Seminar Details

Seminar Lab Date: February 14, 2026
Seminar Lab Subject: Rocks and the Minerals that Define Them – an Exploration of Minerals that Make Up Common Rocks
Seminar Lab Presenter: Jeff Thole, M.Sc., Geology Laboratory Supervisor and Instructor at Macalester College
Link to Presenter https://www.macalester.edu/geology/facultystaff/jeffthole/
Second Link to Presenter https://www.linkedin.com/in/jeff-thole-9597bb11/

Seminar Lab Location:

Lab time is 10:00 AM to 12:00 noon (We suggest arriving at 9:45. The doors are card-access only; someone will be stationed at the south door (at least) to allow participants in. Olin Hall has lots of interesting specimens and exhibits on display.)

Macalester College Geology Dept., SW area of basement of Olin-Rice Science Center (Building 14), (south end of campus, by tennis courts). Park to the south or west of the building.

Meet in Room 100.
Road Map: https://maps.app.goo.gl/ibLTrhatU1QLPgBZ8 

Seminar Lab Detail:

Lab Description: Common rocks within all three groups of the Rock Cycle are made up of a relatively small group of the more than 6,000 recognized mineral species.  We’ll talk about what minerals are generally present within some common Igneous, Sedimentary, and Metamorphic rocks and how to recognize them.  A brief explanation of how we classify rocks within each group will be included.  GSM members will then be able to investigate hand samples of a variety of common rocks and their mineral components.  Thin sections of common rocks within each major group will also be available to view with petrographic microscopes.  

Biography:  Jeff Thole is the Geology Laboratory Supervisor at Macalester College. He arrived at Macalester in 1996 after doing 5 years of environmental consulting. His work experience also includes spending a year as a geologist for the U.S. Geological Survey in Reston, Virginia. His primary duties include teaching introductory geology labs and maintaining, running, and user instruction for the instrumentation housed in the Macalester Science Division’s Keck Laboratory. Jeff received Master of Science in Geology from Washington State University in 1991 and Bachelor of Science in Geology from the University of Minnesota – Duluth in 1987.