EOS 408: Marine Geology#
Advanced course
Marine geology from the sea floor to coastlines, with scientific writing at the center.
EOS 408 follows geological processes across ocean basins, volcanic islands, margins, and coasts while building fluency with primary literature and science communication.
Course status
Archived course materials from Fall 2025.
In this course, we will explore geological processes in a wide range of oceanic environments: mid-ocean ridges, mid-plate volcanoes and hot spots, coastlines, continental margins and abyssal plains. The lectures, readings, and your writing will cover seminal scientific works and recent journal publications.
This course is a science writing course. Clear writing is one of the most important skills in science as it clarifies our own understanding of a topic and provides a pathway to communicate our ideas to others. You will be required to submit writing and revisions to your writing almost every week. Your final grade in this course will largely reflect your ability to demonstrate your understanding of marine geology through your writing.
Course outline
Schedule, grading, and policies
Start here for the semester structure, evaluation, and course logistics.
Lectures
Slides and core concepts
Browse the lecture sequence and supporting materials for the term.
Readings
Assigned papers and discussion materials
Read the papers that support lectures, workshops, and writing.
Processes
From ridges to coasts
Follow marine geological processes across the full range of oceanic settings explored in the course.
Reading
Seminal and current papers
Use journal articles as part of the course material rather than as a separate supplement.
Communication
Science writing throughout
Develop clear geoscience writing through frequent assignments, revision, and synthesis.