Students in the J-Term Geology of Bonaire courses, in true Augie fashion, challenge themselves in mind, body and spirit —daily labs on the rock outcrops and nightly lectures around the beach gazebo, tough mountain climbs and challenging cave crawls, helping classmates with anything from cooking, to coursework to dive gear. Here students volunteered with the Caribbean Bonaire community on a cleanup dive of the harbor to protect the health of the ocean wildlife and the fragile coral ecosystem by collecting fishing line and hooks that harm sea turtles.
Geology and environmental studies double major Niah Tyler '25 was one of several geology majors who landed summer geology internships. Tyler was selected for a coveted Research Experiences in Solid Earth Science internship, and was installing seismometers for earthquake detection in New Mexico on their first day in the field. Tyler's geophysical research, which was sponsored by the National Science Foundation, helped to better locate motion along subsurface faults. This month Tyler had the thrill of presenting work at the American Geophysical Union's annual meeting in San Francisco, which convenes more than 25,000 attendees from 100 countries.
Twenty Augustana geology faculty and students headed south to the far reaches of the state and into Missouri for the 75th Annual TRI-STATE Field Conference. Eighty five geologists from the Illinois and Iowa Geological Surveys, and from colleges and universities around the Midwest participated. The focus of the field conference was origins and history of the Southern Illinois Basin evolution and regional and global events recorded by the sedimentary surface and subsurface.
Students in the Geology of Bonaire courses studied and identified the fossil corals on the ancient marine terrace at Boka Onima and compared them to the modern reefs they saw on their dives. Here, they're capping off a day of research with a nighttime snorkel to observe the nocturnal habits of sea creatures like urchins, five-foot-long hunting tarpons and jellyfish in the bioluminescent waters.
As a member of the Northwest Youth Conservation Corps, geology and environmental studies double major Emily Martin '24 (holding the camera) was involved with conservation projects in Washington state and northern Oregon, camping near the areas she and her crew worked on. Her team's projects included trail building, fuels reduction, habitat enhancement and stream restoration. The group poses here in the Gifford Pinchot National Forest, home of Mount St. Helens National Volcanic Monument.
16 incoming first-year students visited the mountains of Wyoming on the annual GEOL-105 trip with Drs. Strasser and Wolf. The group visited Devils Tower to study its interesting geologic history.
Udden Geology Club members celebrated the end of a semester with a pizza party, where they donned diffraction grating glasses. The glasses change light sources into crystal structure shapes -- and help remind everyone to look at life through different lenses and perspectives! At more than 90 years running, Udden Geology Club is one of the oldest clubs on campus. The group meets every Friday at 4:30 p.m. All are welcome!
Augustana’s Geology Department and Fryxell Geology Museum foster community outreach and engagement—undergrduate geology majors share their expertise and enthusiasm by taking the show on the road throughout the academic year to present earth science concepts to hundreds of people around the Quad Cities at Fossil Day Programs, public library events and science fairs.
Augustana's Fryxell Geology Museum fosters community outreach and engagement. Makayla Palm '24 (pictured) and seven other geology majors took the show on the road and presented earth science concepts to 150 Moline Public Library visitors at their Fossil Day Program.
Students excited to explore the geology of the northern side of the Caribbean island of Bonaire at Boka Chikitu in Washington Slagbaai National Park during January-Term courses. Jan. 2020
Geology Students travel to the Caribbean island of Bonaire for January-Term 2020 to survey coral ecology along the modern marinescapes to compare to the fossil corals of the ancient marine terraces on land.
Geology Students travel to the Caribbean island of Bonaire for January-Term 2020 to survey coral ecology along the modern marinescapes to compare to the fossil corals of the ancient marine terraces on land.
Sitting on the 1.6 billion-year-old bluffs of Devil’s Lake, in the Baraboo Range, Wisconsin during the Fall 2019 field trip.
Exploring the stratigraphy of an old quarry in Lake Macbride State Park, Iowa. Fall 2019.
Udden Geology Club, learning about economic geology at Allied Quarry, Rock Island. Fall 2019
Backpacking the Grand Canyon February 2018. Left to right: Caitlin Lebel '18, Bets Hobart '19 , Allison Pease '18, Lauren Judge '19, Joey Teresi '18 , Sierra Kindley '19, Mark Lundine '18, Jack Malone '18, Dr. Kelsey Arkle, Jill Reale '19, David Hundrieser '19, Dr. Mike Wolf.
2017 Spring Break Field Trip to Hawaii. Over spring break, Dr. Wolf led a field trip for 20 geology majors to the Big Island of Hawaii as the culmination of a 1-credit course taught during winter term. No need for PowerPoint presentations when the students can present their final course research papers on the formation of lava tubes...inside a lava tube! Crystallization of basaltic flows becomes crystal clear when you can smell, hear, see, and feel the process occurring in an active surface flow a foot away.
Augustana College's John Deere Planetarium and Fryxell Geology Museum will be open to the public on Saturday, May 11, 2024, for an evening of stargazing and space shows. The planetarium, located at 820 38th Street, Rock Island, will be open from 8:30-10 p.m., with indoor and outdoor programs in the planetarium, observatory and geology museum.
Augustana College students take a break from their 15-week semester schedule to engage in a month-long period of intensive learning during January Term, or J-term. This three-and-a-half week course was added as part of the college’s transition to semesters in 2019-2020.
Four Augustana students have hit the ground running with their summer geology internships. Projects include studying the formation and evolution of ancient mountain belts, paleontology research, studying geological maps in zinc mines and installing seismometers for earthquake detection.
Augustana College's John Deere Planetarium and Fryxell Geology Museum will be open to the public for an evening of stargazing and space shows. The planetarium, located at 820 38th Street, Rock Island, will be open from 8:30 p.m.
