WELCOME to Geology and Geological Engineering
The diverse geology and paleontology of the Black Hills, and adjacent Great Plains, provides us with an extraordinary natural classroom and laboratory.
Geologists from all around the world travel to study what we have right here in our own backyard. So whether you are an undergraduate or graduate student, expect a lot of time out of doors or doing research in affiliated facilities including the unique
Sanford Underground Research Facility (a former gold mine that’s now home to cutting edge neutrino research), the South Dakota Mines
Engineering Mining Experiment Station, the
James E. Martin Paleontology Laboratory,
and the on-campus
Museum of Geology.
We also operate the
Black Hills Natural Sciences Field Station, one of the largest summer field camp stations in the United States, with opportunities
for study in the Black Hills, western California, Montana, Utah, Arizona, Death Valley, Hawaii, Turkey, France, Spain, Nepal, Iceland, New Zealand, Morocco, the Bahamas, and Andes-Ecuador.
Degrees
Highlights
Why Study Geology and Geological Engineering at South Dakota Mines?
The Amazing Geology of the Black Hills
View our
Black Hills Story Map
to learn more about the complex, diverse geology of the Black Hills region - just one example of research being done in this department. Find more presentations in the
Online Exhibits
section of the Museum of Geology which showcases faculty and student research.