Facilities

Introductory Geology (GIS) Lab

The introductory geology lab (323 Ross Hall) contains 24 student computers with dual monitors plus the instructor’s smart podium. All geospatial courses are taught in this classroom, from the introductory GEOS 1500 Introduction to Geospatial Technology class through the graduate level geospatial classes, which adds up to a minimum of 5 classes each semester. Currently, computers in the GIS lab are equipped with campus licenses for ArcGIS software (version 10.6 and ArcGIS Pro 2.2), TerrSet 18.3, 9 floating licenses for Agisoft Photoscan Professional Edition, one dongle-controlled license of GPR-Slice for multi-seat classroom use, and 6 licenses for RockPack3. Various free and open source software used for geospatial and geological analyses (e.g., GeoDa, CrimeStat, CrystalViewer) are also installed on lab computers. The major software used for GIS and cartography courses is ArcGIS 10.1, which is the industry standard. The lab uses the Advanced (ArcInfo) license level of ArcGIS 10.1 and all major extensions are available at this license level (e.g., Spatial Analyst, 3D Analyst, Geostatistical Analyst, Network Analyst, Tracking Analyst, etc.). Additional software is also available including Google Earth, ENVI (remote sensing), SPSS for statistical analyses, Adobe Creative Suite for photo/map editing and other purposes, and a collection of open source/freeware that can be utilized for geospatial and/or geostatistical analyses (e.g., GeoDa, CrimeStat).

Engineering Geology Lab

Equipment in the Engineering Geology Lab is available to students taking Engineering Geology and for faculty-student research. The lab includes separate equipment for soil mechanics and rock mechanics. Within the Engineering Geology Lab, the Soil Mechanics Lab has equipment that enables testing of the engineering behavior and fundamental properties of soil, determining slake durability index properties of weak rocks, and compressive strength of rocks. The lab includes specific gravity and grain-size distribution kits, Atterberg Limit test kits, a direct shear machine, consolidation test apparatus, and soil permeability test apparatus. The Rock Mechanics Lab has facilities to determine engineering properties of rocks and rock aggregates required for research and practice. Field gear includes a full range of tools for sampling soils, measuring in-situ strength, and soil moisture.   

Gray Fossil Site and Museum

The Gray Fossil Site and Museum is a place where visitors can get up close and personal with an active Miocene-era fossil dig site. Scientists believe the site was formed by an underground limestone cave that collapsed and created a sinkhole. This left a vast fossil deposit that dates back 4.5 – 7 million years ago. Animals that have been unearthed so far include: saber tooth cat, alligator, tapir, rhinoceros, short-faced bear, and a mastodon as well as hundreds of plants and other animals. For more information CLICK HERE

Geospatial Exploration (GEL) Lab

Geospatial Exploration Lab (GEL): The GEL is located on the fourth floor of Ross Hall (Room 412) and operates as a limited-access graduate student research lab. It contains 6 dual-monitor and all computers have ArcGIS Desktop 10.x, ArcGIS Pro 2.x, QGIS LTR, TerrSet 18.3, Agisoft Photoscan Professional Edition, R & RStudio, SPSS, GeoDa, CrimeStat, GoogleEarth Pro, and Mendeley Desktop. Because of their fast processing capabilities, computers in the lab can use Photoscan to create digital orthophoto mosaics, digital surface models (DSMs), and 3D mesh models, and point clouds from UAV-acquired digital photos. Some computers also have the following software, depending on ongoing research: Surfer 13, ArcSWAT, Hazus (FEMA), SLOSH, SLAMM, Inkscape, Maxent, and openModeller (CL and DT). In addition to the available workstations, the GEL is also a fully operational conference room with a Samsung Smart 3D 4K Ultra HD TV and surround sound. Wireless HDMI and video/Skype capabilities are also available. A 16TB QNAP TS-451 server is network-connected and serves as a NAS for all graduate students to store and back up data.  

Geoinformatics and Disaster Science (GADS) Lab

The GADS Lab, located in Ross Hall 316, provides hazard mitigation planning services to institutes of higher education across the United States and local hazard mitigation planning services for counties and other jurisdictions in Tennessee. Plan and product development are data-driven and GIS-based, resulting in comprehensive risk and vulnerability assessments that align with policy goals. With an intensive focus on GIS, products are also geared towards visually communicating hazards and risks to large and diverse audiences through cartographic skill and intuitive webmap/app design. 

Hydrology Lab

The Hydrology Lab supports graduate and undergraduate teaching and research in karst hydrology, and groundwater and surface water hydrology. The Hydrology Lab is equipped with a Shimadzu RF-5301PC spectrofluorphotometer, an EM-River 3m x 1m stream table, 2 physical groundwater models, 2 centrifuges, and a fume hood. Field equipment on hand includes: a groundwater pump and water level meter, 2 ISCO samplers, 10 turbidity kits, 10 dissolved oxygen kits, a conductivity meter, a dissolved oxygen meter, 2 water level data loggers, a conductivity data logger, a data logging rain gauge, a turbidity data logger, a Colilert Quantitray® system, 2 USGS flow meters including a bridge board setup, and 8 sets of waders.  

