sedimentary rocks. The physical properties of sedimentary rocks, the processes by which sediments are transported and deposited, and the environments in which they accumulate. Introduction to techniques for describing and analyzing sedimentary rocks in thin section, hand specimen, and on the outcrop.
Terms: This course is not scheduled for the 2013-2014 academic year.
Instructors: There are no professors associated with this course for the 2013-2014 academic year.
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EPSC 423 Igneous Petrology (3 credits)
Overview
Earth & Planetary Sciences : Physical properties, nucleation, crystallization, differentiation and emplacement of magmas. Integrated studies on various rock suites.
Terms: Fall 2013
Instructors: Francis, Donald M (Fall)
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EPSC 445 Metamorphic Petrology (3 credits)
Overview
Earth & Planetary Sciences : The origin, classification and petrological significance of metamorphic rocks, from the point of view of theory, experiment and field observations.
Terms: This course is not scheduled for the 2013-2014 academic year.
Instructors: There are no professors associated with this course for the 2013-2014 academic year.
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EPSC 452 Mineral Deposits (3 credits)
Overview
Earth & Planetary Sciences : A systematic review of the nature and origin of the major types of metallic and non-metallic mineral deposits; typical occurrences; geographic distribution; applications to exploration. Emphasis on magmatic ores, massive sulfides, iron formations.
Terms: This course is not scheduled for the 2013-2014 academic year.
Instructors: There are no professors associated with this course for the 2013-2014 academic year.
Complementary Courses (18 credits)
3 credits, one of:
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EPSC 331 Field School 2 (3 credits)
Overview
Earth & Planetary Sciences : Two week field studies in selected branches of the geosciences.
Terms: This course is not scheduled for the 2013-2014 academic year.
Instructors: There are no professors associated with this course for the 2013-2014 academic year.
Two-week intensive field school to a range of national and international locations.
Prerequisites: enrolment in U2 or U3 EPS program and permission of the instructor.
Alternates years with EPSC 341.
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EPSC 341 Field School 3 (3 credits)
Overview
Earth & Planetary Sciences : Two week field studies in selected branches of the geosciences to examine processes in geology.
Terms: Winter 2014, Summer 2014
Instructors: van Hinsberg, Vincent Johan (Summer)
Two week intensive field school to a range of national and international locations.
Prerequisites: Enrolment in U2 or U3 EPS program and permission of the instructor.
Alternates years with EPSC 331.
This course has an additional fee of $511 to cover the costs of airfare, meals and accommodation as well as other field expenses
plus 15 credits (five courses) chosen from the following:
Note: Other courses at the 300 level or higher in Earth and Planetary Sciences and in other departments in the Faculties of Science and Engineering may also be used as complementary credits with the permission of the Director of undergraduate studies.
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EPSC 330 Earthquakes and Earth Structure (3 credits)
Overview
Earth & Planetary Sciences : Seismic wave theory; body waves, surface waves and free oscillations; seismicity and earthquakes; seismology and Earth's internal structure.
Terms: Winter 2014
Instructors: Jensen, Olivia (Winter)
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EPSC 425 Sediments to Sequences (3 credits)
Overview
Earth & Planetary Sciences : Advanced techniques for interrogating the stratigraphic record. Topics include cyclicity in the sedimentary record, sequence stratigraphy, chemostratigraphy, sedimentary control on the fossil record, and the record of deep sea sediment cores.
Terms: Winter 2014
Instructors: Halverson, Galen (Winter)
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EPSC 435 Applied Geophysics (3 credits)
Overview
Earth & Planetary Sciences : Methods in geophysical surveying including gravity, magnetism, electromagnetism, resistivity and seismology; application to exploration and near surface environmental and hydrological targets are included, along with field applications of techniques.
Terms: Winter 2014
Instructors: Harrington, Rebecca (Winter)
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EPSC 470D1 Undergraduate Thesis Research (3 credits)
Overview
Earth & Planetary Sciences : Research project leading to a thesis.
Terms: Fall 2013
Instructors: There are no professors associated with this course for the 2013-2014 academic year.
