Guilford College Department of Geology and Earth Sciences

06/30/2025

Hello, community - we have some sad news to share. Cyril Harvey passed away over the weekend after an illness. He and Charles were the heart and soul of Guilford Geology for many, many years. There is more information on the college's announcement linked below.

https://www.guilford.edu/news/2025/06/memoriam-cyril-harvey

09/22/2021

08/12/2021

Average Familiarity

How could anyone consider themselves a well-rounded adult without a basic understanding of silicate geochemistry? Silicates are everywhere! It's hard to throw a rock without throwing one!

05/25/2021

A 1978 edition of the Quaker Quad, when I was 8 years old.

04/06/2021

Dear Friends:

We are writing with some very difficult news. At the end of this academic year, it is likely that Geology and Earth Sciences will be placed on hiatus at Guilford College, with no courses listed and no new majors for the time being.

Last fall, the department was slated for termination, along with Marlene and Dave’s positions, as part of the program prioritization process that was ultimately set aside by the Board. Holly committed to a position at another college and, more recently, Marlene and Dave elected to participate in the “early exit” plan, both as part of our own planning, but also to offer our salaries up as part of the savings Guilford needs now to balance its budget. With the prospect of no faculty remaining in the department, we worked with the interim provost and interim academic dean on a plan that can provide an opportunity for the program to return.

Though Guilford is in a much better place now than in the fall, much work continues among the board, the faculty and staff, and College alums to determine what the future of Guilford looks like. We hope that the community will be able to pull together to ensure a long and strong future for the College.

This is difficult for us. We certainly have an eye toward the long history of the program and its many successful alums and the many happy memories all of us share. We have all had lovely, rewarding careers at Guilford, and we’ll miss our amazing students and colleagues.

We appreciate all the support you’ve given us, and the memories we share. The current situation changes none of that. We love you all and are glad to have shared Guilford Geology’s rich experience of teaching, learning, field trips, and fun with all of you, and we are proud of what all of us built and did together.

We hope that the wonderful legacy of Cyril Harvey and Charles Almy will live on in the future, once the College gets back on its feet, and that the strong tradition of Geology and Earth Sciences at Guilford will continue in some new form after this hiatus.

We hope you are all well, and look forward to keeping in touch into the future.

Sincerely,
Marlene, Dave and Holly

01/25/2021

Pretty terrific.

Geologists have found a rare formation inside a rock that looks just like the Cookie Monster character from Sesame Street.

01/20/2021

Posted without comment.

This was a multipurpose hole.

10/10/2020

OK, this is silly, but there's some truth in it, and I laughed.

10/07/2020

Titanoboa! Wow, now that's a snake.

In Colombia, the fossil of a gargantuan snake has stunned scientists, forcing them to rethink the nature of prehistoric life

08/07/2020

A monster ant with vertical mandibles got fossilized in deadly combat. Now that’s a way to make your exit.

The prehistoric insect used “scythelike” mouthparts to clamp down on prey