Facilities

The Department of Geological Sciences and Engineering occupies parts of two adjacent major buildings: Laxalt Mineral Engineering and Laxalt Mineral Research. These new buildings, shared with other departments and associated organizations collectively provide an unparalleled infrastructure. Facilities include;

• Slope Stability (containing computer-driven shear box and large-capacity direct shear testing equipment along with smaller capacity shear boxes)
• Geomechanics
• Mapping, Modeling, and Visualization (MMV)
• Stable Isotope Analysis
• Rock Testing
• Rock Mechanics Laboratory and Rock Preparation Facility, jointly administered by Geological Engineering and Mining Engineering, contains computer-controlled triaxial and environmental rock testing equipment, and a full suite of drill presses, lathes and polishers for sample preparation and testing
• Paleomagnetics Laboratory
• Seismological Laboratory
• Remote-Sensing Image-Processing Laboratory
• Fluid-Inclusion Laboratories
• Mine-Automation/Robotics Laboratory
• Hydrogeology Laboratories
• Biostratigraphy Laboratory
• X-ray Diffraction Laboratory
• X-ray Fluorescence Laboratory
• Microscope Laboratories that include Scanning Electron and Electron Microprobe Microscopes
• Data Analysis

A dedicated PC-equipped teaching lab is available and scheduled for classes. Multiple software licenses are used routinely by students in Geological Sciences and Engineering in their courses and related research, including UDEC, FLAC, CRSP (Colorado RockFall Simulation Package), PFF (Particle Flow Field program for debris flow simulation), and the RocScience suite that includes Slide, Swedge, RocPlane, Rocdata, RocFall, and Dips.

The DeLeMare Library, is housed in the historic Mackay School of Mines building within walking distance to the Laxalt Mineral Engineering and Research Buildings. On four floors, it houses library materials in the areas of earth sciences, chemical, civil, computer, electrical, geological, mechanical, metallurgical, and mining engineering, and computer science. Over 137,000 maps are in housed in the Mary B. Ansari Map Library on the 2nd floor.

The historic Mackay School of Mines building is utilized as one of our laboratory experiments. When it was renovated in 1990 the sub-basement was constructed using base-isolation theory and the entire building is decoupled from its surroundings. Hydraulic jacks, slides and a "moat" effectively isolate the structure from the surrounding ground. The building has 3-component seismometers to assess the response of the ground and the building during a seismic event.