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The Geology program introduces students to a variety of geological principals. Some of the main subjects that are taught in the program include rocks and minerals, deformation of the lithosphere and evolution of life during Earth’s history. The program also emphasizes fieldwork in different sites around Kuwait. The objective of the fieldwork is to apply the acquired theoretical knowledge from the different required courses and to teach them the spatial and temporal aspects of geological features and structures.
Geology Minor
An applicant for admission to science and science related undergraduate programs at KU must satisfy the following criteria:
- The applicant is required to take the KU aptitude test consisting of tests in Maths, English language, and/or Chemistry. KU Center for Measurement and Evaluations designs the tests in collaboration with faculty members. Within a period of 2 years prior to graduation from high school, senior students are eligible to sit the examination.
- The applicant must arrange for certification documents which are submitted to KU Registrar’s Office affirming that he/she has satisfactorily graduated from high school.
The students are admitted if they fulfill the following:
- If he/she is not on probation.
- Completed 6 courses with overall minimum grade of C. The 6 courses are: English (161), Math (101), Geology (100) or (101), Chemistry (101) not below C grade, Physics (101), and Math (102). Students must maintain a minimum of 2.0 (C grade) in both their GPA, and MPA for their graduation. Students who do not maintain a minimum GPA of 2.0 will be liable for restrictions under Bi-law policies.
Course Title: Principles of Geology (Compulsory)
Course Number: 0460100
Credits: 3-3-4
Prerequisite: None
Category: Geology Students Only
Introduction to the principles of physical geology. Earth material. Minerals and their properties. Rocks and their properties. Rock and tectonic cycles. Magmatic rocks. Volcanism and extrusive rocks. Plutonic rocks and intrusive activities. Sedimentation and sedimentary rocks. Metamorphism and metamorphic rocks. Weathering, rock decay and soils. Relative and absolute time and the time scale. Erosion, mass wastage and surface processes. Streams and landscape sculpture. Ground water. Deserts and wind action. Glaciation and glaciers. Waves and shorelines. Deformation and geologic structures. Seismology, earthquakes and earth interior. Plate tectonics, sea floor, large-scale structures and mountain belts. Natural resources and hazards.
Course title: Historical Geology (Compulsory)
Course number: 0460102
Credits: 2-3-3
Prerequisite: Geo. 100 or Geo. 101
Category: Sciences, engineering and education students only
Theories of earth and solar system. Methods of measuring geologic time. Overall scheme of earth and life evolution by examining organic and non-organic record from Precambrian to present. Concepts of plate tectonics and continental drift. Laboratory work emphasizes the interpretation of geologic maps and description and use of fossils.
Course title: Mineralogy (Compulsory)
Course number: 0460107
Credits: 2-3-3
Prerequisite: Geo. 100
Category: Geology students only
Introduction to crystallography and mineralogy. Crystal systems and classes. Fundamental concepts of mineral chemistry. Classification of minerals by crystal systems and chemical groups. Physical properties and identification. Identification of mineral hand specimens. Systematic survey of major rock-forming mineral groups, with emphasis on silicates, carbonates and oxides. Basics of quantitative mineralogy.
Course title: General Petrology (Compulsory)
Course number: 0460201
Course abbreviation: Geo. 201
Credits: 1-3-2
Prerequisite: Geo. 105 or Geo. 107
An introduction to igneous, metamorphic and sedimentary rocks, with emphasis on their hand specimen description and identification. Classification. A brief treatment of formation of rocks.
Course title: Invertebrates Paleontology (Compulsory)
Course number: 0460206
Credits: 2-3-3
Prerequisite: Geo. 102 (2010 and before); Geo. 201 (post 2010)
Nature of fossils. Types of fossilization. Diversity and value of fossils. Systematic study of the main invertebrate groups with emphasis on the morphology of hard parts, their geologic history, as well as their ecology and evolution.
Course title: Stratigraphy and Sedimentation (Compulsory)
Course number: 0460208
Credits: 2-3-3
Prerequisite: Geo. 102 (2010 and before); Geo. 201 (post 2010)
Preliminaries. Depositional environments and evolution of sedimentary rocks. Identification of type and environment of deposition. Facies and principles of sediment accumulation. Correlation. Sedimentary tectonics. Basin identification. Evaluation of depositional history from stratigraphic information.
Course title: Optical Mineralogy
Course number: 0460251
Credits: 1-3-2
Prerequisite: Geo. 201
Category: Education and non-geology students only
Properties of light. Optical properties of minerals and their study using the transmitted light polarizing microscope. Systematic investigation of rock-forming mineral groups under the microscope.
Course title: Structural Geology (Compulsory)
Course number: 0460301
Credits: 2-3-3
Prerequisite: Geo. 201 and Geo. 208
Behavior of rocks and deformational conditions. Stresses and strains. Mechanisms of deformation. Deformational structures – joints, faults, folds, foliations and lineations. Descriptive, geometrical, kinematic and dynamic analysis of deformational structures. Nature and significance of shear zones. Polyphase deformational structures. Plate tectonics. Intrusive and extrusive structures. Impact structures.
Course title: Environmental Analytical Chemistry
Course number: 0466405
Credits: 3
Prerequisite: 0466201
Environmental analytical chemistry is concerned with the methods used to address the measurements of trace elements and organic compounds in the atmosphere, aquatic and terrestrial environments. A comprehensive introduction to analytical techniques commonly used by those needing to measure quantities of relevance to atmospheric, aquatic and soil environments. Linking the fields of environmental science and analytical chemistry. The course covers titrimetry, gravimetry, separation techniques, atomic and molecular spectrometry, electro-analytic techniques, and thermal methods of analysis and biological indicators. Application discusses speciation, analysis of atmospheric samples, determination of traces of organic compounds and other techniques. The course is taught lectures. There are no practicals.
Course title: Principles of Environmental Management
Course number: 0466305
Credits: 3
Prerequisite: 0466200
Environmental Management is a study of global resources management and the analysis and control of environmental pollution. This course acquaints the student with the fundamentals of resources management and the physical, chemical and biological analysis of pollutants which contaminate the Earth’s biosphere. Topics covered include global resources, resource management, environmental pollution, and pollution control.
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