Undergraduate Course: Introduction to the Geological Record (EASC08017)
Course Outline
School | School of Geosciences |
College | College of Science and Engineering |
Course type | Standard |
Availability | Not available to visiting students |
Credit level (Normal year taken) | SCQF Level 8 (Year 1 Undergraduate) |
Credits | 20 |
Home subject area | Earth Science |
Other subject area | None |
Course website |
None |
Taught in Gaelic? | No |
Course description | This course is ONLY available to students taking:
GEOLOGY BSc AND MEarthSci
GEOLOGY AND PHYSICAL GEOGRAPHY BSc & MEarthSci
ENVIRONMENTAL GEOSCIENCE BSc
GEOPHYSICS & GEOLOGY BSc
The course will teach 3D mapping and cross-section skills, as well as 4D-thinking abilities - areas highlighted by both a recent external Teaching Quality Assurance (TQA) and Industry as being a vital skill. These will be taught via integration of maps with rock identification in a way not previously achieved. The course will also introduce the application of online digital databases (BGS and USGS maps; Digital Elevation Models; radar interferometry; remote sensing; imagery) in solving global geological problems. The course will logically follow the core course Earth Dynamics (Semester 1), and prepare students for mapping fieldwork at the beginning of year 2. |
Entry Requirements (not applicable to Visiting Students)
Pre-requisites |
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Co-requisites | |
Prohibited Combinations | |
Other requirements | None |
Additional Costs | £150 for residential fieldtrip. |
Course Delivery Information
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Delivery period: 2014/15 Semester 2, Available to all students (SV1)
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Learn enabled: Yes |
Quota: 80 |
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Web Timetable |
Web Timetable |
Class Delivery Information |
2 one hour lectures and 1 two hour practical per week. |
Course Start Date |
12/01/2015 |
Breakdown of Learning and Teaching activities (Further Info) |
Total Hours:
200
(
Lecture Hours 16,
Supervised Practical/Workshop/Studio Hours 20,
Fieldwork Hours 50,
Summative Assessment Hours 3,
Programme Level Learning and Teaching Hours 4,
Directed Learning and Independent Learning Hours
107 )
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Additional Notes |
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Breakdown of Assessment Methods (Further Info) |
Written Exam
40 %,
Coursework
60 %,
Practical Exam
0 %
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Exam Information |
Exam Diet |
Paper Name |
Hours & Minutes |
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Main Exam Diet S2 (April/May) | Introduction to the Geological Record | 3:00 | | Resit Exam Diet (August) | Introduction to the Geological Record | 3:00 | |
Summary of Intended Learning Outcomes
At the end of the semester, student should have gained:
- knowledge of applied techniques that are necessary to understand and interpret the Earth's surface as expressed in maps and other 2/3D data.
- knowledge of the fundamentals of the analysis and critical interpretation of geological maps.
- ability to evaluate geological maps and the history they record.
- ability to apply field mapping skills in diverse geological settings.
- knowledge of the modern remote sensing techniques that can be used to complement the geological information recorded at the surface of the Earth.
- basic understanding of how the combination of geological surface data and remotely sensed data can be used to reconstruct the subsurface and assess hazard (earthquakes, volcanoes, landslides).
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Assessment Information
Exam: students will annotate a geological map and produce a cross-section and a geological history in three hours (50% map + cross-section, 50% geological history).
Course work: two practicals will be assessed, representing 10 % of the final mark each; students will hand in the material they produced at the end of the practical. The material produced during the Lake District trip will represent 40 % of the final mark (10 % notebook and 30 % map). |
Special Arrangements
None |
Additional Information
Academic description |
Not entered |
Syllabus |
The course will teach 3D mapping and cross-section skills, as well as 4D-thinking abilities - areas highlighted by both a recent external Teaching Quality Assurance (TQA) and Industry as being a vital skill. These will be taught via integration of maps with rock identification in a way not previously achieved. The course will also introduce the application of online digital databases (BGS and USGS maps; Digital Elevation Models; radar interferometry; remote sensing; imagery) in solving global geological problems. The course will logically follow the core course Earth Dynamics (Semester 1), and prepare students for mapping fieldwork at the beginning of year 2.
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Transferable skills |
Not entered |
Reading list |
All the books suggested in the "Earth Dynamics" booklet would be useful here. Please find below a few additional books which specifically cover the material presented in IGR. Each of these books costs around £20 but they will be available at the library.
Bennison, G.M. An Introduction to Geological Structures and Maps. Hodder Education. ISBN: 978-1444112122. Packed with useful basic information and exercises.
Coe, A.L. Geological Field Techniques. Wiley-Blackwell. ISBN: 978-1444330625.
Nicely illustrated book containing all you need to know to undertake fieldwork:
- step-by-step guides to essential practical skills such as using a compass-clinometer, making a geological map and drawing a field sketch;
- tricks of the trade, checklists, flow charts and short worked examples;
- over 200 illustrations of a wide range of field notes, maps and geological features;
- appendices with the commonly used rock description and classification diagrams.
The "Geological Society of London Handbook Series":
- McClay, K.R. The Mapping of Geological Structures. ISBN: 978-0471932437.
- Thorpe, R. and Brown, G. The Field Description of Igneous Rocks. ISBN: 978-0471932758.
- Fry, N. The Field Description of Metamorphic Rocks. ISBN: 978-0471932215.
To complement the series with Sedimentary Rocks:
Stow, D.A.V. Sedimentary Rocks in the Field: A Colour Guide. ISBN: 978-1874545699.
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Study Abroad |
Not entered |
Study Pattern |
2 lectures and 2 hours laboratory practical per week in Semester 2, plus a 7 day residential field trip to the Lake District repeated in April and June. |
Keywords | Maps, geological record, structure, stratigraphy, fieldwork, remote sensing |
Contacts
Course organiser | Dr Mikael Attal
Tel: (0131 6)50 8533
Email: mikael.attal@ed.ac.uk |
Course secretary | Mrs Nicola Muir
Tel: (0131 6)50 4842
Email: Nikki.Muir@ed.ac.uk |
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© Copyright 2014 The University of Edinburgh - 29 August 2014 3:46 am
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