History of Mines Geophysics
In 1925, then Colorado School of Mines President Dr. M. F. Coolbaugh discussed with the Mines Trustees about introducing a new method of Earth exploration called geophysical prospecting into the curriculum. This was timely since seismic refraction methods were just being developed to explore hydrocarbons in the vicinity of salt domes in the Gulf of Mexico, and the Schlumberger brothers had just invented electrical logging methods in France. Once the new courses were approved in coordination with Dr. Van Tuyl, Department Head of Geological Engineering, Dr. Coolbaugh contacted Dr. Carl A. Heiland, technical representative of the Askania Werke geophysical instrument division, to lead the new program. Based on the extensive proposed curriculum discussed with Dr. Heiland, instead of adding a sampling of courses, the Department of Geophysics was officially established in late 1926. In January 1927, Dr. Heiland taught the first geophysics course at Mines to seven graduate students in a basement classroom of Guggenheim, creating the foundation of a long and storied history of world-class geophysics at Colorado School of Mines. (Mines Magazine, October 1950, v. 40, n. 10).
Post WWII, the geophysics department evolved for the times. Dr. Heiland retired as Department Head in 1948 and was succeeded by Dr. John Hollister. While fieldwork had always been integral to geophysics coursework and summer studies, a formalized Geophysics Field Camp was officially established. By 1950, the department had graduated ~225 BSc students with geophysical engineering or geological engineering (geophysics option) degrees and ~160 MSc and PhD graduates. The department has graduated over 2500 geophysical engineers and geophysicists with undergraduate and/or graduate degrees.
Through 96 years, the department has had only ten Department Heads. Following Dr. Hollister, Drs. George Keller, Philip Romig Jr., Terry Young, John Bradford, and Paul Sava led the department with Drs. Ralph Holmer, Tom Davis, and Roel Snieder contributing as interim Department Heads.
Continuing to meet the challenges of our times, the Department of Geophysics has expanded its coursework and expertise to address the many applications of geophysics in exploring our world, the solar system, and beyond. The Mines Geophysics program aims to equip graduates with state-of-the-art multidisciplinary skills (physics, geology, mathematics, computing, electronics) aimed at addressing relevant applied geoscience and engineering challenges linking society with the effective exploration of the Earth and other planetary bodies, the sustainable use of natural resources (energy, mineral, water), and the responsible stewardship of the environment. For a look at our Undergraduate Tracks – Climate, Energy, Hazards, Humanitarian, Minerals, and Space – visit our Geophysics at Mines Today page on this site.
Geophysics at Mines dates back to January of 1927 when Dr. C.A. Heiland stepped before seven graduate students in a small basement room of Guggenheim and began the first lecture of the first formal geophysical engineering course to be taught in the U.S. Much had preceded that January day. A year before President M. F. Coolbaugh had discussed with members of the school’s board of trustees, including Mines graduate Max Ball, the possibility of introducing into the curricula a new method of exploration called geophysical prospecting. After conferences with Dr. F. M. Van Tuyl, in whose geology department the new courses were to go, final approval of the plan was given by the board of trustees and Dr. Coolbaugh set about procuring a suitable instructor. Dr. Heiland, then in the U.S. as technical representative of the Askania Werke geophysical instrument division, was selected to head the project and came to Golden to discuss details. So extensive became the proposed curricula resulting from these discussions that a separate department was formed and geophysics became an option like mining and petroleum in which geological engineering students could specialize. Dr. Heiland remained head of the department until the summer of 1948 when he retired from academic life.
Paralleling the action taken by many of the oil companies, the board of trustees of Mines, in 1949, changed geophysics from a service to a degree-granting department, thus placing it on the level of geology, mining, metallurgy and petroleum engineering departments. In 1950, 27 geophysical engineers were graduated and took their places beside about 200 geological engineers, geophysics option, who had been graduated from 1926 to 1949. During the same period about 160 students did graduate work in the geophysics department, 23 receiving their master’s and 11 their doctor’s degrees.
John C. Hollister, ’33 Professor of Geophysics
Mines Magazine, October 1950, v. 40, n. 10