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DRPS : Course Catalogue : School of Geosciences : Postgraduate Courses (School of GeoSciences)

Postgraduate Course: Lake District Field Excursion MSc (PGGE11193)

Course Outline
SchoolSchool of Geosciences CollegeCollege of Science and Engineering
Credit level (Normal year taken)SCQF Level 11 (Postgraduate) AvailabilityNot available to visiting students
SCQF Credits10 ECTS Credits5
SummaryThe geological storage of CO2 requires knowledge of geology, both of rock types as reservoirs and seals, and of geometries as traps and leakage pathways. The Lake District is a classic area of UK geology, with a wide variety of rocks and field relationships. This enabling a student to build up a knowledge of the geological evolution of the area through field study, as might be required to understand a sedimentary basin in which CO2 were to be stored.
Course description The geological study of an area, through fieldwork, integrates all other aspects of geology; testing, enhancing and reinforcing teaching in these other aspects. Field mapping and data collection are still core data collection methods in many industrial settings, leading to the reconstruction of the geological architecture and history of an area. 3-dimensional geometry has become more important with the advent of routine numerical modelling of e.g. hydrocarbon reservoirs and CO2 storage locations, and model geometries rely ultimately on field-derived experience, particularly when dealing at scales below seismic resolution. These skills are essential to Earth Scientists, whether they work in academia or in industry.

Course Description - 7 days field work - Lake District, UK. Resident in Coniston YHA.

Attendance at 2 introductory lectures (part of the course 'Introduction to the Geological Record'; EASC08017) is compulsory. Dates and times TBA (Semester 2).
Entry Requirements (not applicable to Visiting Students)
Pre-requisites Co-requisites
Prohibited Combinations Other requirements None
Additional Costs Covered by Additional Programme Costs
Course Delivery Information
Not being delivered
Learning Outcomes
On completion of this course, the student will be able to:
  1. Demonstrate geological field skills (mapping, quantitative field skills and methods of data collection) to interpret rock outcrops and other forms of surface data effectively, from two to three spatial dimensions and in the fourth dimension (time).
  2. Keep a field note book as a record of field observations including interpretation aided by group discussions.
  3. Appreciation the degree of uncertainty of the data collection methods and the relationship between surface and subsurface data.
Reading List
Stars indicate relative usefulness.

General field geology and navigation:

***Geological field Techniques by Angela Coe. Great all-round fieldwork book.

*Sedimentary Rocks in the Field (Geological Field Guide) by Maurice Tucker,
The Field Description of Sedimentary Rocks (Geological Society of London Handbook Series) by Maurice Tucker (same book but older?)

***Lakeland rocks, an Introductory Guide. Alan Smith. Landscapes of Cumbia No. 4 Rigg Side Publications, ISBN 978-0-9544679-3-7. Good on rock types but not so strong on geological history. Readable and with decent photos. A bit basic.

Geology Factsheet, Lake District National Park Authority. Also very readable, and free!
http://www.lakedistrict.gov.uk/__data/assets/pdf_file/0008/171188/factsheet_geology.pdf

**Lakeland Rocks and Landscape, a field guide, 1992. Edited by Mervin Dodd, Cumberland Geological Society, Ellenbank Press, Cumbria. Very useful, with a good overview in the 'Geological Background' section.

Geology of the Lake District, 1990, F. Moseley, The Geologists' Association.
The Lake District, 1982, Cumberland Geological Society, Unwin Paperbacks, London. Probably long out of print, but still useful if you can find one.

Geological History of Britain and Ireland, by Woodcock and Strachan (2000) - for the overall tectonic setting

Geology of the Ambleside District, British Geological Survey (2000) - detailed.

Physical geology:

The Big Lakes of Lakeland, Alan Smith. Landscapes of Cumbia No. 5. Rigg Side Publications, ISBN 978-0-9544679-4-4.

**The Ice Age in the Lake District. Alan Smith. Landscapes of Cumbia No. 3. Rigg Side Publications, ISBN 978-0-9544679-2-2.
Additional Information
Graduate Attributes and Skills Data synthesis
Report writing
KeywordsLake District
Contacts
Course organiserDr Mark Wilkinson
Tel: (0131 6)50 5943
Email: Mark.Wilkinson@ed.ac.uk
Course secretaryMrs Faten Adam
Tel: (0131 6)51 4657
Email: Faten.Adam@ed.ac.uk
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