Undergraduate Course: Ore Deposits and Crustal Processes (EASC10134)
Course Outline
| School | School of Geosciences |
College | College of Science and Engineering |
| Credit level (Normal year taken) | SCQF Level 10 (Year 4 Undergraduate) |
Availability | Available to all students |
| SCQF Credits | 20 |
ECTS Credits | 10 |
| Summary | The course consists of 20 lectures and 9 practical sessions, over 10 weeks. It will provide students with a detailed understanding of the fundamental physiochemical and tectonic processes controlling the evolution of the Earth's crust over the past 4 billion years, and mechanisms that control the formation of world class metalliferous ore deposits within it.
Lectures will document key crustal processes from different geodynamic environments from the present day back to the Archean, including evidence from the latest geochemical, isotopic, geophysical, analogue and numerical modelling research. Several major types of ore deposits (e.g. porphyry Cu, VMS, orogenic Au systems) will be discussed in relation to key tectonic, magmatic and hydrothermal processes that result in metal enrichment. Students will also develop an understanding of the increasing global demand for commodities, metal criticality, and the typical life cycle of a mine from exploration to remediation.
During practical sessions, students will develop professional skills to critically examine and characterize a variety of rock textures and mineral assemblages in hand specimen and under reflected light, gaining the ability to interpret mechanisms of ore formation from a range of geodynamic environments. |
| Course description |
The course is delivered over 10 weeks during semester 2. Each week will typically include between two and three one-hour lectures and a three-hour practical. An assessed practical will take place during week 10.
Following introductory lectures, the first lecture each week will typically focus on a different geodynamic environment where ore deposits are located, and the tectonic, magmatic, metamorphic and volcanic-sedimentary processes operating in these environments to form the Earth's crust. These weekly lectures will follow a typical Wilson cycle from rifting and continental breakup, through MOR and arc systems, to collisional orogens. Lastly, we will focus on the evidence for tectonic processes likely operating in the Archean.
The second lecture each week will focus on upper crustal, magmatic-hydrothermal processes, and will discuss formation mechanisms of world class ore deposits (e.g. Bushveldt Cr, Red Dog Zn) that occur in each of these geodynamic environments. All major ore deposit classes will be discussed (i.e. orthomagmatic Cu-Ni, porphyry Cu, epithermal, orogenic Au, VMS).
A further three lectures that will be integrated through the semester will discuss how tectonics and geodynamic modelling can help understand different tectonic settings and how they lead to different assemblages (during weeks 2,5,8).
Weekly practical classes are designed to integrate with the topics covered in lectures, and will include training in reflected light microscopy, hand specimen characterization of common sulfide, oxide and alteration minerals, core logging and geochemical modelling.
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Entry Requirements (not applicable to Visiting Students)
| Pre-requisites |
|
Co-requisites | |
| Prohibited Combinations | |
Other requirements | None |
Information for Visiting Students
| Pre-requisites | Evidence of completing modules covering igneous and metamorphic petrology, and general geochemistry. |
Course Delivery Information
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| Academic year 2026/27, Available to all students (SV1)
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Quota: 40 |
| Course Start |
Semester 2 |
Timetable |
Timetable |
| Learning and Teaching activities (Further Info) |
Total Hours:
200
(
Lecture Hours 20,
Supervised Practical/Workshop/Studio Hours 30,
Programme Level Learning and Teaching Hours 4,
Directed Learning and Independent Learning Hours
146 )
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| Assessment (Further Info) |
Written Exam
50 %,
Coursework
50 %,
Practical Exam
0 %
|
| Additional Information (Assessment) |
Written exam 50%«br /»
Assessed practical 50% |
| Feedback |
Weekly in-class practical exercises will provide students (and the CO) with immediate feedback on performance and understanding each week. Students will be encouraged to ask questions during practical sessions. |
| No Exam Information |
Learning Outcomes
On completion of this course, the student will be able to:
- Combine different lines of evidence, including magmatic, structural, metamorphic, sedimentary and geophysical, to support our conceptual understanding of the formation of the Earth's crust through time and build holistic models.
- Explain how different tectonic, magmatic, and hydrothermal systems lead to ore deposit formation in different geodynamic settings, and compare the likely resources available in these settings.
- Assess the importance of metalliferous resources within the context of competing societal and technological needs, including the transition to a low carbon economy and the sustainability of different methods of extraction.
- Critically examine and characterize rock textures and mineral assemblages in hand specimen and under reflected light to interpret formation mechanisms for ore deposits.
- Integrate a range of evidence, such as maps, numerical models, geophysical data, hand specimens, and thin sections, to create and critically evaluate a conceptual model of a tectonic environment and probable ore forming processes.
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Reading List
1) Robb, L. Introduction to ore-forming processes. Blackwell Science, 2004.
2) Moon, C., Whateley M.K.G., Evans, A.M. Introduction to Mineral Exploration. John Wiley & Sons, 2nd Edition, 2005.
3) Marshall, D., Anglin, C.D., Mumin, H. Ore Mineral Atlas. Geological Association of Canada - Mineral Deposits Division, 2005.
4) Arndt, N.T. Formation and Evolution of the Continental Crust. Geochemical Perspectives 2, 405-533, 2013.
5) Van Kranendock, M.J, Bennett, V.C. and Hoffman, J.E. Earth's Oldest Rocks (2nd Edition). Elsevier, 2019. |
Additional Information
| Graduate Attributes and Skills |
This course will build upon existing modules on plate tectonic processes and the formation of ore deposits in the crust such as: Earth Sciences for Society; Rock Forming Processes; Igneous, Metamorphic and Ore Processes. It will provide students with a detailed understanding of the varying mechanisms for the formation of the Earth's crust through time, and through a Mineral Systems approach we will document the fundamental processes leading to ore formation in different tectonic settings. Students would also gain an appreciation for the entire minerals industry from exploration to remediation.
Students will develop a range of key professional skills, as required by the minerals industry, including training in reflected light microscopy, the logging of mineralized and hydrothermally altered drillcore, hand specimen identification and characterisation, and the ability to critically analyse and interpret data from geological, geochemical and geophysical sources. |
| Keywords | Crustal growth,Ore forming processes,Petrology,Exploration geochemistry,Sustainability |
Contacts
| Course organiser | Dr Steven Hollis
Tel:
Email: Steven.Hollis@ed.ac.uk |
Course secretary | Miss Rebecca Steele
Tel:
Email: Rebecca.Steele@ed.ac.uk |
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