History of the Geology Department

The Geology program at FIU began in 1972 with two faculty members within the Department of Physical Sciences. Classes began in 1973 and the first Geology majors graduated in 1976. The program expanded rapidly and became a separate Department of Geology in 1984. While committed to excellence in teaching, the department has always remained a strong research oriented department faculty research projects are largely supported by grants from the National Science Foundation, NASA, Ocean Drilling Program, Nuclear Regulatory Commission, Department of Energy, Everglades National Park, South Florida Water Management District, Sigma Xi, Earthwatch, Geological Society of America and Petroleum Research Fund of the American Chemical Society. The M.S. program in Geology began in 1987 and graduated its first students in 1989. The Ph.D. program in Geology admitted its first students in Fall, 1994.

In 1992-1993 the Geology Department facilities were completely renovated and expanded four-fold. Research analytical facilities include an electron microprobe, ICP emission spectrometer, cryogenic magnetometer, and scanning electron microscope. The department houses research laboratories for experimental structural geology, high-pressure experimental petrology, micropaleontology, fluid inclusion studies and a class-100 clean laboratory for preparation of samples for isotopic analysis. The department is also well-equipped with instrumentation for field geophysical and hydrogeologic studies, and has a van for transportation to local field sites. Extensive facilities for the analysis of water are available through formal connections with the Drinking Water Research Center in the College of Engineering and Design.

The Department has been able to take full advantage of Miami's excellent location for fieldwork. Faculty and student research has been conducted throughout South Florida, the Caribbean (Jamaica, Cuba, Haiti, Dominican Republic, Puerto Rico, Virgin Islands), Central and South America (Mexico, Nicaragua, Costa Rica, Colombia, Peru, Argentina, Chile, Panama), as well as Arizona, Carifornia, North Carolina, Tennessee, West Virginia, Hawaii, Fiji, Japan, Russia, Spain and India. Student field camps and class excursions have been conducted throughout the southeastern United States, New Mexico, California, Haiti, Dominican Republic, Mexico and, of course, South Florida.