Restriction: For Major students in 3rd year
Students must register for both EPSC 470D1 and EPSC 470D2
No credit will be given unless both EPSC 470D1 and EPSC 470D2 are successfully completed in consecutive terms
A written proposal outlining the research to be undertaken must be signed by the student and the supervising faculty member, and approved by the undergraduate student adviser by September 10 of the U3 year. The results of the research must be presented in the form of an undergraduate thesis.
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EPSC 470D2 Undergraduate Thesis Research (3 credits)
Overview
Earth & Planetary Sciences : See EPSC 470D1 for description.
Terms: Winter 2014
Instructors: There are no professors associated with this course for the 2013-2014 academic year.
Prerequisite: EPSC 470D1
No credit will be given unless both EPSC 470D1 and EPSC 470D2 are successfully completed in consecutive terms
A written proposal outlining the research to be undertaken must be signed by the student and the supervising faculty member, and approved by the undergraduate student adviser by September 10 of the U3 year. The results of the research must be presented in the form of an undergraduate thesis.
For Major students in 3rd year.
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EPSC 501 Crystal Chemistry (3 credits)
Overview
Earth & Planetary Sciences : Discussion of crystal structures and compositions of important mineral groups, especially oxides, sulphides and silicates. Solid solution. Relation of structure to morphology and to chemical and physical properties of the rock-forming minerals.
Terms: Winter 2014
Instructors: Paquette, Jeanne (Winter)
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EPSC 519 Isotope Geology (3 credits)
Overview
Earth & Planetary Sciences : Geochronology, the fractionation of the stable isotopes, and applications to petrology and mineral deposits.
Terms: Winter 2014
Instructors: Wing, Boswell (Winter)
Fall
3 hours lectures
Prerequisites: equivalent of the U2 core program.
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EPSC 530 Volcanology (3 credits)
Overview
Earth & Planetary Sciences : The physical mechanisms which drive volcanoes and volcanic activity are presented. Descriptive, practical and theoretical approaches to the study of volcanoes are discussed.
Terms: Winter 2014
Instructors: Stix, John (Winter)
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EPSC 542 Chemical Oceanography (3 credits)
Overview
Earth & Planetary Sciences : History of chemical oceanography. Seawater composition and definition of salinity/chlorinity. Minor and trace-element distribution in the ocean. Geochemical mass balance. Dissolved gases in sea water. CO2 and the carbonate system. Chemical speciation. Physical chemistry of seawater. Organic matter and the carbon cycle in the marine environment. Sediment geochemistry.
Terms: Fall 2013
Instructors: Mucci, Alfonso (Fall)
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EPSC 547 Modelling Geochemical Processes (3 credits)
Overview
Earth & Planetary Sciences : Advanced thermodynamics and kinetics will be applied to construct models that quantitatively investigate geochemical processes. Topics include, but are not restricted to: activity-composition relationships in solids, liquids and fluids, crystallization and melting, precipitation and dissolution, rates of geochemical processes, interaction of geological liquids and fluids with rocks and minerals.
Terms: This course is not scheduled for the 2013-2014 academic year.
Instructors: There are no professors associated with this course for the 2013-2014 academic year.
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EPSC 548 Processes of Igneous Petrology (3 credits)
Overview
Earth & Planetary Sciences : Investigation of the primary mechanisms causing the diversity of igneous rock compositions on the Earth, other planets, asteroids, and meteorite parent bodies.
Terms: Winter 2014
Instructors: Baker, Don (Winter)
Winter
2 hours lectures, 1 hour seminar
Prerequisite: EPSC 423
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EPSC 549 Hydrogeology (3 credits)
Overview
Earth & Planetary Sciences : Introduction to groundwater flow through porous media. Notions of fluid potential and hydraulic head. Darcy flux and Darcy's Law. Physical properties of porous media and their measurement. Equation of groundwater flow. Flow systems. Hydraulics of pumping and recharging wells. Notions of hydrology. Groundwater quality and contamination. Physical processes of contaminant transport.
