As the core discipline examining Earth's natural processes and materials, Geosciences boasts unparalleled diversity. Spurred by urgent scientific and social questions ranging from environmental concerns to the origin and evolution of the planet itself, the Geosciences are experiencing remarkable growth with excellent career opportunities. The Geosciences encompass many disciplines including geology, geochemistry, and geophysics, and its interdisciplinary nature fosters natural links not only with chemistry and physics, but also with environmental science, materials science, engineering, biology, and health fields. Developments in technology and new innovative approaches have transformed graduate study in many areas within Geosciences, and students participate in research utilizing state-of-the-art instrumentation and facilities.

Graduate students may choose among degree programs with emphasis in different areas in Geosciences. Ph.D. and M.S. thesis-based programs are offered with concentrations in areas including crystal chemistry, geochemistry, mineral and rock physics, petrology, sedimentary geology, and seismology and tectonics (described in more detail below). There is also a non-thesis M.S. program in hydrogeology focused primarily on training professionals in environmentally related fields. Also offered is an M.A. in Teaching Earth Science, which leads to provisional certification for teaching earth science in secondary schools of New York State.

The Department of Geosciences occupies a modern, well-equipped building that houses extensive experimental and analytical labs, faculty and graduate student offices, numerous computers and workstations, a machine shop, an electronics support group. The Center for Environmental Molecular Science, Mineral Physics Institute, the Long Island Groundwater Research Institute (LIGRI), the Marine Sciences Research Center (MSRC), and nearby Brookhaven National Laboratory offer additional support and laboratory facilities for graduate student research. In particular, the National Synchrotron Light Source (NSLS) at Brookhaven offers unparalleled opportunities for faculty and graduate students to perform unique experiments requiring high-intensity X-rays and is only 20 miles away.

Areas of Emphasis in Graduate Study and Research
The Department's philosophy has been to pursue excellence by concentrating its research initiatives in specific areas of the Geosciences. Graduate students benefit from greater focus and also enjoy close interaction with faculty members. A distinctive aspect of graduate study in the Geosciences Department is the opportunity for collaborative research, often involving several faculty members. The Department's extensive laboratory facilities and modern instrumentation have helped to foster a well-earned reputation for experimental, multi-faceted approaches to Geoscience research. Cooperative programs with other departments, nearby institutions, and national laboratories provide access to unique facilities (e.g., NSLS).


Crystal Chemistry and Crystallography
A wide range of research initiatives is made possible by extensive facilities for single-crystal and powder X-ray diffraction, with capabilities for in situ high-temperature and high-pressure studies. Projects emphasize crystal structure studies on oxides, hydroxides, sulfides, carbonates, and silicates, including characterization of phase transitions, ordering phenomena, and ion exchange. Convenient access to the NSLS provides opportunities for unique experiments requiring a high-intensity X-ray source. Other projects utilize X-ray absorption spectroscopy to examine local structure in minerals and neutron diffraction for studies of hydrous phases.


Geochemistry
There are broad opportunities for graduate study and research in many areas of geochemistry. Major initiatives exist in isotope and trace-element geochemistry, aqueous and hydrothermal geochemistry, and theoretical and experimental geochemistry of mineral-melt systems. All programs have a strong experimental foundation, and many integrate experimental work with field studies and computational approaches.

Specific areas of research utilizing trace elements and radiogenic isotopes include evolution of Archean and Phanerozoic crust and geochronology of lithologic assemblages. These integrate with petrologic studies of sedimentary, metamorphic, and igneous terrains throughout the world. Research involving the chemistry and structure of sulfide and carbonate mineral surfaces are among the programs in low-temperature aqueous geochemistry; these include emphasis on geocatalysis, crystallization and trace element incorporation mechanisms, as well as the role of sulfides in the origin of life. Field-related studies focus on fluid chemistry in active hydrothermal systems. High temperature geochemical research focuses on experimental and theoretical investigations of melt and glass structure.

Experimental and analytical work makes use of the department's electron microprobe, a transmission electron microscope, thermal ionization mass spectrometers, Mossbauer lab, DCP and ion chromatography labs, X-ray diffraction facilities, and two synthesis and experimental petrology labs. Additional work uses facilities in conjunction with the Center for Environmental Molecular Science at Stony Brook and in other Stony Brook departments (e.g., NMR) as well as at nearby Brookhaven National Laboratory, including the NSLS.


