| Unit name | Mineralogy and Petrology |
|---|---|
| Unit code | EASC20035 |
| Credit points | 20 |
| Level of study | I/5 |
| Teaching block(s) |
Teaching Block 1 (weeks 1 - 12) |
| Unit director | Dr. Parkinson |
| Open unit status | Not open |
| Units you must take before you take this one (pre-requisite units) |
Successful completion of a Year 1 Earth Sciences programme. |
| Units you must take alongside this one (co-requisite units) |
None |
| Units you may not take alongside this one |
None |
| School/department | School of Earth Sciences |
| Faculty | Faculty of Science |
Why is this unit important?
Minerals are the building blocks of all rocks and their structure and chemistry respond to changing conditions from the Earth surface to its core. The Earth is a dynamic planet and movement of solid and molten rock produces the planet’s tectonic and magmatic features. Igneous and metamorphic rocks record information about these processes and the unit will draw together mineralogical and textural observations with geochemical calculations to provide insights into how the deep Earth operates.
How does this unit fit into your programme of study?
This unit builds on the mineralogy and petrology that you learned in your first year Earth Science units. It provides a much more detailed study of each of the major mineral groups you encountered in the first year and utilises computer software to allow you to understand how crystal structures are built from their constituent atoms. This approach underpins the practical optical mineralogy component of the unit, that will allow you to recognise a wide variety of minerals. This unit develops your quantitative skills by using thermodynamics and phase diagrams to understand the generation of igneous and metamorphic rocks. The unit provides critical skills in interpreting rock textures that is an integral part of your independent studies in your second year and will also underpin key units in the third year of your degree.
An overview of content
In this unit an understanding of the systematics of mineral structures and compositions will be used as the foundation to investigate the formation of igneous and metamorphic rocks. For each mineral group the fundamental aspects of the structure and composition of a simple end-member will be studied in detail, and the rest of each group will be understood in terms of compositional and structural modifications, particularly focussing on the concept of solid solutions. The physical and optical properties will be discussed within that framework, and a series of practical sessions will be used to exploit the optical properties as a tool for mineral identification using the polarising microscope.
Once mineral identification becomes routine, the unit will explore the origins of igneous and metamorphic rocks. The igneous section of the unit focuses on partial melting and crystallisation processes that produce the wide range of igneous rocks types. Major and trace element variations and phases diagrams will be used to quantitatively understand the evolution of igneous rocks. The practicals will demonstrate how mineralogical and textural evidence can be utilised to evaluate magmatic processes and the role that simple chemical equilibria and kinetics play in determining the textures.
The metamorphic section applies chemical equilibrium, and the phase rule to the evaluation of metamorphic rocks. The practicals will emphasise the use of textures to infer geological events from sequential mineral growth, deformation and reaction textures and how phase diagrams can be used to calculate stable mineral assemblages.
How will students, personally, be different as a result of the unit?
Prior to unit students would have been able to identify some minerals in thin section and have a broad idea about how igneous and metamorphic rocks form. As a result of the unit the students should be able be given a thin section with some complementary geochemical or phase equilibria data and provide a detailed and quantitative explanation of how the igneous or metamorphic rock formed.
Learning Outcomes
The in-class component unit is taught via a combination of lectures and practicals. Guided, background reading will be provided.
Tasks which help you learn and prepare you for summative tasks (formative)
There are a series of formative homework tasks to support the mineralogy component of the unit.
Worked answers of all classroom exercises provided. Students strongly encouraged to use these and bring any remaining problems to subsequent Office Hours.
Weekly office hours sessions provided to address aspects of lectures, literature or worked examples (see above) not understood.
Tasks which count towards your unit mark (summative)
The unit mark will be determined by an examination (100%), which will include a strong practical component to test optical microscopy skills.
When assessment does not go to plan
The University's Regulations and Code of Practice for Taught Programmes outline the requirements for progression on and completion of degree programmes. Students who miss an exam and self-certify their absence may complete a supplementary assessment for an uncapped mark as if taken for the first time. Resit and supplementary exams are habitually taken during the reassessment period later in the summer. As far as is practicable and appropriate, resit and supplementary assessments will be in the same form as the original assessment but will always test the same intended learning outcomes as the initial missed or failed assessment. In the case of group work, failure by a whole group would result in an appropriate group task being set and reassessed for all group members. If a single student fails a group assessment or is unable to participate for an evidenced reason, an individual reassessment will be set.
There are rigorous and fair procedures in place to support students who are ill or whose studies and assessments are affected by exceptional circumstances.
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. EASC20035).
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 University 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. For appropriate assessments, if you have self-certificated your absence, you will normally be required to complete it the next time it runs (for assessments at the end of TB1 and TB2 this is usually in the next re-assessment period).
The Board of Examiners will take into account any exceptional circumstances and operates
within the Regulations and Code of Practice for Taught Programmes.
