INCORPORATING DIAGENESIS INTO ANY UNDERGRADUATE SEDIMENTARY GEOLOGY COURSE: JUST DO IT!

Diagenesis is an important topic to the field of sedimentary geology, yet is not included in many undergraduate geology curricula. A two- to three-week long unit on diagenesis can be easily incorporated into any undergraduate sedimentary geology course with the goal of teaching students to recognize diagenetic products and interpret the processes by which they formed. Lectures and labs focus on pore types, cementation, neomorphism, and paragenetic sequences. Students make observations and interpretations at the hand sample and thin section scale in the lab and, later in the semester, at the outcrop scale on field trips. Positive outcomes for students include: (1) illustration of links between sedimentary geology, hydrology, geochemistry, and petroleum geology; (2) better preparation for graduate education in sedimentary geology, as well as careers in the petroleum and environmental industries; (3) practice in determining geologic histories; and (4) valuable experience in an important aspect of sedimentary geology.