Undergraduate Course: Earth Science Fundamentals for Geophysicists (EASC08022)
Course Outline
| School | School of Geosciences |
College | College of Science and Engineering |
| Credit level (Normal year taken) | SCQF Level 8 (Year 2 Undergraduate) |
Availability | Available to all students |
| SCQF Credits | 10 |
ECTS Credits | 5 |
| Summary | THIS COURSE IS AVAILABLE FOR SECOND YEAR DIRECT ENTRY GEOPHYSICS STUDENTS ONLY
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 Analysis of Rocks and Regions, subsequently, and hence courses for which they are pre-requisites.
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| Course description |
Syllabus
Lectures:
Earth formation, composition and age: 1 lecture
Seismology (including earthquakes) and Earth¿s internal structure: 4 lectures
Plate tectonics: 2 lectures
Gravity: 2 lectures
Geomagnetism: 1 lecture
Igneous and metamorphic rocks and processes: 3 lectures
Deformation (faulting and folding, stress and strain): 1 lecture
Geological resources: 1 lecture
Tutorial:
Maps practical exercise (week 6)
IT exercises:
Web based Virtual Fieldtrip ¿ accessed via Learn; to be completed before 1st field trip
Introduction to Holyrood Park ¿ Learn exercise to be completed before 2nd field trip
Field trips:
Saturday OR Sunday end of Week 2. FIELD TRIP 1: PEASE BAY & SICCAR POINT.
Meet at Appleton Tower, ready to depart at 09:30, return ca. 17:00. ATTENDANCE IS COMPULSORY.
FIELD TRIP 2: Saturday OR Sunday end of Week 5. FIELD TRIP 2: Holyrood Park / Salisbury Crags / Arthur¿s Seat
Meet at 09:00 sharp at the grassy parkland area near the roundabout just inside from the St Leonards /
Pollock Halls entrance to Holyrood Park. Field trip ends at approximately 12:30. ATTENDANCE IS COMPULSORY
Practicals:
Assay of the Earth - Earth materials and Composition (week 1)
Aspects of the motion of lithospheric plates (week 3)
¿Be a seismologist¿ (week 4)
Pentland Fault gravity interpretation (week 6)
Salisbury Crags exercise; Salisbury Crags dolerite under the microscope; Top-ten silicate minerals. (week 7)
Further course information can be found at the following links:
https://path.is.ed.ac.uk/courses/EASC080022_SV1_SEM1
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Information for Visiting Students
| Pre-requisites | Mathematics and Physics at a level suitable for University entrance to study Physics. |
| High Demand Course? |
Yes |
Course Delivery Information
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| Academic year 2019/20, Available to all students (SV1)
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Quota: 20 |
| Course Start |
Semester 1 |
Timetable |
Timetable |
| Learning and Teaching activities (Further Info) |
Total Hours:
100
(
Lecture Hours 22,
Supervised Practical/Workshop/Studio Hours 3,
Fieldwork Hours 5,
Programme Level Learning and Teaching Hours 2,
Directed Learning and Independent Learning Hours
68 )
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| Assessment (Further Info) |
Written Exam
50 %,
Coursework
50 %,
Practical Exam
0 %
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| Additional Information (Assessment) |
Assessment details
Written Exam: 50%, Course Work: 50 %, Practical Exam: 0%.
Course work: practical work 85%, field notebook 15%
The written exam will consist of short answer questions.
The course work component includes your practical workbooks as well as field trip attendance and notebook write up. Incomplete practicals or practical workbooks, or absence from a practical where workbooks are marked, will be penalised unless you have special circumstances supported by doctor¿s note or letter from your Student Support Co-ordinator. Be sure to submit your field-related IT assignment within your workbook. In addition to the practical workbook you are required to submit your field notebook for marking after each field trip. The second mark will contribute towards your overall ¿course work¿ mark.
Students must achieve a pass mark (40% or above) in both components of this course.
If you fail to pass both components at first attempt the following will happen:
Fail coursework, pass exam: Alternative coursework will be assigned and all practical exercises must be completed. Deadline to submit work to the Teaching Office (TO) will be in late March 2019, exact deadline to be advised. Exam mark stands and is carried forward, no resit allowed.
Fail exam, pass course work: Resit exam in August exam diet; Coursework mark carried forward.
Fail exam, fail coursework: Resit exam in August exam diet: Alternative coursework will be assigned and all practical exercises must be completed. Deadline to submit work to the TO will be in late March 2019, exact deadline to be advised.
Assessment and Feedback information can be found here: https://www.ed.ac.uk/files/atoms/files/tar19-20.pdf
All details related to extensions procedures and late penalties can be found in the School of Geosciences General Information Handbook, on the Learn UG Student Information Hub.
Assessment deadlines
Practical workbooks for weeks 1-4 to be handed in by 12 noon on Tuesday of week 6. Fieldtrip notebooks to be handed in on Tuesday of Week 3 (fieldtrip 1) by 12 noon and on Tuesday of Week 6 (fieldtrip 2) by 12 noon. Write-up for practical in week 6 to be handed in by 12 noon on Monday of week 8.
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| Feedback |
There is an opportunity for verbal feedback during all tutorial and practical sessions, and after the field trips. Your practical work will be assessed during the course and comments made on the quality of work and where improvement is possible. There are also two field trips. After the first trip, formative feedback will be provided which can feed forward to your assessed notebook mark after the second field excursion. |
| Exam Information |
| Exam Diet |
Paper Name |
Hours & Minutes |
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| Main Exam Diet S1 (December) | | 1:00 | | | Resit Exam Diet (August) | | 1:00 | |
Learning Outcomes
On completion of this course, the student will be able to:
- demonstrate 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
- demonstrate 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
- demonstrate an understanding of the basics of geological and geophysical fieldwork, keeping a field notebook, and laboratory and computer practical work
- demonstrate skills in writing a scientific report, including references to previous work.
- manage their time effectively and work both independently and with others during practical sessions.
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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)
Christiansen, EH & Hamblin, WK Dynamic Earth - An introduction to Physical Geology
(Jones & Bartlett Learning)
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Additional Information
| Graduate Attributes and Skills |
Fieldwork; IT skills; practical work
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| Additional Class Delivery Information |
2 x 1 hr lectures per week, and 1 weekly practical for 6 weeks (five with the Earth Dynamics practical class). |
| 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 Clark
Tel: (0131 6)50 4842
Email: nicola.clark@ed.ac.uk |
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