Geology and Geography Research
Housed in beautiful Clapp Laboratories, the Department of Geology and Geography maintains state-of-the-art laboratories for research and instruction in geochemistry, petrology, and geographic information systems.
Research laboratories
In addition to the labs shown here we also have our own computer lab, weather station, 12 passenger van, camping gear, and a wide array of field equipment.
Water Isotopes Lab
This laboratory features a Picarro L2130i isotopic water analyzer, acquired in 2024.This facility measures stable isotopes of hydrogen and oxygen for ground and surface water analysis and monitoring.
GeoProcessing Lab
A state of the art facility featuring Geographic Information Systems and Remote Sensing technologies. This dedicated computer facility offers training and research in Geospatial technologies: Geographic Information Systems (GIS), Remote Sensing, and Global Positioning System (GPS).
Collections
The department houses and maintains a large collection of minerals, rocks and fossils. We have spectacular display specimens throughout the department hallways, available to anyone walking through the building, as well as a very robust teaching collection used in our classes and in research.
Rock Lab
We maintain a complete rock preparation facility, including slabbing saws, trim saws, Hilquist thin sectioning equipment, and thin section polishing laps. We also have a drill press for coring rock samples and a large polishing table.
Science Center Microscopy Facility
The Biology and Geology and Geography Departments maintain an FEI Instruments Quanta 200 "environmental" scanning electron microscope equipped with an EDAX Phoenix Pro Energy Dispersive Spectrometer system and X-ray analysis software. This lab is equipped with a variety of sample preparation equipment and supplies.
Petrographic Microscope Laboratory
The Department maintains a microscopy laboratory with 12 Leica DMEP petrographic microscopes, a variety of student grade Olympus and Nikon microscopes, and several research-grade petrographic microscopes, (including a digital camera and video with monitor) for use by students and faculty in classes and research.
GeoProcessing Lab projects
The GeoProcessing lab, or GPL, is a dedicated computer facility located in Clapp. The GPL is dedicated to the study and research of geospatial technologies (GIS, Remote Sensing and GNSS). The lab has 20 dedicated computers, high precision GNSS receivers, and a suite of different software packages used for teaching and research these technologies.
The Science Center website provides more information about the GPL and GIS @ MHC contains more specific information about learning with the specialized software available at the lab.
Campus Voices
Stories about Geology and Geography research
A series of fortunate events!
Marsha Allen FP’10, Graduate student, University of Massachusetts Amherst
Pole to Pole: A career in climate science
Heidi Roop ’07
You are what you eat — a journey toward graduate school in paleontology
Dana Reuter ’15 Graduate student, University of Oregon
Happening at Mount Holyoke
Geography and Geology Research in the news
Two students secure high honors for geographical research
Two Mount Holyoke College students took home awards from the 2024 New England and St. Lawrence Valley Geographical Society Fall Conference for their research on water scarcity in the Southwest and on the preservation of indigenous water systems in Nepal.
Students explore future environmental career possibilities
Taking part in a two-day workshop featuring alums, staff and current interns, Mount Holyoke College students had the opportunity to learn what a career in environmental work entails and how to get on the right track to start their own journeys.
Exploring U.S sanctuary policy through new database
Mount Holyoke College researchers have developed a new open-access, interactive database and story map of U.S. immigration sanctuary policies that were passed between 2001 and 2014.
Contact us
Department of Geology and Geography
The Geology and Geography Department oversees the programs in both Geology (the dynamic processes that shape our planet) and Geography (the relationships between people, places, societies and the environment).
- 413-538-2278
- 304 Clapp Laboratory
