Skip to Main Content

The University of Tennessee

Enter the name of your College, Department, or Unit Here

Frequently Used Tools:




Geology 546 - Carbonate Sedimentology and Geochemistry

Geology 546 is a graduate-level course designed to give students a breadth of understanding about the modern science of carbonate sedimentology. I have designed the course specifically with new graduate students in mind - the course provides students with a breadth of skills necessary for a successful graduate school career. To this end, the course is part lecture format, part reading and discussing primary literature (with written summaries), and part lab-based analyses. In the fall of 2002, students used nearly 2/3 of the alloted lab time to conduct projects of their own design. Students made thin sections, deciphered petrographic relationships, used cathodoluminescence techniques to determine a variety of primary and diagenetic phases, microdrilled these phases, and interpreted elemental (Ca, Mg, Sr, Mn, Fe) and isotopic (C, O) analyses of their sample powders. The course ended with a "mini-GSA-style" poster session that was presented to the entire department.

  • There are no pre-requisites for this course
  • This course satisfies a graduate distribution requirement
  • Special accommodation can be made for advanced undergraduates

In 2002, student research topics included:

  • Sr/Ca determination of sea-surface temperature from coral growth rings
  • Affects of diagenetic fluid flow on the chemistry of soil rhizocretions
  • Origins and diagenetic history of soil carbonate nodules
  • Interpreting extent of fluid flow through seismically deformed carbonates
  • Diagenetic history of Mississippian hydrocarbon source rocks
  • Environmental change preserved at a karsted, carbonate sequence boundary

PDF Links to Previous Course Materials:

PLEASE REMEMBER, THE MATERIAL PROVIDED ON THIS WEBSITE IS ONLY A GUIDE. READINGS AND DISCUSSION TOPICS CHANGE FROM YEAR TO YEAR TO REFLECT NEW IDEAS AND THE INTERESTS OF STUDENTS.

LCK

Linda Kah

Department of Earth and Planetary Sciences
1412 Circle Drive
Knoxville, TN 37996-1410
Phone: (865) 974-6399
Email: lckah@utk.edu

Research and Teaching Activities