Ron
Cole
Associate Professor & Chair
Dept. of Geology
Allegheny College
520 N. Main Street
Meadville, PA 16335
Phone: 814 332 2876
Email: ron.cole@allegheny.edu
Office: Alden 209 Fall 2006 office hours
W 1:30-4:30 PM; Th 9:30-11:30 AM, 3- 4 PM
"How
many years can a mountain exist before it's washed away to the sea?"
Bob Dylan, Blowin' In the Wind, 1962
" … in nature there is a wisdom, system, and consistency."
James Hutton, Theory of the Earth, 1785.
The answer to Bob Dylan’s question lies in our ability to recognize the natural systems of the Earth as alluded to by James Hutton, one of the founders of modern geology. Discovery and exploration of Earth processes are what motivate me in my teaching and research. I am especially interested in how plate tectonic processes have shaped our planet and so my primary area of focus is in the field of Tectonics. Another area of interest to me is the interplay between geologic processes and humanity and so I also enjoy teaching in the field of Environmental Geology. The areas of tectonics and environmental geology are often entwined – earthquakes and volcanic eruptions can be violent reminders to humanity of tectonic processes. Geology allows us to explore the dynamics of our planet and to learn the wisdom of natural processes.
Geo 108 Environmental geology
Geo 230 Field Geology
Geo 250 Mineralogy & Petrology
Geo 420 Structural Geology
Course planning sheet
Academic Planning Units:
APL 101, APL
102, APL 201
FS101 Control of Nature
FS101 Volcanoes in Human History
FS102 Treasures From the Earth
FS201 Field Geology
Alaska: Environmental Frontier
Volcanism and tectonics in south-central Alaska
Petrology of foreland basin sandstones in the
central Appalachians and southern England
Deformation across the Appalachian Plateau
of NW Pennsylvania
Modern volcanism in Costa Rica
Landfill sitting - applications for teaching
