Geological Sciences and Geological Engineering

Our Mission

To Deliver

Outstanding experiential learning in Geological Sciences and Geological Engineering.

To Sustain

Internationally-recognized research in earth-science related fields.

To Advance

Evidence-based solutions to earth-science related problems in service to society.

Explore Our Undergraduate Programs

Study the Earth and Beyond

The department offers degree programs within both the Faculty of Arts and Science as well as a fully accredited engineering degree program within the Faculty of Engineering and Applied Science.

Geological Sciences

Discover GeoSci

Geological Engineering

Discover GeoEng

Student Spotlights

Find out why our students chose Queen's Geological Sciences and Geological Engineering, and the unique paths and opportunities available within the department.

Undergraduate Student Spotlight

"It has been great participating in field trips as soon as the term starts, using state of art software, and meeting other students as passionate about geology as I am."

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Graduate Student Spotlight

"I’m particularly inspired to be working towards effectively packaging academic research in a way that can be brought back practically to industry".

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Research Groups

Queen's Geo-Environmental Engineering group

Research into the environmental impacts of human activity: we study the occurrence, transport and transformation of pollutants in natural and industrial contexts, using and interdisciplinary combination of concepts from environmental (bio)geochemistry, hydrology, analytical chemistry, civil and environmental engineering, et cetera.

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Queen's Tectonics Research Laboratory

The Queen's Tectonics Research Laboratory (QTRL) conducts research aimed at understanding the dynamic processes operating in mountain belts, with a focus on the structural and thermal evolution of the continental crust and the influence of reactivated faults on regional seismicity.

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Queen's Clastic Sedimentology Group

The Queen's Clastic Sedimentology Group aims to understand sediment transport processes and how rivers and sediment gravity flows shape coastal and marine environments. We explore sedimentary depositional systems through outcrop-based studies and physical modelling in the Coastal Engineering Laboratory.

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Queen's Geomechanics and Geohazards Group

Established in 2002, the Queen's Geomechanics and Geohazards Group is a collaborative research group directed by Dr. Mark Diederichs, Dr. Jean Hutchinson, and Dr. Jennifer Day. Our research focuses on Geomechanics, Geohazards, and Engineering Geology for a variety of applications in the natural and built world, on surface and underground. We work with theoretical mechanics and undertake applied research in the field, physical laboratories, and numerical computing laboratories.

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Queen's Facility for Isotope Research

The Queen’s Facility for Isotope Research (QFIR) is a full-service analytical laboratory established in 1997 by Dr. T.K. Kyser (FRSC). We pride ourselves as a hands-on teaching facility and a state-of-the-art research centre. Longstanding collaborations with academic, industry, and government partners have positioned QFIR as a global leader in ore deposit research, environmental biogeochemistry, and the application of geochemistry to sedimentologic systems.

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Stephen Cheesman Geoselenic Research Project

Queen's Geoselenic Research Project

Established and funded by alumnus Stephen Cheeseman in 2020 to address fundamental questions about the interactions within the Earth-Moon system.

The project will focus on the integration of multi-disciplinary research as it pertains to improving our understanding of the relevance of the Moon for Earth processes including plate tectonics, core and mantle convection/geochemistry, magnetohydrodynamics, the geodynamo and the evolution and future of life on Earth.

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