Terms: Fall 2013
Instructors: McKenzie, Jeffrey (Fall)
Winter
3 hours lectures, 1-2 hours laboratory
Prerequisite: permission of the instructor
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EPSC 550 Selected Topics 1 (3 credits)
Overview
Earth & Planetary Sciences : Research seminar and/or lecture with readings in topics concerning aspects of current interests in Earth & Planetary Sciences.
Terms: Fall 2013, Winter 2014
Instructors: Wing, Boswell (Winter)
Fall or Winter
2 hours seminar, permission of department undergraduate advisor
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EPSC 551 Selected Topics 2 (3 credits)
Overview
Earth & Planetary Sciences : Research seminar and/or lecture with readings in topics concerning aspects of current interest in Earth & Planetary Sciences.
Terms: Fall 2013, Winter 2014
Instructors: Halverson, Galen (Winter)
Fall or Winter
2 hours seminar, permission of department undergraduate advisor
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EPSC 552 Selected Topics 3 (3 credits)
Overview
Earth & Planetary Sciences : Research seminar and/or lecture with readings in topics concerning aspects of current interest in Earth & Planetary Sciences.
Terms: Fall 2013, Winter 2014
Instructors: Galbraith, Eric Douglas (Winter)
Fall or Winter
2 hours seminar, permission of department undergraduate advisor
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EPSC 561 Ore-forming Processes 1 (3 credits)
Overview
Earth & Planetary Sciences : Physicochemical controls of hydrothermal mineral deposition. Discussion of fluid inclusion theory and application; stable isotope systematics, wall-rock alteration; ore mineral solubility and speciation; and mechanisms of mineral deposition.
Terms: Fall 2013
Instructors: Williams-Jones, Anthony E (Fall)
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EPSC 562 Ore-forming Processes 2 (3 credits)
Overview
Earth & Planetary Sciences : Genesis of hydrothermal mineral deposits. Discussion of geological setting, fluid and metal sources, method of metal transport, and factors controlling metal concentration for a selection of hydrothermal mineral deposit types.
Terms: This course is not scheduled for the 2013-2014 academic year.
Instructors: There are no professors associated with this course for the 2013-2014 academic year.
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EPSC 567 Advanced Volcanology (3 credits)
Overview
Earth & Planetary Sciences : An in-depth approach to physical and chemical processes associated with volcanic systems. Examination of magma chamber dynamics, magma behaviour in conduits, and eruption mechanisms. Study of eruptive products including pyroclastic deposits, lava flows and lava domes, and volcanic gases. Volcanic-tectonic and magma-hydrothermal interactions.
Terms: This course is not scheduled for the 2013-2014 academic year.
Instructors: There are no professors associated with this course for the 2013-2014 academic year.
Prerequisite: EPSC 530 or permission of instructor
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EPSC 570 Cosmochemistry (3 credits)
Overview
Earth & Planetary Sciences : Examines the implications of phase equilibria and the compositions of meteorites and the solar system for the formation and internal differentiation of the terrestrial planets and the nature of chemical fractionation processes in both planetary interiors and the solar system as a whole.
Terms: This course is not scheduled for the 2013-2014 academic year.
Instructors: There are no professors associated with this course for the 2013-2014 academic year.
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EPSC 580 Aqueous Geochemistry (3 credits)
Overview
Earth & Planetary Sciences : The use of chemical thermodynamics to study fluid-rock interactions with an emphasis on the aqueous phase. The course will introduce basic concepts and will discuss aqueous complexation, mineral surface adsorption, and other controls on crustal fluid compositions. Applications will range from considering contaminated groundwater systems to metamorphic reactions.
Terms: This course is not scheduled for the 2013-2014 academic year.
Instructors: There are no professors associated with this course for the 2013-2014 academic year.
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EPSC 590 Applied Geochemistry Seminar (3 credits)
Overview
Earth & Planetary Sciences : Seminar course devoted to field case studies that illustrate the applications of geochemical principles to solving geologic problems. Each student will prepare and lead a class devoted to a geochemical subject of their own choosing.
Terms: Winter 2014
Instructors: There are no professors associated with this course for the 2013-2014 academic year.
Winter
3 hours seminar
Prerequisite: permission of instructor
Faculty of Science—2013-2014 (last updated Aug. 21, 2013) (disclaimer)