Mineralogy and Petrology Lab

This lab is used for lecture and lab sections of Mineralogy and Petrology. The lab houses the department's teaching and reference collections of minerals, igneous, sedimentary and metamorphic rocks, a sand reference collection, and a rock and mineral thin section collection. Sixteen binocular scopes and 26 student petrographic microscopes (14 new with cameras) are available for students. A pole-mounted Leica binocular microscope and a research-grade Nikon petrographic scope, both of which can be coupled to a camera with images fed through the classroom projector, are also available. The lab has 2 additional research-grade Nikon petrographic scopes and houses a student-grade Rigaku XRD for mineral analysis and an Olympus XRF gun for elemental analysis. 

Natural Hazards and Society Lab

The ETSU Department of Geosciences Natural Hazards and Society Lab supports research linked to geological risk and risk management and individual and organizational risk communications. Computing equipment includes Dell desktop PCs, laptops, and monitors, MacPro and MacAir laptops and a Dynafold DE-380 Commercial Grade High Performance Digital Paper Folder.

Paleontology Lab

The Paleontology labs consists of the following labs: The Modern Collections lab, located in the basement of Ross Hall, houses most of the Center’s skeletal collection, skins, and casts. This collection is used for both teaching and research and contains over 10,000 specimens. The Skeletal Processing Labs (Ross Hall and Valleybrook) is continually growing its osteological collection and these labs are designed for processing this material before it goes into the collection. The Fossil Preparation Lab, located at the Gray Fossil Site, works to process all fossils and sediment from the GFS. This site is used by the department’s Paleontological Techniques class, as well as independent study courses, utilize the lab to teach and advance skills in fossil preparation. The Collections Room (Gray Fossil Site) is where fossils are cataloged and stored in a temperature- and humidity-controlled environment. Most specimens in this room are fossils from the GFS, but we also have fossil collections from Pleistocene sites across southeastern North America. 

Remote Sensing Lab

Remote Sensing Lab: The Remote Sensing Lab has field equipment mainly for investigating the shallow subsurface (typically the upper 0-6 m below surface), including ground-penetrating radar (GPR), magnetic gradiometry (MG), and electromagnetic induction (EMI) instruments. The lab also has survey grade real-time kinematic (RTK) global navigation satellite systems (GNSS) kits and a 4-wheeler utility quad to support field and mapping projects. For studies involving aerial and satellite remote sensing, a spectroradiometer to measure crop reflectance and a ceptometer to measure photosynthetically active radiation are also available. These instruments are used in student and faculty archaeological and geological research projects, and many are used for teaching GEOS 4/5237 Advanced Remote Sensing. Specific instruments and equipment include: (1) a GSSI SIR-4000 GPR unit with 400 MHz and 270 MHz analog antennas, a survey wheel, and 3-wheel cart; (2) a Geonics EM38-MK2 conductivity Subject Received Size Categories
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Rock Preparation Lab

Located on the lower level of Hutcheson Hall, the Rock Preparation Lab contains equipment for preparing rocks for study. This includes two 24-inch Covington slab saws, a 10-inch saw, a Buehler polisher, a tumbler and an Ingram thin section machine. This lab is also equipped with a portable gas-powered rock corer that can collect 1-inch diameter core samples for thin section preparation. 

ETSU/Eastman Valleybrook Campus

ETSU’s Valleybrook Campus is comprised of a 72,000 square-foot facility located on 144 acres off of Pickens Road in Gray, Tennessee. The facility includes state of the art labs, office space, and outdoor space. The Department of Geosciences has multiple preparation labs, offices, and storage spaces inside, and operates the ETSU Valleybrook Outdoor Soil and Water Research Lab on the facility grounds. This lab consists of two gully systems on an eroding hillslope, a groundwater well, and a Davis Vantage Pro weather station. The weather station logs current conditions at 5-minute intervals, and the data are archived on a desktop computer on site and broadcast in real time to WeatherUnderground (https://www.wunderground.com/personal-weather-station/dashboard?ID=KTNJONES12). A second weather station is located on the main ETSU campus in front of Ross Hall, and data are also archived on site and broadcast in real time to WeatherUnderground (https://www.wunderground.com/personal-weather-station/dashboard?ID=KTNJOHNS46#history).

Laboratory for Advanced Methods in Paleoecology and Chronometry (Valleybrook): LAMPEC provides research facilities for conducting a variety of geochemical and chronometric analyses in support of paleontological research programs. Currently, the lab hosts active stable isotope and archaeomagnetic research programs. Training in laboratory techniques using existing equipment is available to interested ETSU students and visiting researchers. Laboratory capacities include: Wet lab facilities for preparing stable isotope samples and analyzing oriented sediment samples for archaeomagnetic dating. Facilities for a broad variety of geochemical sample preparation that includes many different geological and biological materials (e.g., bone, enamel, guano, sediment/rock, and preserved soft tissue) for many different analyses (e.g., stable isotopes, trace elements, 14C dating, electron microscopy). A Schonstedt spinner magnetometer and AC demagnetizer for the purpose of analyzing samples for archaeomagnetic dating.