625-102 Geology

Credit Points:

Coordinator:

Prerequisite/s:

Timetable:

Contact:

Objectives:

On completion of this subject, students should:

• be able to understand the basic principles of Geology.

Comprehend:

• the diversity of the rock-forming minerals;

• the processes by which igneous, sedimentary and metamorphic rocks form and evolve;

• the use of structural geology in interpreting the relationships between rock units in time and space;

• the contribution of palaeontology to the study of evolution.

Appreciate:

• the contribution of mineralogy, petrology, structural geology, sedimentology and palæontology to the interpretation of the geological history of the Earth.

Content:

Mineralogy and Petrology: The properties, structure and chemistry of rock-forming minerals; the mineralogical makeup of rocks; how igneous, sedimentary and metamorphic rocks form and evolve; rocks in a plate tectonic context. Structural Geology: Origin of mountain ranges; folding and faulting; introduction to the subdivision and correlation of stratigraphical sequences; relationships between rock series in space and time; dating of rocks in absolute and relative terms. Palaeontology: The nature of fossils; the evolution of life as found in the geological record; survey of the principal groups of fossil invertebrates.

Assessment:

Prescribed Texts:

• Skinner B J and Porter S C, Physical Geology, Wiley or.
• Clark I F and Cook B J, Geological Science Perspectives of the Earth, 1983 AAS.