Spring Semester 2006

Geochemical Modeling

CHEM 5956

Summary: This course is designed for undergraduate/graduate students who already have a good background in fundamentals of aqueous geochemistry (e.g., CHEM 4406/5406 or GEOE 5520) and want to apply this knowledge to complex real-world problems. The class will focus on various geochemical modeling software programs that are widely used in industry and research. Problems to be tackled include (but are not restricted to) geochemistry of metals in natural and constructed wetlands, trace metals in rivers, modeling water-rock interaction in the Berkeley Pit, evaporation and mixing. Students are encouraged to use data from their own thesis research for term projects in this class.

Instructor: This class will be taught by Steve Parker; office CBB 223; 496-4185; sparker@mtech.edu

Class format: Tu-Th; 1:00 to 1:50 PM; CBB 105; 2 credits, 1-2 lecture/wk + modeling assignments

Textbook: none required. Copies of software and instruction manuals will be provided for any share-ware programs used in the class.

Grading:  grading is based on weekly attendance and assignments.  No exams or term papers.  

The following is a partial list of software that will be used:

STABCAL

This program, developed at Tech by H. Huang, greatly increases the versatility of MINTEQA2 by offering several different databases, a Windows interface, and graphical capabilities.

PHREEQC/NETPATH (share-ware)

These programs were developed by the U.S. Geol. Survey, and can be used to calculate changes in chemistry of water due to interaction with rock.