EARTH SCIENCES: THE GLOBAL ENVIRONMENT12.5
Professor I R Plimer
First semester,
39 lectures (three a week), 39 hours practical (three hours a week)
On completion of this subject, students should:
Comprehend:
the materials that the Earth is made of -- rocks, minerals and fossils;
the diverse processes from continent-scale to microscopic-scale which shape the Earth;
the mode of formation of the rocks which make up the geological record;
the structure of the Earth's atmosphere;
Have developed:
the skills to observe, in the laboratory and the field, basic properties of the global environment.
The Earth The origin of the Earth in a planetary system; the physical and chemical structure of the Earth; the geosphere; hydrosphere; and atmosphere; origin and composition of the atmosphere. Geological Materials Minerals: the nature of crystalline substances; the relationship between crystalline structure, chemical composition and physical properties of common minerals; rocks as aggregates of minerals; an introduction to igneous, sedimentary and metamorphic rocks. Plate Tectonics Why plate tectonics; where plates collide: volcanoes, earthquakes, continental collision and mountain building; where plates part: continental drift, sea-floor spreading, mid-oceanic ridges; within plates: uplift, weathering and erosion, transport of sediment, subsidence and sedimentation, volcanism. The Basics of Weather and Climate The Earth in space; the importance of its orbital characteristics; the ellipticity of the orbit; eccentricity, obliquity, cold poles and warm equator. The Atmosphere Basic properties of the troposphere, stratosphere, mesosphere; the friction layer; temperature; pressure and density in the vertical; the lapse-rate; mean sea-level; distributions of pressure, temperature, rainfall.
A 3-hour end-of-semester written examination and a 2-hour practical examination during the semester. Short tests may also be held during the practical sessions. A reading topic will be assessed in the examination.
EARTH SCIENCES: THE GLOBAL ENVIRONMENT12.5
Professor I R Plimer.
First semester.
39 lectures (three each week), 39 hours practical (three hours each week)
On completion of this subject, students should:
Comprehend:
the materials that the Earth is made of -- rocks, minerals and fossils;
the diverse processes from continent-scale to microscopic-scale which shape the Earth;
the mode of formation of the rocks which make up the geological record;
the structure of the Earth's atmosphere;
Have developed:
the skills to observe, in the laboratory and the field, basic properties of the global environment.
The Earth The origin of the Earth in a planetary system; the physical and chemical structure of the Earth; the geosphere; hydrosphere; and atmosphere; origin and composition of the atmosphere. Geological Materials Minerals: the nature of crystalline substances; the relationship between crystalline structure, chemical composition and physical properties of common minerals; rocks as aggregates of minerals; an introduction to igneous, sedimentary and metamorphic rocks. Plate Tectonics Why plate tectonics; where plates collide: volcanoes, earthquakes, continental collision and mountain building; where plates part: continental drift, sea-floor spreading, mid-oceanic ridges; within plates: uplift, weathering and erosion, transport of sediment, subsidence and sedimentation, volcanism. The Basics of Weather and Climate The Earth in space; the importance of its orbital characteristics; the ellipticity of the orbit; eccentricity, obliquity, cold poles and warm equator. The Atmosphere Basic properties of the troposphere, stratosphere, mesosphere; the friction layer; temperature; pressure and density in the vertical; the lapse-rate; mean sea-level; distributions of pressure, temperature, rainfall.
A 3-hour end-of-semester written examination and a 2-hour practical examination during the semester. Short tests may also be held during the practical sessions. A reading topic will be assessed in the examination.
EARTH SCIENCES: THE GLOBAL ENVIRONMENT12.5 1st year
Professor I R Plimer.
First semester,
39 lectures (three a week), 39 hours practical (three hours a week).
On completion of this subject, students should:
Comprehend:
the materials that the Earth is made of - rocks, minerals and fossils;
the diverse processes from continent-scale to microscopic-scale which shape the Earth;
the mode of formation of the rocks which make up the geological record;
the structure of the Earth's atmosphere;
Have developed:
the skills to observe, in the laboratory and the field, basic properties of the global environment.
The Earth The origin of the Earth in a planetary system; the physical and chemical structure of the Earth; the geosphere; hydrosphere; and atmosphere; origin and composition of the atmosphere. Geological Materials Minerals: the nature of crystalline substances; the relationship between crystalline structure, chemical composition and physical properties of common minerals; rocks as aggregates of minerals; an introduction to igneous, sedimentary and metamorphic rocks. Plate Tectonics Why plate tectonics; where plates collide: volcanoes, earthquakes, continental collision and mountain building; where plates part: continental drift, sea-floor spreading, mid-oceanic ridges; within plates: uplift, weathering and erosion, transport of sediment, subsidence and sedimentation, vulcanism. The Basics of Weather and Climate The Earth in space; the importance of its orbital characteristics; the ellipticity of the orbit; eccentricity, obliquity, cold poles and warm equator. The Atmosphere Basic properties of the troposphere, stratosphere, mesosphere; the friction layer; temperature; pressure and density in the vertical; the lapse-rate; mean sea-level; distributions of pressure, temperature, rainfall.
A 3-hour end-of-semester written examination and a 2-hour practical examination during the semester. Short tests may also be held during the practical sessions. A reading topic will be assessed in the examination.
EARTH SCIENCES: THE GLOBAL ENVIRONMENT