Principles of Geochemistry
Principles of Geochemistry provides a chemical basis for understanding the origin, evolution, distribution, and interactions of elements and isotopes across Earth's spheres in geological and environmental processes.
Summary
Past student reviews · Annie Bauer
The course was strict about deadlines, as Dr. Bauer was described as a stickler for due dates.
What you’ll be able to do
Explain the principles of inorganic chemical bonds.
Explain elementary thermodynamics and its basis underlying petrologic phase diagrams.
Explore how major- and trace-element geochemistry can constrain the evolution of the Earth's mantle and crust in relation to plate tectonics.
Apply the principles of radioactive decay to geochronology using common radioactive isotope systems employed in the geosciences.
Explain the principles of stable isotope geochemistry and how it applies to the hydrologic system, fluid-rock interaction, and evolution of the oceans and biosphere.
Utilize equilibrium speciation calculations in aqueous electrolyte solutions, including use of public-domain geochemical simulation software.
Use information on geochemical reaction pathways and earth-surface physical processes to determine key low-temperature processes such as sediment diagenesis, chemical weathering, and organic matter decomposition.
Synthesize multiple types of geochemical information, obtained from the rock record, to explain specific worldwide changes in Earth's past.
Source: UW Guide
Grade history
↗All recorded terms · compare terms & instructors
Prerequisites
Course mapG L E/GEOSCI 360, (CHEM 109, 104, or 115) andG L E/GEOSCI 370 or concurrent enrollment inG L E/GEOSCI 370, or graduate/professional standing
- GEOSCI/GLE 360
- take one
- take one
- graduate/professional standing
This is a best-effort interpretation; check the catalog requirements above.
Prerequisite text tree
- All of
- GEOSCI/GLE 360
- Any of
- All of
- graduate/professional standing
Professors
Spring 2027No instructors recorded for this selection.
Historical instructors & teaching patterns
ANN BAUER is recorded teaching in Spring 2020, Spring 2022, Spring 2024, Spring 2026. Recorded history may be incomplete and does not establish a future schedule.
Recorded history may be incomplete and does not establish a future schedule.
Calendar & sections
Spring 2027Schedule loads here as you scroll.
| Section | Mode | Enrolled / capacity | Waitlist |
|---|
Times are Central. Select a meeting for details; export includes recorded dates for the selected sections.
Meeting source records
No records available.
Student experience
the class
Past student reviews · Annie Bauer
Past students found Dr. Bauer’s lectures engaging and visually stimulating, making geochemistry interesting through her teaching style.
Recent recorded grades — Spring 2022: 3.58 GPA, 91.7% A/AB (n=12 letter grades); Spring 2024: 3.55 GPA, 81.8% A/AB (n=11 letter grades); Spring 2026: 3.05 GPA, 60.0% A/AB (n=10 letter grades).
difficulty & workload
Past student reviews · Annie Bauer
The course was strict about deadlines, as Dr. Bauer was described as a stickler for due dates.
Past student reviews · Annie Bauer
One student felt Dr. Bauer could not answer in-depth questions and was unhelpful, though this conflicted with other positive feedback.
Topics
- Origin, evolution, distribution, and interactions of chemical elements and isotopes
- Interactions between lithosphere, hydrosphere, biosphere, and atmosphere
- Inorganic chemical bonding
- Thermodynamics and petrologic phase diagrams
- Major- and trace-element geochemistry and plate tectonics
- Geochronology and radioactive isotope systems
- Stable isotope geochemistry in hydrologic and biospheric systems
- Low-temperature processes: diagenesis, weathering, and organic matter decomposition
Skills
- Explain principles of inorganic chemical bonds
- Apply elementary thermodynamics to petrologic phase diagrams
- Use major- and trace-element geochemistry to constrain mantle and crust evolution
- Apply radioactive decay principles to geochronology
- Explain stable isotope geochemistry applications in hydrology and fluid-rock interaction
- Perform equilibrium speciation calculations and use geochemical simulation software
- Determine low-temperature processes like diagenesis and weathering from geochemical pathways
- Synthesize geochemical data from the rock record to explain global changes
Grades
Latest available · Spring 2026— not enough history to project Spring 2027.
Grade distribution · % of letter grades
Grades over time
Through Spring 2026
More grade details Grade mix, volume & source data
Not enough comparable courses for Spring 2027 in UW–Madison.
Sources & history
Catalog & offerings
Descriptions, prerequisites, and recorded course offerings.
Catalog observation history
Observations at scan time; dates do not imply when a catalog change took effect.
Selected offering source records
No offering records for the selected term.
Raw records
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Student reviews
Original comments behind the course and instructor summaries.
Read original reviews
Grade history
Recorded grade distributions by term, section, and instructor.
Explore recorded gradesRecorded 2026-10-14
Model outputs & technical records
LLM outputs across runs
Full model traces
Recorded model configuration, reasoning, and tool conversations.
Model & dataset provenance
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"requirements_status": "needs_review",
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"observed_at": "2026-10-14 17:50:09.728220+00:00"
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