Mineral and Rock Physics
Research in these fields focuses on the investigation of the structure and composition of the Earth, geophysical properties of Earth materials, and the mechanical behavior of the crust and mantle. An important emphasis is the study of high-pressure and high-temperature phases and assemblages, particularly those of relevance to the mantle. In situ measurement of elastic properties, compressibilities, and determination of crystal structure complement studies of high-pressure phase relations for constraining models for Earth's mantle and equations of state for mantle phases. Specific projects include determination of ultrasonic wave velocities of minerals and rheological determination of the strength of minerals at the pressure and temperature conditions of the Earth's mantle to depths greater than 500 km. Research initiatives in these areas are closely linked to the Mineral Physics Institute at Stony Brook, COMPRES at Stony Brook, and are in conjunction with the Geophysical Laboratory of the Carnegie Institution of Washington and the University of California at Davis. Facilities available in the Department of Geosciences and the Mineral Physics Institute include equipment for ultrasonic interferometry, Brillouin spectroscopy, and multi-anvil apparatus for experiments at high pressure and temperature; these are all integrated with synchrotron X-ray sources at the NSLS. Complete single-crystal and powder X-ray diffraction facilities and transmission electron microscopy and electron diffraction are available.

Another important area of study is the mechanical behavior of crustal rocks and the mechanics of earthquake rupture. Experimentally and theoretically based, this program focuses on brittle fracture, frictional instability, and fluid flow processes. The rock mechanics laboratory includes a triaxial press, acoustic emission system, and permeameters.


Petrology
Opportunities for graduate study and research in petrology range from atomic-scale investigations, for example dealing with the structure of glasses, to global questions regarding the relationships of magmatic suites to large-scale mantle and crustal processes. Projects include spectroscopic and quantum chemical approaches for examining mechanisms of volatile dissolution and crystal nucleation in melts and experimental investigations of the effects of pressure, temperature, and volatile composition on stabilities of minerals and melts, with corresponding development of thermodynamic models. Field and laboratory work are integrated in some studies. Additional investigations have focused on the implications of magmatism on Earth for the Martian magmatic history.

This work is supported by experimental facilities that contain controlled-atmosphere gas-mixing furnaces, cold-seal bombs, piston-cylinder apparatus, internally heated pressure vessels, as well as multi-anvil apparatus for experiments at high temperature and pressure conditions. Analytical facilities include an electron microprobe, a transmission electron microscope, thermal ionization mass spectrometers, a Mossbauer lab, and X-ray diffraction facilities.


Sedimentary Geology
Research initiatives in sedimentary geology at Stony Brook integrate geochemistry with field, petrologic, and stratigraphic studies. Trace element and isotopic studies of terrigenous sedimentary rocks provide information on their provenance, age, and composition, which yield insight to broader issues of crustal evolution, including sediment subduction, growth of continental crust and the sedimentary mass, and recycling of sedimentary rocks. Carbonate rocks and their diagenesis are another important area of research that utilizes a wide range of approaches. Petrography is combined with microanalytical techniques for trace elements and both stable and radiogenic isotopes to reconstruct the diagenetic environments and the physicochemical characteristics of paleohydrologic systems. Emphasis is also placed on the quantitative modeling of water-rock interactions. A strong component of field work is common for studies of both clastics and carbonates. Analytical facilities include the department's electron microprobe, optical and cathodoluminescence petrography and electron microscopy facilities, a mass spectrometry lab, a Mossbauer lab, DCP and ion chromatography labs, X-ray diffraction facilities, and a variety of facilities at the NSLS.


Seismology and Tectonics
A primary focus in seismology and tectonics is the determination of detailed three-dimensional earth structure, from the core to the surface, and related studies on the dynamics that drive mantle convection, deformation of the lithosphere, and plate tectonics in general. Particular emphasis is placed on interdisciplinary research and collaboration to understand the structure, composition, and dynamics of the Earth's interior, as well as the driving forces for plate movements and deformations. Inferences made from seismological, geodynamic, and geodetic investigations are integrated with findings from the fields of mineral and rock physics, geochemistry, and petrology. Areas of specific focus in seismology include seismic structures in the inner core, outer core, core-mantle boundary, upper mantle transition zone and subduction zones, strong ground motion studies, earthquake source parameter studies, and theoretical studies on seismic wave propagation. Investigations in tectonophysics include the coupling between mantle convection and lithospheric dynamics, the development of kinematics, mechanics, and seismicity within plate boundary deformation zones, and the inference of mantle flow beneath the lithosphere. Current projects involve using earthquake and space geodetic data to infer the deformation fields and employing numerical, analytical, and analog modeling to understand surface geodynamical observations, ranging from geoid, topography, plate motions and surface deformations in the global and regional scales to the partitioning of strain at geometrically complex plate margins.


Hydrogeology
The M.S. program with a concentration in hydrogeology is designed to give those with a B.S. degree is physical sciences a solid foundation of theoretical and practical graduate training emphasizing the physical and geochemical aspects of hydrogeology. Course work and a final research project totaling 30 graduate credits are arranged to accommodate working professionals, with most courses taught in the evenings. A formal thesis is not required. Coursework includes groundwater hydrology, aqueous geochemistry, rock and soil physics, numerical hydrology, statistics and probability, and organic contaminant hydrology. Final research projects are arranged individually with faculty supervisors and are designed to give students experience in field, laboratory, or theoretical approaches.