Faculty of Geology and Geoenvironment (University of Athens)

The Faculty of Geology is part of the School of Sciences in National and Kapodistrian University of Athens.

Early history
The history of the Geological Sciences at Athens University until the year 1982 and the institutional change of the law 1268, is identified with the history of the Chairs and the Professors that taught and is described further below.

Professor K. Mitsopoulos taught the lesson of Mineralogy till 1910, while in the year 1896 the Laboratory and the Museum of Mineralogy and Petrology are founded. In 1910, K. Ktenas is elected as professor for the homonymous Chair and he teaches until his death in 1935. In 1936, G. Georgalas is elected in his place and he stays in this position until 1946. After him, An. Georgiadis (1946–1965) and Gr. Marakis (1973–1994) are also elected as professors.

The Chair of Geology and Palaeontology as well as the homonymous Laboratory and Museum are founded by professor Th. Skoufos after his appointment in the chair mentioned in 1906. He enriched the Laboratory and the Museum with fossils as training material for students and as material for the collection of the museum exhibition, through many excavations realized in various places around Greece.

After Professor Skoufos (1906–1936), Professor M. Mitsopoulos becomes Head of the Laboratory and the Museum and later on G. Marinos (1969–1974) after being called in from the Aristotle University of Thessaloniki. Professor N. Symeonidis takes over in 1975 and stays head of the Laboratory until 1998.

The Chair of Physical Geography and the corresponding laboratory is founded in 1931 and is initially located at the Athens Observatory. Professor I. Trikkalinos is head of the Laboratory until 1958. Later on P. Psarianos is elected as Professor (1959–1974) and then Ath. Papapetrou-Zamani, initially as Associate professor and then as Professor (1975–1997).

In the year 1931 the Chair of Seismology and the corresponding laboratory is founded with Professor N. Kritikos (1930–1947) as head of the Laboratory, which is initially located at the Athens Observatory. Later on A. Galanopoulos (1949–1978) and I. Drakopoulos (1979–1999) were elected.

The Chair of Ore Geology and the corresponding Laboratory are founded in 1961 and the elected Professor G. Paraskevopoulos taught until his death in 1983.

Departments
According to the law 1268/82 the School of Sciences is founded, which also includes the Faculty of Geology. The previously mentioned Chairs were annulled and the following Departments were created and still exist to this day:


 * Department of Mineralogy and Petrology
 * Department of Historical Geology and Palaeontology
 * Department of Geography and Climatology
 * Department of Geophysics and Geothermics
 * Department of Economical Geology and Geochemistry
 * Department of Dynamic, Tectonic and Applied Geology

Laboratories

 * Laboratory of Mineralogy and Petrology
 * Laboratory of Historical Geology and Palaeontology
 * Laboratory of Physical Geography
 * Laboratory of Climatology
 * Laboratory of Seismology
 * Laboratory of Economical Geology and Geochemistry
 * Laboratory of Tectonics and Geological mapping
 * Laboratory of Remote Sensing
 * Laboratory of Geophysics
 * Laboratory of Prevention and Management of Natural Disasters

Professors Emeriti

 * Athina Papapetrou Zamani Professor of Physical Geography
 * Nikolaos Simeonidis      Professor of Geology and Palaeontology
 * Ioannis Zampakas         Professor of Climatology
 * Sotirios Leontaris       Professor of Physical Geography
 * Ilias Mariolakos         Professor of Geology and Palaeontology
 * Stylianos Skounakis      Professor of Economic Geology
 * Nikolaos Delimpasis      Professor of Seismology
 * Konstantinos Sideris     Professor of Mineralogy and Petrology

Postgraduate courses
Within the framework of the postgraduate studies program of the Faculty of Geology the following two year courses are offered:


 * Geochemical Environmental Pollution
 * Stratigraphy - Palaeontology
 * Mineral Sciences
 * Geography and Environment
 * Dynamic Tectonic and Applied Geology
 * Geophysics - Seismology
 * Prevention and Management of Natural Disasters

as well as the inter-faculty Postgraduate Study Program in Oceanography in which the following faculties are involved: Geology, Biology, Physics, Chemistry.

Museums
The Faculty of Geology manages two museums
 * Paleontology and Geology Museum
 * Mineralogy and Petrology Museum