Undergraduate Course: Geochemistry (EASC09050)
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 9 (Year 3 Undergraduate) |
Credits | 10 |
| Home subject area | Earth Science |
Other subject area | None |
| Course website |
None |
Taught in Gaelic? | No |
| Course description | This course provides an introduction to geochemistry, firstly through a short review of thermodynamics and kinetics as applied to Earth systems and then through consideration of the ¿geochemical toolbox¿: the basic principles and techniques which underlie modern geochemistry. Material covered includes classification of the elements and their behaviour in earth systems/during earth processes, use of stable and radiogenic isotopes and the application of techniques to topics as diverse as dating formation of the solar system to constraining changes in the climate and ocean record. |
Entry Requirements (not applicable to Visiting Students)
| Pre-requisites |
Students MUST have passed:
Geomaterials (EASC08021)
|
Co-requisites | |
| Prohibited Combinations | |
Other requirements | None |
| Additional Costs | None |
Information for Visiting Students
| Pre-requisites | None |
| Displayed in Visiting Students Prospectus? | No |
Course Delivery Information
|
| Delivery period: 2014/15 Semester 2, Available to all students (SV1)
|
Learn enabled: No |
Quota: None |
|
Web Timetable |
Web Timetable |
| Course Start Date |
12/01/2015 |
| Breakdown of Learning and Teaching activities (Further Info) |
Total Hours:
100
(
Lecture Hours 10,
Supervised Practical/Workshop/Studio Hours 20,
Feedback/Feedforward Hours 2,
Programme Level Learning and Teaching Hours 2,
Directed Learning and Independent Learning Hours
66 )
|
| Additional Notes |
|
| Breakdown of Assessment Methods (Further Info) |
Written Exam
80 %,
Coursework
0 %,
Practical Exam
20 %
|
| No Exam Information |
Learning Outcomes
On completion of this course, the student will be able to:
1. Understand the thermodynamic principals underlying modern geochemistry.
2. Understand the theoretical background behind, and practical application of commonly used techniques in geoscience research.
3. Begin to be able to critically assess the reliability of published geochemical data.
4. Understand how geochemical techniques and methods can be used to inform on processes which have shaped the Earth throughout geological time. |
Assessment Information
Written Exam: 80%, Course Work: 20 %, Practical Exam: 0%.
Students will prepare a short summary of a scientific paper heavily reliant on novel geochemical data in the style of a Nature News and Views article. Prior to submission of this summary, students will prepare a short oral presentation (in groups) of the paper and receive feedback from staff and peers. |
Special Arrangements
| None |
Additional Information
| Academic description |
Not entered |
| Syllabus |
Week 1
Introduction to Geochemistry. (GDB)
Lecture Th9-10: Course introduction. Geochemistry of the Earth and use of trace elements.
Practical Th10-12: Trace element normalisation and partitioning.
Week 2
Advanced thermodynamics 1. (GDB)
Lecture Th9-10: Refresher of basics thermodynamics and kinetics from Geomaterials course. Consideration of ideal vs non-ideal systems. A ¿Master equation¿ for predicting equilibrium.
Practical Th10-12: exercise thermodynamics of non-ideal solution and use of the Master equation.
Week 3
Advanced thermodynamics 2. (GDB)
Lecture Th9-10: Thermodynamics of complex fluids. Application of thermodynamics to Earth processes.
Practical Th10-12: thermodynamics exercises; feedback on handed-in work given.
Week 4
Stable isotopes 1. (AT)
Lecture Th9-10: Introduction to stable isotopes and how they are fractionated. Low T applications of stable isotopes.
Practical Th10-12: practical on stable isotopes.
Geochemical toolbox 1. (CH)
Lecture Th2-3: Introduction electromagnetic radiation and interaction with matter, X-ray fluorescence and XRD refresher.
Week 5
Stable isotopes2. (GDB)
Lecture Th9-10: High temperature applications of stable isotopes.
Practical Th10-12: practical on stable isotopes.
Geochemical toolbox 2. (CH)
Lecture Th2-3: Vibrational spectroscopy and advanced electron beam techniques.
Week 6
Radionuclides: (GDB)
Lecture Th9-10: Refresher of radioactive decay and the decay laws. Introduction to geochronology and the isochron. Use of the Rb-Sr, Sm-Nd, Lu-Hf and Re-Os systems and their applications.
Practical Th10-12: Plotting isochrons.
Geochemical toolbox 3. (AT)
Lecture Th2-3: Mass spectrometry.
Week 7
Radionuclides 2: (GDB)
Lecture Th9-10: The U series and their use in radiometric dating.
Practical Th10-12: Concordia plots and U-series dating of zircon.
Week 8
Radionuclides 3: (AT)
Lecture Th9-10: Palaeoapplications of radiogenic isotopes.
Practical Th 10-12: Handling geochemical data sets (and intro to group presentation session).
Week 9
Student presentations: (GDB and AT).
Thur 9-12 Group presentations and peer assessment (and informal feedback session).
Week 10
No scheduled classes/revision for exam.
Friday 4pm (TO, Grant): hand-in for individual news articles on a geochemistry paper.
Week 11
No scheduled classes/revision for exam. |
| Transferable skills |
Not entered |
| Reading list |
Geochemistry: an introduction (Albarède: CUP)
Geochemistry (White; Whiley-Blackwell)
Using geochemical data: evaluation, presentation, Interpretation (Rollinson: Longman)
|
| Study Abroad |
Not entered |
| Study Pattern |
Not entered |
| Keywords | Chem Geol |
Contacts
| Course organiser | Dr Geoffrey Bromiley
Tel: (0131 6)50 8519
Email: geoffrey.bromiley@ed.ac.uk |
Course secretary | Mr Ken O'Neill
Tel: (0131 6)50 8510
Email: koneill3@exseed.ed.ac.uk |
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