Studying Geology in the Bahamas!

What better place could there be to study geology?

•  Quaternary rocks, covering the islands, provide evidence of the sediment-to-rock process;

•  Shallow subtidal shelf environments and coral reefs hold within them ancient stories that continue to be discovered; and

•  Lagoons, beaches, dunes and salt-water lakes contain diverse carbonate sediment-producing environments and yield keys to the fragile ecosystem of the Bahama Islands.

GEO 150/350, “Geology of the Bahamas,” was led by Dr. Deborah Freile, associate professor of geology, from May 10-27, 2004, as a field-oriented course to examine the biology and geology of modern and ancient reef environments and natural history of the surrounding coastal areas of the Bahamas. The Gerace Research Center in San Salvador served as the main headquarters

Rather than relaxing on their final day in the Bahamas , the students volunteered their time and effort to paint the outside of a local school building, clean, pick up litter, and perform simple repairs. Dr. Freile and her students concluded that they should “give back to the community” that had hosted them and, therefore, committed a hard day of physical work to serve their Bahamian neighbors.