Elizabeth Miller directed the Advanced Summer Field Geology Program at Stanford, called the "Stanford Geological Survey" from 1979 to 1995. This 12-unit course was taught out of tent-camps at various locations in the mountains of Nevada. The class met six weeks in the field and three weeks back at Stanford and led to new geologic maps and formal reports on the geologic history of the regions studied. Currently, Elizabeth Miller teaches advanced undergraduate geology courses titled GES 110, Structural Geology and Tectonics, and GES 82, Optical Petrography Tutorial and two entry-level geology classes, GES 54, California Landforms and Plate Tectonics (Sophomore Seminar Series, Fall Quarter) and co-teaches GES 49N, Field Trip to Death Valley and Environs (Freshman Seminar Series, Winter Quarter and Spring Break).

GES 54: California Landforms and Plate Tectonics The slow motion of the earth's tectonic plates over the past few millions of years has shaped the present landforms of California. These motions continue today, deforming the earth, producing faults and folds and generating earthquakes. The relationship between plate tectonics and landforms in California is one of the most clear-cut in the world, making it a classic region for studying a variety of aspects of crustal deformation. We will explore the tectonics of California and its landforms through satellite images, aerial photographs, digital fly-by's, slide shows and field trips. Basic aspects of crustal deformation will be introduced by model experiments with clay, sand, plasticine and other materials that behave on the short-term like rocks do over long geologic timespans. Driving or flying across California will never be the same for you again as you grow to appreciate the results of inexorable plate motions at work beneath the scenery.

GES 49N: Field Trip to Death Valley California's Death Valley and Owens Valley are spectacular natural laboratories for exploring a billion years of earth history, from the deposits of ancient oceans to today's desert sand dunes, and for studying how the earth's crust deforms at all scales, from recent earthquake fault scarps to the uplift of entire mountain chains. The craters of old and young volcanoes dot the landscape, which was once blanketed by their eruptions. Tectonic activity has produced the dizzying topographic relief from -282 feet in Death Valley to 14,494 feet at Mount Whitney, with climate zones ranging from hot deserts to alpine snow fields. These environments show the signs both of prehistoric climate changes and of human impacts.

The focus of this course is a 6-day field trip to these areas during Spring Break. During the quarter, we will present an introduction to the basics of geology and the history of the region. Students will complete individual projects on specific topics, which will be presented during the trip. Camping and moderate hiking will be required. Many special project and senior thesis opportunities are available to undergraduates majoring in Geology, and several of these projects have been partially funded in the past by Stanford's Undergraduate Research Opportunities Program. Occasionally there are opportunities within the department to participate as field assistants to graduate students and professors and/or participate in laboratory work related to ongoing projects.