Undergraduate Course: Geological Evolution and Resources of Britain and Ireland (EASC10135)
Course Outline
| School | School of Geosciences |
College | College of Science and Engineering |
| Credit level (Normal year taken) | SCQF Level 10 (Year 4 Undergraduate) |
Availability | Not available to visiting students |
| SCQF Credits | 40 |
ECTS Credits | 20 |
| Summary | This course will investigate the rich geological evolution of Britain and Ireland from the Archean to present day, examining its changing global context, varied tectonic and depositional environments, and paleoclimate. Key events that have shaped the foundations of the Britain and Ireland are discussed. We will also examine how energy, mineral and groundwater resources are intrinsically linked to our geological past, have shaped the industry and society of the UK and Ireland, and discuss opportunities for geoscientists to help address societal challenges. Students will integrate a variety of datasets from academic, industry and government sources to gain professional and transferable skills, enhance their employability, and tackle contemporary scientific questions. Students will develop advanced field skills by testing competing hypotheses on research questions through the collection and critical evaluation of field data from world-class localities. Speakers from relevant industries will be invited where practical. |
| Course description |
Britain and Ireland are renowned for their rich and complex geological history that has spawned over two centuries of scientific debate, fuelled the Industrial Revolution, and will hopefully contribute to the Energy Transition. The rocks representing this history have allowed generations of scientists to investigate the fundamental processes that shape our Earth, and have helped to revolutionise our understanding of Earth history. These advances include, but are not limited to, Hutton's concept of 'deep time', metamorphic zones, mechanisms for magma evolution and crustal emplacement, the plate tectonic revolution, and more recent advances in climate science.
This module will provide a detailed overview of the geological evolution of Britain and Ireland, highlighting current global scientific debates which can also be answered through the diverse geology of the two islands.
The resources of these islands (energy, minerals and groundwater) are also intrinsically tried to this complex geological history. We will discuss how Britain and Ireland's resources, that once fuelled the industrial revolution, can now be used to address current societal problems, such as meeting net-zero greenhouse gas emissions; storing energy and establishing a supply of critical raw materials.
The course will run over 2 semesters, for 10 weeks in S1 and 7 weeks in S2, plus a 5-day field excursion. In S1 there is a lecture and associated practical class in many weeks, plus an exercise in seismic interpretation over 5 weeks. In S2 there will be two 50-minute lectures and a 3-hour practical session. Practical classes are designed to build upon the knowledge gained in lectures, with students gaining a range of professional and personal skills.
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Entry Requirements (not applicable to Visiting Students)
| Pre-requisites |
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Co-requisites | |
| Prohibited Combinations | |
Other requirements | None |
Course Delivery Information
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| Academic year 2026/27, Not available to visiting students (SS1)
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Quota: 40 |
| Course Start |
Full Year |
Timetable |
Timetable |
| Learning and Teaching activities (Further Info) |
Total Hours:
400
(
Lecture Hours 23,
Supervised Practical/Workshop/Studio Hours 35,
Fieldwork Hours 50,
Programme Level Learning and Teaching Hours 8,
Directed Learning and Independent Learning Hours
284 )
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| Assessment (Further Info) |
Written Exam
40 %,
Coursework
60 %,
Practical Exam
0 %
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| Additional Information (Assessment) |
Written Exam 40%, Coursework 60% |
| Feedback |
Personal 1-to-1 feedback will be provided as students' progress on the practical exercises and the field excursion. |
| No Exam Information |
Learning Outcomes
On completion of this course, the student will be able to:
- integrate diverse geological and geophysical datasets to reconstruct the stratigraphical, structural, sedimentological, paleo-geographical, and geological history of the Britain Isles
- appraise the U.K.'s energy, mineral, and groundwater resources, and reflect on the social and economic factors that will impact their future use.
- gather, interpret, compare, and critically evaluate information from a wide variety of geological sources, including specialist and field data.
- communicate complex scientific information at a professional level, targeting presentations to a range of stakeholder types.
- design field investigations to investigate specific research questions, applying advanced field skills to generate new data to test working hypotheses.
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Reading List
Exploration for metalliferous and related minerals in Britain: a guide. 2nd edition. Colman, T.B. & Cooper, D.C. (2000) British Geological Survey, DTI Minerals Programme Publication, No. 1, 78 pages. Available from CO.
Elements of petroleum geology. R.C. Selley, Second edition., Academic Press, 1998
Returning Carbon to Nature: Coal, Carbon Capture, and Storage, Stephenson, M.H., Elsevier, 2013
Carbon Capture and Storage, Owain Tucker, IOP Publishing
MacKay, D. (2009) Sustainable Energy - without the hot air. Free e-book download. https://www.withouthotair.com/download.html
Woodcock, N.H. & Strachan, R.A. (2012) (eds). Geological History of Britain and Ireland, 2nd edition. |
Additional Information
| Graduate Attributes and Skills |
Students will further develop as Earth Scientists ready to enter the workplace with a wide range of personal and professional skills to meet society's needs. Students will develop transferable skills through exercises that increase critical thinking, problem solving, and communication skills. Students will learn to gather, interpret, use and evaluate information from a wide variety of sources, including specialist data.
Students will develop advanced field skills by testing competition hypotheses on key research questions through the collection and critical evaluation of field data from world-class localities. |
| Keywords | Geological Evolution,Stratigraphy,Energy,Mineral Resources,Groundwater,Energy Transition |
Contacts
| Course organiser | Dr Mark Wilkinson
Tel: (0131 6)50 5943
Email: Mark.Wilkinson@ed.ac.uk |
Course secretary | Miss Rebecca Steele
Tel:
Email: Rebecca.Steele@ed.ac.uk |
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