Department of Geology

Geology Facilities

Bracy Hall  ►

The Mount Union College Geology department is housed along with the rest of the natural sciences in  Bracy Hall.  This new 20 million dollar state of the art science facility opened in the fall of 2003.  The Geology department is housed primarily on the first floor of the east wing of Bracy Hall. 

◄  Introductory Geology Lab

The William A. Rice introductory geology lab contains the departments collections of minerals, rocks, fossils, and maps used in introductory geology courses, along with rock and mineral displays and 6 Apple Macintosh G4 computers for student use. This room is used for lab sections of Physical Geology and Historical Geology and lecture sections of upper level geology courses.

▼  Mineralogy Lab

Used for lecture and lab sections of Mineralogy, Petrology, Structural Geology, and Environmental Geology.  Houses the departments teaching collections of minerals, igneous rocks and metamorphic rocks.

Optical Mineralogy Lab  ►

Houses petrographic microscopes used by students in Mineralogy and Petrology.  Also includes equipment for capturing film and digital  images from the microscope and video equipment for displaying images.

◄  X-ray Diffraction Lab

The Osborne X-ray diffraction lab houses the departments modern computer controlled Phillips X-ray diffractometer. This equipment makes possible the precise identification and detailed study of minerals.  It is used by geology students taking Mineralogy (GY 301) and is available for student research.

Scanning Electron Microscope Lab  ►

This lab, shared with the Biology department, houses Mount Union's JEOL Scanning Electron Microscope (SEM) and Noran Energy Dispersive System.  The SEM shoots an electron beam at a sample and detects secondary electrons (used to study sample morphology) and backscatter electrons (used to distinguish compositional difference) emitted by the sample.  The EDS detects x-rays emitted from the sample and is used for chemical analysis.  This lab is used by geology students taking Mineralogy (GY 301) and Petrology (GY 302) and is available for student research.

Sedimentalogy Lab

Used for lecture and lab sections Paleontology (GY 320) and Stratigraphy/Sedimentology (GY 325).  Houses the department's sedimentary rock and fossil collections.

Seismometer Lab   ►

The Mount Union College Geology Department operates one of the 20 stations of the OhioSeis network that monitors earthquakes in Ohio.  The seismometer (pictured at right), located on the lower level of Bracy Hall, can detect earthquakes from around the world.

Faculty/Student Research Labs

Used for research by student and faculty. 

Wiese Seminar Room ►

The Wiese Seminar Room provides a comfortable setting for small classes and informal gatherings of geology faculty and students. It also houses the departments topographic map, geologic map, and air photo collections, along with 2 PCs and a Mac for student use. 

Rock Preparation Lab

Located on the lower level of Bracy Hall, The Rock Preparation Lab contains equipment for preparing rocks for study.  Equipment includes rock saws with diamond blades, rock crushers, polishing laps, thin sectioning equipment, furnaces and a drying oven.

GIS/Computer Lab    ►

The Bracy Hall Computer Lab, shared by all of the natural science departments, consists of 20 PCs.  The room is available for classes and individual student use.  In addition this room includes a computer running various Geographical Information System (GIS) software.

Return to top of page

Last Updated: 06/20/2008

Mount Union College Geology