Development   History:

The predecessor of   geology department is the department of mining and metallurgy   founded in 1923. The department of mining and metallurgy cultivated   many outstanding professional talents for our country. The   outstanding representatives are academician Yin Zhiwen, academician   Xu zuyao and academician Dai Yongnian. Teachers once taught in the   department of mining and metallurgy are academician Yin Zhiwen,   academician Dai Yongnian, academician Feng Jinglan who published the   monograph Summary of Chuankang-Yunnan Copper Deposit and   essays namely Xikang Copper Mine and The Physiography of   Yunnan Dali County, academician Yuan Jianqi, academician Guo   Lingzhi who published Mineral Resources of Yunnan Province   together with academician Yuan Jianqi, academician Xu Jie,   academician Meng Xianmin and academician Chen Ruyu, etc. After the   institutional adjustment in the 1950s, the department of mining and   metallurgy was independent into relevant departments in Kunming   University of Science and Technology, and Changsha Institute of   Mining. In 2008, geology major was reconstructed into the department   of geology, the aim of which was to respond the request of   strengthening the geological work. The department has the geology   undergraduate major and the authorization point of masters’ degree   on environmental geology. The department started to receive   undergraduates on geology in 2009 and postgraduates on environmental   geology in 2016. The past deans of this department were Tan Shucheng   (2008.12-2009.9), Gao Bo (2009.10-2014.3) and Zhao Zhifang (2014.4-   ).

Teaching Staff:

There are 14 faculty   members in this department, including 2 professors and 3 associate   professors. 13 of them have doctoral degrees, in which 1 of them was   the innovative talent in Yunnan Province, 2 of them were the   candidates of the young and middle-aged backbone teachers' training   program and 1 of them was selected in the “Geo-science Talent”   Program in the school of Resource Environment and Earth Science.

Disciplinary   Characteristics:

The department   construct the geology discipline together with Yunnan Provincial Key   Laboratory of Paleontology and develop the discipline from the   perspectives of Mineralogy, Petrology and the study of mineral   deposits, Palaeo-vegetation and palaeo-climate transformation, and   Remote Sensing Geology. Geological discipline is the advantageous   and characteristic discipline during the 12^th 5-year plan   in Yunnan Province. The Yunnan Provincial Key Laboratory of   Paleontology is the provincial key Laboratory, the Paleontological   research of which reaches the world leading level.

Research   Overview:

The department now   owns the researching institutions of Remote Sensing Geological   Center, Plateau Mountain Hazard and Environment Research Center and   Institute of Geology, etc. In the recent 3 years, faculty members of   the department undertook 5 research projects supported by   the National Natural Science Foundation of China (NSFC), 2 open fund   projects of national key Laboratory, 1 major special project of   Yunnan provincial department of education, 9 projects of special   national geological survey and other social service projects,   publish more than 40 academic essays and 2 academic books, and done   many scientific research and social service work on mineral geology,   hazardous geology, remote sensing geology and Stratigraphy and   Paleontology. Over the past five years, the funding of scientific   research projects undertaken by faculty members in this department   accumulated more than 20 million yuan.

Undergraduate   Cultivation:

The department   emphasizes the foundation for maths, physics and chemistry and the   professional foundation for minerals, rocks, tectonics, geohistory   and Paleontology while focuses more on the cultivation of   characteristics of professional directions and the ability of   practical innovation. The main courses are as follows. (1)Discipline   Foundation Course: Advanced math, General chemistry, College   physics, Physical chemistry, the Introduction to Earth Science.   (2)Professional Core Courses: Crystallography and Mineralogy,   Crystal optics, Sedimentary petrology, Magmatic petrology,   Metamorphic petrology, Tectonic Geology, Paleontology and geohistory.(3)Professional   Elective: Geomorphology and Quaternary geology, the study of mineral   deposits, Geochemistry, Hydrographic engineering and Engineering   geology, Regional tectonics, Remote sensing geology, Environmental   geology, Disaster Geology and Mineral Exploration. Main practical   teaching process include experimental courses and practical field   practice. The former one consists of experiments for introduction to   earth science, general physics experiments, general chemistry   experiments, crystallography and mineralogy experiments, sedimentary   petrology experiments, magmatic petrology experiments, metamorphic   petrology experiments, tectonic geology experiments, and   paleontology and geohistory experiments. The latter one is made up   of the first-year geological knowledge practice in Dali and   Tengchong, the second-year practice geological mapping in Chenggong   Yangzong lake, the third-year integrated practice of research and   production and the practice of graduating thesis. In recent years,   45%-62% of the graduates succeeded in matriculation to Institute of   Geology and Geophysics, CAS, Institute of Geochemistry, CAS,   University of Geology of China (Beijing), University of Geology of   China (Wuhan), Chinese Academy of Geological Sciences, Zhejiang   University, Sun Yat-sen University, Northwest University, Yunnan   University, Chengdu University of Technology and Sciences and   Kunming University of Technology and Sciences, etc. The employed   graduates mainly chose to do research or operational work in   provincial Geology and Mineral Resources, seismology, land and   education departments. Graduates of this department have strong   practical, innovative ability and abundant professional knowledge,   who are widely praised by the employers.

Laboratory   Construction:

This department has   already built the Laboratory for general geology, geological   specimen showcase, Laboratory for Mineralogy, Laboratory for   Petrology, microscopy Laboratory, Laboratory of Mineral Deposit,   Tectonic Geology Laboratory, Laboratory of Paleontology and   Geochronology, Rock and Mineral Preparation and Analysis Laboratory,   Quaternary Geological Dating Laboratory and Fluid Geochemistry   Laboratory, etc. Since 2010, the department has continuously bought   reflection-transmission polarizing microscope, stereo-microscope,   polarizing microscope, rock cutting machine, lapping machine,   polishing machine, microdrilling system, Cooling-Heating Stage and   Hot Stage, Laser Raman spectrometer, Three-dimensional laser   scanner, Spectrometer, and more than 30 suits of Remote Sensing and   GIS software, which can satisfy the experimental demands of students   and the researching demands of faculty members.

Geological Showcase (Top-left), microscopic identification learning   (Top-right), “Dating with stones” serial activities (Middle) and the   glimpse of geological knowledge practice in Dali and Tengchong(Under)

Practice Base   Construction:

The department   signed the agreement on field teaching practice base with public   institutions and mining enterprises like Yunnan Provincial   Geological Survey Institute, Yunnan Gold Group Co., Ltd. Beiya   Branch, Yunnan Institute of Geological Engineering Survey (Southwest   Yunnan Earthquake Emergency Prevention and Control Center) and   Tengchong Volcano Geopark, etc. The practice bases are located   throughout Dali, Lijiang, Tengchong, Yuxi and other places and   provided students with enough space to enhance their professional   practical abilities.