Department of Earth Sciences and Geologic Resources

Wesley A. Brown, chair
Kevin Stafford, graduate advisor
Miller Science Building, Room 301
Phone: (936) 468-3701
Fax: (936) 468-2437
P.O. Box 13011, SFA Station
Nacogdoches, Texas 75962
Email: geology@sfasu.edu
Web: sfasu.edu/geology

Objectives of the Department

The graduate program in geology is designed to provide advanced studies leading to the Master of Science:

• Master of Science in geology
• Master of Science in Natural Science with a concentration in geology

Graduate Faculty

Professors

• Wesley A. Brown, PhD, University of Texas at El Paso, Earthquake Seismology, Environmental Geophysics and Seismotectonics
• R. LaRell Nielson, PhD, University of Utah, Stratigraphy, Field Geology, Sedimentary Petrology and Geomorphology
• Kevin W. Stafford, PhD, New Mexico Institute for Mining and Technology, Karst Hydrogeology, Carbonate Petrology, and Remote Sensing

Assistant Professors

• Julie Bloxson, PhD, Case Western University Reserve, Petroleum Geology and Sedimentology
• Melinda Shaw Faulkner, PhD, Stephen F. Austin State University, Environmental Geochemistry and Natural Resources
• Zachariah Fleming, PhD, University of Texas at El Paso, Structural Geology, Tectonics, and Remote Sensing
• Liane M. Stevens, PhD, University of Montana, Metamorphic Petrology, Geochronology and Structural Geology

Lecturer

• Michael T. Read, PhD, University of Texas at Arlington, Paleontology and Stratigraphy

Graduate Assistantships

A limited number of assistantships are available in the department to qualified students having clear admission to the graduate school. Information regarding financial support may be obtained by contacting the Department of Earth Sciences and Geologic Resources at geology@sfasu.edu.

Admission Requirements

To be admitted to graduate status as a major in the Department of Earth Sciences and Geologic Resources, a student must have completed a bachelor’s degree equivalent to the BS in geology at this university. Students without this background may be admitted on a provisional basis pending the completion of courses in which they are deficient.

Facilities and Research Opportunities

Graduate student research areas and advanced laboratories are available for faculty members and student research. Major equipment includes an X-ray diffractometer, ground penetrating radar, cesium-vapor magnetometer, ground conductivity meter, CG-5 Autograv Gravimeter, Worden gravimeter, Geode 12 channel In-field polarization seismograph, OhmMapper, AGI SuperSting R8, UV-Vis Spectrophotometer, handheld XRF, water quality/geochemistry lab, student and research microscopes, and a core research facility (East Texas Core Repository). A scanning electron microscope (SEM) is available for use by the department.

Research interests of faculty members include stratigraphy; clastic and carbonate sedimentary petrology; igneous, metamorphic and regional petrology; process mineralogy; geochemistry; structural geology; environmental geology; geophysics; hydrogeology; carbonate diagenesis; karst hydrology; remote sensing; and petroleum reservoir geology. Individual graduate studies in the areas of research listed above are available to graduate students majoring in or minoring in geology.

Programs

• Geology, MS

• Geology Concentration

• Geology, Minor