Unit information: Geology 1 in 2021/22

Unit name	Geology 1
Unit code	EASC10001
Credit points	40
Level of study	C/4
Teaching block(s)	Teaching Block 4 (weeks 1-24)
Unit director	Dr. Parkinson
Open unit status	Not open
Pre-requisites	n/a
Co-requisites	n/a
School/department	School of Earth Sciences
Faculty	Faculty of Science

Description including Unit Aims

This is a broad introduction to Geology and covers the following topics: the structure of the Earth and global tectonics, mineralogy, igneous petrology, sedimentology, metamorphism, structural geology, palaeontology, Earth history and geological maps.

The course presents an overview of our Planet, showing how processes of the surface and interior have shaped its evolution and given rise to the present Earth structure, materials, life forms and global tectonics. We emphasise the inter-disciplinary bio-, chemico- and physico-principles that underlie many of the Earth systems examined.

The practicals are designed to give a hands-on experience in examining a variety of common Earth materials (minerals, rocks and fossils) and to collecting data of various forms (e.g. grain size, textures, geometrical disposition of rocks etc, morphology) on these materials. The work provides an introduction to the use of the polarising microscope for the investigation of minerals and rocks in thin section and the understanding of geological maps so that the 3-D disposition of rocks can be understood. Use is made of the data collected to make interpretations about the origin of minerals and rocks and the Earth settings in which they might have formed, or the type, ecology and stratigraphic range of fossils. The laboratory-learnt skills will be applied in formal classes and self-led tasks. Day-long, local field trips will help students synthesise these skills.

Intended Learning Outcomes

By the end of the course students should be able to:

• Identify, measure and precisely document Earth materials and structures using appropriate terminologies, classifications, nomenclatures and measurement techniques;
• Describe the structure, composition and properties of the constituent parts of the solid Earth, and explain the physico-chemical controls on their genesis and their influence on the near-surface to surface environment;
• Describe the evolution of the Earth in terms of its chemical variation, thermal development, chronological and stratigraphic history recording the major events in Earth history;
• Describe the development of life and explain its role as an integrated part of Earth processes;
• Explain the movement of materials and energy within the solid Earth as visualised in the plate tectonic paradigm, and describe the resultant petrological, geophysical and tectonic expressions of this movement;
• Explain the interaction between physical, chemical, biological and dynamic earth processes on varying spatial and temporal scales.

Teaching Information

The unit will be taught through a combination of

• asynchronous online materials and, if subsequently possible, synchronous face-to-face lectures
• synchronous office hours
• asynchronous directed individual formative activities and exercises
• guided, structured reading
• practical work in the laboratory
• fieldwork

Students who either begin or continue their studies in an online mode may be required to complete practical, field work, or alternative activities in person, either during the academic year 2020/21 or subsequently, in order to meet the intended learning outcomes for the unit, prepare them for subsequent units or to satisfy accreditation requirements.

Assessment Information

Formative

• online assessment in the middle of TB1

Summative

• 50% Summer written timed, open-book exam. This exam will include questions on material covered in lectures and practicals from both TB1 and TB2 and will also cover any local fieldwork.

• 50% Summer practical exam. This exam will include questions on material covered in practicals and lectures from both TB1 and TB2 (rock, fossil and thin section identification), and material from mapping classes.

Students should note that in addition to passing both summative assessments ALL formative assessment and practical work must be completed in order to be awarded the credit points for this unit.

Resources

If this unit has a Resource List, you will normally find a link to it in the Blackboard area for the unit. Sometimes there will be a separate link for each weekly topic.

If you are unable to access a list through Blackboard, you can also find it via the Resource Lists homepage. Search for the list by the unit name or code (e.g. EASC10001).

How much time the unit requires
Each credit equates to 10 hours of total student input. For example a 20 credit unit will take you 200 hours of study to complete. Your total learning time is made up of contact time, directed learning tasks, independent learning and assessment activity.

See the Faculty workload statement relating to this unit for more information.

Assessment
The Board of Examiners will consider all cases where students have failed or not completed the assessments required for credit. The Board considers each student's outcomes across all the units which contribute to each year's programme of study. If you have self-certificated your absence from an assessment, you will normally be required to complete it the next time it runs (this is usually in the next assessment period).
The Board of Examiners will take into account any extenuating circumstances and operates within the Regulations and Code of Practice for Taught Programmes.