Jumbo Magazine - Fall 2023

EXPLORE THE EARTH IN ALL ITS GLORIOUS COMPLEXITY

Isn’t it marvelous to realize that we’re all tiny specks of dust in the grand scheme of the universe? Even so, you’re most likely driven by the innate desire to explore: traveling to places near and far, meeting people from all walks of life, and even coming across new ideas inside and outside the classroom! Now let’s zoom into Tufts where you’ll find the Department of Earth and Climate Sciences (ECS). Home of majors like environmental geology and geological sciences, the ECS department centers the study of 4.6 billion years of Earth’s history of phenomena like droughts, earthquakes, and volcanic eruptions. Students gain a deeper appreciation of Earth’s systems and their impact on natural environments and energy resources while also learning about everexpanding fields like climate science and paleoclimatology through fieldwork. Here’s a selection of intellectually rewarding ECS classes that take exploration to the next level.

BY JED QUIAOIT ’25

EOS 0001 The Dynamic Earth

What do canyons, mountains, coastlines, and planets like Earth have in common? They all have rocks! In this course, students will learn core geology principles and formulate hypotheses behind how rock and mineral formations form over time. This class also brings forth new ways of thinking about natural processes, scientific methods, and the relationship human beings have to the Earth’s framework of geological time and space.

EOS 0011 Mineralogy

With hands-on problem-solving components, this course tackles the formation and geologic occurrence of important economic and rock-forming minerals like copper, gold, and lead. Students will get the opportunity to use polarizing microscopes and morphological crystallography techniques to identify minerals. In previous offerings, educational field trips included visits to the central pegmatite mines, outcrops, and the Mt. Cardigan pluton over the White Mountain National Forest in New Hampshire.

EOS 0015 Mass Extinctions

Around 150–200 plant and animal species go extinct on average every day, which begs the question: “Are we heading towards a sixth mass extinction?” This course investigates the definition and history of mass extinction through the lenses of key factors like volcanism, meteorite impacts, climate change, ice ages, and novel evolved species. Students will also be able to connect mass extinctions to changes in Earth’s biodiversity and ecosystems.

EOS 0115 Glacial/Quaternary Geology

During the last 2.4 million years, often referred to as the “Ice Age,” climate has oscillated between extreme warm and cold conditions. In warm periods, alligators migrated as far north as the Ohio Valley, and during cold episodes, continent-sized ice sheets covered most of Europe and North America. What was responsible for the roller coaster climate of the Quaternary and latest Tertiary periods and how do we know about these dynamic conditions of the past? This course dives deeper into the study of how rocks and sediments of the recent past formed and how we decipher this geologic history. Interactive activities include field trips to Quaternary geological features in the Boston area, as well as excursions to the Connecticut River Valley in New Hampshire and Vermont and the western Mohawk River valley of central New York, where glacial and marine sediments from the last glaciation will be studied.