Where You Learn
Humboldt is a spectacular place—our redwood forests, beaches, rivers, mountains, and marshes are full of life, precisely because of the complex geology of this region.
Cal Poly Humboldt is located along the active Cascadia subduction zone and near the Klamath Mountains and south Cascades volcanic arc. You will immediately take geology courses participating in laboratory sections and weekends in the field, collecting data and making observations. Examples of field trips include visits to the Arcata Marsh to core for records of past earthquakes and tsunami, Big Lagoon to measure coastal erosion, Lassen Volcanic National Park to observe recent volcanic eruptive material, Trinidad State Beach to piece together a complicated rock record of subduction, and Jacoby Creek to measure creek discharge with respect to watershed health.
Stars to Rocks, our first-year learning community, gets you connected to professors quickly, as well as a cohort of like-minded students who support each other throughout college. Joining the student-run Geology Club gives you more opportunities to meet faculty and students, as well as participate in monthly colloquia and events like the annual rock auction.
Geoscience majors will culminate their career in a capstone course that focuses on community outreach about local and regional earthquake and tsunami hazards in partnership with local and state agencies. Geology majors will embark on a four-week intensive field camp, where you will learn to collect geologic data and display it in map and report form, interpret geologic structures, and communicate your results both orally and in writing. For more information, visit our Field Camp link.