Analytical Techniques for Studying Environmental and Geologic Samples
A laboratory course from MIT OpenCourseWare covering the analytical facilities geologists and environmental scientists use to characterize rocks, soils, sediments and water. Lectures introduce the theory behind each technique, and lab sessions put students on the instruments themselves, measuring mineralogy, elemental abundance, and isotopic ratios of strontium and lead. Topics include X-ray diffraction, mass spectrometry, and other methods for tracing the geologic and environmental history recorded in a sample. Materials include lecture notes and lab assignments as published by MIT, offered free under an open license with no certificate attached. The course suits students who want hands-on grounding in the instrumentation behind geochemical and environmental analysis rather than just the underlying theory.