Undergraduate Course: Earth Science Fundamentals for Geophysicists (EASC08022)
Course Outline
| School | School of Geosciences |
College | College of Science and Engineering |
| Course type | Standard |
Availability | Available to all students |
| Credit level (Normal year taken) | SCQF Level 8 (Year 2 Undergraduate) |
Credits | 10 |
| Home subject area | Earth Science |
Other subject area | None |
| Course website |
None |
Taught in Gaelic? | No |
| Course description | This course takes the most essential material from the Earth Dynamics and Introduction to Geophysics courses, compulsory courses for those on the 4 year undergraduate geophysics degrees, sufficient to allow students to take Global Tectonics and the Rock Cycle, Physics of the Earth, and Structural Geology, in later years, and hence courses for which they are pre-requisites.
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Information for Visiting Students
| Pre-requisites | Mathematics and Physics at a level suitable for University entrance to study Physics. |
| Displayed in Visiting Students Prospectus? | Yes |
Course Delivery Information
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| Delivery period: 2014/15 Semester 1, Not available to visiting students (SS1)
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Learn enabled: Yes |
Quota: None |
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Web Timetable |
Web Timetable |
| Course Start Date |
15/09/2014 |
| Breakdown of Learning and Teaching activities (Further Info) |
Please contact the School directly for a breakdown of Learning and Teaching Activities |
| Additional Notes |
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| Breakdown of Assessment Methods (Further Info) |
Written Exam
50 %,
Coursework
50 %,
Practical Exam
0 %
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| Exam Information |
| Exam Diet |
Paper Name |
Hours & Minutes |
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| Main Exam Diet S1 (December) | Earth Science Fundamentals for Geophysicists | 1:30 | | | Resit Exam Diet (August) | | 1:30 | |
Learning Outcomes
On completion of this course, the student will be able to:
1. Students will develop a broad understanding of key, defining geological concepts and theories: the internal divisions of the Earth and its dynamic evolution via plate tectonic processes; the formation of igneous and metamorphic rocks;
the mechanisms by which rocks deform and break at depth in the Earth; and the dynamic geological settings in which these processes operate.
2. They will also develop an overview of the physical processes operating within the Earth, and understand the principles of some of the geophysical techniques by which this information is derived. They will have gained practical experience of how geophysical observations can be interpreted.
3. They will understand the basics of geological and
geophysical fieldwork, keeping a field notebook, and
laboratory practical work. They will develop skills in writing a scientific report, including references to previous work, and understanding the role played by new observations and an assessment of their errors in the process of scientific inference.
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Assessment Information
| Examination (50%); Coursework (50%) |
Special Arrangements
| None |
Additional Information
| Academic description |
Not entered |
| Syllabus |
Earth formation, composition and age: 1 lecture
Atmosphere: 1 lecture
Seismology (including earthquakes) and internal structure: 3 lectures
Plate tectonics: 3 lectures
Gravity: 2 lectures
Geomagnetism: 1 lecture
Igneous and metamorphic rocks and processes: 2 lectures
Deformation (faulting and folding, stress and strain): 2 lectures
Tutorial: Geological maps and map relationships
Fieldwork: 0.5 days (Holyrood park)
Practical: Pentland Fault gravity interpretation; density measurements
Practical: ¿Be a seismologist¿
Practical: Lithospheric plate motion Practical: Salisbury Crags exercise; rocks in hand specimen and thin section |
| Transferable skills |
Fieldwork; IT skills; practical work
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| Reading list |
Marshak, S (2008) Earth: Portrait of a Planet.
(International Student Edition) (Norton Publishing Co.).
ISBN 0-393-93036-X
Smith, GA & Pun, A (2006): How Does Earth Work?
(Pearson Prentice-Hall), ISBN 0-13-034129-0 and ISBN
0-13-186-747-4.
Grotzinger, J, Jordan, TH, Press, F & Siever, R
(2007): Understanding Earth (5th edition) (WH
Freeman). ISBN 0-7167-6682-5.
Lowrie, W (2007) Fundamentals of Geophysics
(Cambridge University Press)
Stacey, FM & Davies, PM (2008) Physics of the Earth
(CUP, 4th edition)
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| Study Abroad |
Not entered |
| Study Pattern |
Lectures, practicals, computer-based exercises (self-guided), tutorials and field work |
| Keywords | Earth structure, Earth composition, rocks, plate tectonics, geophysical techniques, geological maps |
Contacts
| Course organiser | Prof Kathy Whaler
Tel: (0131 6)50 4904
Email: Kathy.Whaler@ed.ac.uk |
Course secretary | Mrs Nicola Muir
Tel: (0131 6)50 4842
Email: Nikki.Muir@ed.ac.uk |
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