Earth Sciences
Head: Alfredo Camacho
Campus Address/General Office: 240 Wallace Building
Telephone: (204) 474-9371
Fax: (204) 474-7623
Website: umanitoba.ca/geoscience
Academic Staff: Please refer to the Clayton H. Riddell Faculty of Environment, Earth, and Resources website at: umanitoba.ca/environment-earth-resources/faculty-staff
Program Information
The Earth Sciences deal with the history of the Earth and its life, especially that which is recorded in rocks. Different component parts of the Earth system, the lithosphere, biosphere, atmosphere and hydrosphere, operate at different length and time scales. During interactions between the spheres there is feedback between the component parts as energy and mass are exchanged, transferred and redistributed. In a geological context, the feedback can occur on a global scale, or on very small scales such as that which we see in minerals. More recently humans have become a major force in this Earth system because we have intervened in many of these exchanges.
Considering the Earth's past, earth scientists typically work with long time scales (in the order of millions to billions of years). We also use Hutton's original philosophy of uniformitarianism, stated as the present is the key to the past, to solve geological problems. However, as we see changes at the Earth's surface (our environment) occurring on very short time scales we need to learn how to extract the anthropogenic signal. Once we understand and quantify the nature and extent of the Earth's natural evolution as well as our more recent environmental impact, earth scientists can help predict future changes to the Earth.
Earth Sciences provides the sciences that provide the quantitative data on the physical and chemical behaviour and characteristics of Earth materials - rocks, minerals, fluids and gases. These data are needed to model the behaviour of minerals in natural as well as many industrial systems. The theoretical and instrumental expertise needed to tackle many resource extraction, mineral processing and environmental problems is resident in geo science departments. From a broad Earth, environmental and resource perspective our collective future will depend on sustainable use of our Earth's resources and care of the environment.
The three-year General program (comprising 90 credit hours) in Earth Sciences is designed to give students a basic understanding of the discipline in combination with a concentration of courses in a second subject area. The General Program is intended for those students who do not seek a career in the geosciences. Rather, it is a useful consideration for students planning to enter the Bachelor of Education program (see the Faculty of Education in this calendar) or other programs that require an undergraduate degree for admission. Students intending to pursue a career in the Earth Sciences or graduate study should hold an Honours or Major degree (comprising at least 120 credit hours) in Geology, Geophysics or Environmental Geoscience.
Professional Registration
The professional practice of geoscience in Canada is governed by provincial/territorial law and is regulated by professional geoscience associations. In Manitoba, Engineers Geoscientists Manitoba (EGM) regulates professional practice. The requirements for professional registration are acceptable academic preparation and a subsequent period of acceptable geoscience experience. Students considering professional registration should take the B.Sc. Honours or Major degree and make appropriate course selections, particularly in the basic sciences. Graduates who do not meet the academic requirements may be required by the professional association to take additional courses or examinations. Current registration information for EGM is available in the department or from the association’s web site: www.enggeomb.ca
Earth Sciences Prerequisite Information
To fulfil prerequisite requirements, a grade of 'C' must be achieved in any course stipulated as a prerequisite to a further course in Earth Sciences unless otherwise stated. Please note that some GEOL courses require a minimum grade of 'C+' in the prerequisite course.
Programs
| Degree/Diploma | Years to Completion | Total Credit Hours | Has Co-op Option |
|---|---|---|---|
| Degree/Diploma Earth Sciences, B.Sc. General | Years to Completion 3 | Total Credit Hours 90 | Has Co-op Option no |
| Degree/Diploma Earth Sciences Minor | Total Credit Hours 18 | Has Co-op Option no | |
| Degree/Diploma Environmental Geoscience, B.Sc. Honours | Years to Completion 4 | Total Credit Hours 120 | Has Co-op Option no |
| Degree/Diploma Environmental Geoscience, B.Sc. Major | Years to Completion 4 | Total Credit Hours 120 | Has Co-op Option no |
| Degree/Diploma Geology, B.Sc. Honours | Years to Completion 4 | Total Credit Hours 120 | Has Co-op Option no |
| Degree/Diploma Geology, B.Sc. Major | Years to Completion 4 | Total Credit Hours 120 | Has Co-op Option no |
| Degree/Diploma Geophysics, B.Sc. Honours | Years to Completion 4 | Total Credit Hours 120 | Has Co-op Option no |
| Degree/Diploma Geophysics, B.Sc. Major | Years to Completion 4 | Total Credit Hours 120 | Has Co-op Option no |
Courses
Environment, Earth, and Resources
Geological Sciences
Prerequisite: Any university-level Geology course.
Prerequisite: [GEOL 2500 or the former GEOL 2540] and [one of MATH 1300, MATH 1301, MATH 1210, MATH 1211, MATH 1230, MATH 1500, MATH 1501, MATH 1510, or MATH 1520]. Pre or Corequisite: [(CHEM 1100 or CHEM 1101) and (one of CHEM 1120, CHEM 1121 or CHEM 1126)] or the former CHEM 1300 or the former CHEM 1301.
Pre- or Corequisite: GEOL 2500 or the former GEOL 2540.
Prerequisites: [MATH 1230 or MATH 1500 or MATH 1501 or MATH 1510 or MATH 1520] and [PHYS 1020 or PHYS 1021 or PHYS 1050 or PHYS 1051] and [(CHEM 1100 or CHEM 1101) and (one of CHEM 1120, CHEM 1121, or CHEM 1126)] or [the former CHEM 1300 or the former CHEM 1301] and [GEOL 2060 or GEOG 2310 or (one of STAT 1000, or STAT 1001, or STAT 1150)] and [GEOL 2530].
Prerequisite: GEOL 2530.
Prerequisite: GEOL 2530.
Prerequisite: Permission of department head.
Prerequisite: GEOL 3310 or permission of department.
Prerequisite: GEOL 3130 and permission of department head.
Prerequisite: GEOL 3130 and permission of department head.