THE UNIVERSITY of EDINBURGH

DEGREE REGULATIONS & PROGRAMMES OF STUDY 2017/2018

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DRPS : Course Catalogue : School of Geosciences : Earth Science

Undergraduate Course: Introduction to the Geological Record (EASC08017)

Course Outline
SchoolSchool of Geosciences CollegeCollege of Science and Engineering
Credit level (Normal year taken)SCQF Level 8 (Year 1 Undergraduate) AvailabilityNot available to visiting students
SCQF Credits20 ECTS Credits10
SummaryThis course is ONLY available to students taking:
GEOLOGY BSc AND MEarthSci
GEOLOGY AND PHYSICAL GEOGRAPHY BSc & MEarthSci
ENVIRONMENTAL GEOSCIENCE BSc
GEOPHYSICS & GEOLOGY BSc
PRIMARY EDUCATION WITH EARTH SCIENCES MA (Hons)

Compulsory fieldtrip to the Lake District on EITHER 9 to 15 April OR 28 May to 3 June '18.
Students will be allocated onto one of these trips in Semester 1.
Anticipated cost of the trip is around £150.
Course description 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 Students MUST have passed: Earth Dynamics (EASC08001)
Co-requisites
Prohibited Combinations Other requirements None
Additional Costs Approximately £150 for residential fieldtrip.
Course Delivery Information
Academic year 2017/18, Available to all students (SV1) Quota:  86
Course Start Semester 2
Timetable Timetable
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 )
Assessment (Further Info) Written Exam 40 %, Coursework 60 %, Practical Exam 0 %
Additional Information (Assessment) Written Exam: 40%, Course Work: 60 %, Practical Exam: 0%.

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 (20% total); students will hand in the material they produced at the end of the practical.
Three multiple choice quizzes. Two to be held randomly in any of the sixteen lectures given in this course in weeks one to nine. These quizzes will only be accessible during the lecture period that the quiz is given in, unless special circumstances are submitted. The third will be completed during the student own time between weeks one and eight. Each quiz is worth 3.333% and together 10% of the total course mark.
10% for Lake District notebook
20% for map and cross section completed during the Lake District field trip.

Students are required to attend and participate in all aspects of the programme of study, including teaching sessions, assessments and examinations. Therefore, may we please take this opportunity to remind you that all course work assignments fall under the same rules as examinations. If you miss an assessed piece of coursework for any reason, you will need to submit special circumstances via your PT and/or Student Support Coordinator. Therefore please do check the timetable carefully. Assessed practical will not be rearranged on a bespoke basis for individual students, unless special circumstances are submitted and approved. The University expect all student to be autonomous learners and active participants in their own education.

To pass the course, students need to obtain at least 40% FOR BOTH COURSEWORK AND EXAM. If they do not achieve this at the first attempt, the following will apply:
- If they have failed the exam component but passed the coursework component, they will resit the exam in August.
- If they have failed the coursework component but passed the exam component, their exam mark will be carried forward and they will reattempt to pass the coursework next year (they will sign up for the course as coursework only).
- If they have failed both components, they will resit the exam in August and will reattempt to pass the coursework next year.

Assessment deadlines

- Thursday 15th February 2018 (15 minutes after end of assessed practical #1): cross section (to hand in to secretary Nicola Clark in room 332 Grant Institute).
- Thursday 22nd March 2018 (15 minutes after end of assessed practical #2): questionnaire based on geological map (to hand in to secretary Nicola Clark in room 332 Grant Institute).
- Three multiple choice quizzes to be completed between weeks one and eight. Two to be held randomly in any of the sixteen lectures given in this course in weeks one to nine. These quizzes will only be accessible during the lecture period that the quiz is given in, unless special circumstances are submitted. The third will be completed during the students¿ own time between weeks one and eight.
- Last day of one-week field trip to the Lake District (15th April OR 3rd June 2018), 8:00 am for maps and cross-sections; on return to the Grant Institute for field notebook.

Assessment and Feedback information
http://www.ed.ac.uk/files/atoms/files/taughtassessmentregulations.pdf

All details related to extensions procedures and late penalties can be found in the
School of GeoSciences General Information Handbook 2017-18
Feedback Students will have the opportunity to receive feedback in the following instances:
- Personal 1-to-1 feedback during the practicals, as students progress on the exercises (once a week); feedback will be provided by demonstrators and teaching staff.
- Feedback on exam map practice during Innovative Learning Week: students will complete a cross-section on previous years exam map under the guidance of teaching staff and demonstrators. The cross-section will then be marked and feedback provided.
- Personal 1-to-1 feedback during the Lake District field trip as students progress on producing the material that will ultimately be assessed (notebook, map, cross-sections); feedback will be provided by demonstrators and teaching staff.

Examples of feedback can be found here:
http://www.ed.ac.uk/schools-departments/geosciences/teaching-organisation/staff/feedback-and-marking

Exam Information
Exam Diet Paper Name Hours & Minutes
Main Exam Diet S2 (April/May)Introduction to the Geological Record3:00
Resit Exam Diet (August)Introduction to the Geological Record3:00
Learning Outcomes
On completion of this course, the student will be able to:
  1. Knowledge of applied techniques that are necessary to understand and interpret the Earth's surface as expressed in maps and other 2/3D data.
  2. Knowledge of the fundamentals of the analysis and critical interpretation of geological maps.
  3. Ability to evaluate geological maps and the history they record, and apply field mapping skills in diverse geological settings.
  4. Knowledge of the modern remote sensing techniques that can be used to complement the geological information recorded at the surface of the Earth.
  5. 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).
Reading List
Essential Reading
Bennison, G.M. (2011) An introduction to geological structures and maps. Hodder Education.

Recommended
Coe, A.L. (2010) Geological field techniques. The Open University; Wiley-Blackwell.

Stow, D.A.V. (2005) Sedimentary rocks in the field: a colour guide. Manson.

The Geological Society of London Handbook Series

McClay, K.R. (1991) The mapping of geological structures. J. Wiley.

Jerram, D. (2011) The field description of igneous rocks. Wiley-Blackwell.

Fry, N. (1984) The field description of metamorphic rocks. Open University Press.

http://www.docs.is.ed.ac.uk/docs/library/ResourceLists/Resource_Lists_and_the_Accesible_and_Inclusive_Learning_Policy.pdf


Additional Information
Course URL http://www.drps.ed.ac.uk/17-18/dpt/cxeasc08020.htm
Graduate Attributes and Skills Not entered
Additional Class Delivery Information 2 x 1 hour lecture and 1 x 2 hour practical per week

Lectures: Tuesday 9-10 am Teviot LT Doorway 5, Medical School
Wednesday 9-10am F.21, 7 George Square
Practical class: Thursday 9-11am JCMB Lab 6231 wks 1-10
Computer Workshop: Thursday 9-11am Room 2.02 Drummond Street wk 7
KeywordsIGR
Contacts
Course organiserDr Kate Saunders
Tel: (0131 6)50 2544
Email: Kate.Saunders@ed.ac.uk
Course secretaryMrs Nicola Clark
Tel: (0131 6)50 4842
Email: nicola.clark@ed.ac.uk
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