Module Information

The lecture programme will span the 2nd semester and be structured as follows:

Lecture 1. Course introduction; The Geological Map and mineral wealth of Wales; written assignment 1 (see below)
Lecture 2. Plate tectonic events and the ancient foundations of Wales: the geological context for the Welsh slate industry
Lecture 3. Mineral resource maps: fact or fiction - the concept and impact of uncertainty and how it can be quantified; written assignment 2 (see below)
Lecture 4. Rifting and volcanism in Wales: the geological context for mining of Lower Palaeozoic metal deposits in Wales
Lecture 5. Mineral workings: their classification and representation
Lecture 6. Sedimentary basins in Wales: the building stone and hard rock aggregate industry in Wales
Lecture 7. Mineral safeguarding: why is it needed?
Lecture 8. The coalfields of Wales: the geological context for the Welsh coal and steel industries
Lecture 9. The post-Carboniferous evolution of Wales: the sand and gravel aggregate industry in Wales
Lecture 10. Future trends and the need for effective mineral planning; students hand in written assignments 1 and 2

In parallel with the lecture series students will be required to undertake two written assignments:

Written assignment 1: Mineral resource mapping in Wales: its uses and limitations

This assignment is designed to develop the student's ability to access and interpret data on mineral resources in Wales, to develop their awareness of the concepts, process and limitations of mineral resource mapping. For this assignment students will be asked to access copyright-free online resources located on the Blackboard and external sites. These resources will include selected geological and derivative landuse and mineral planning maps; also technical datasets assessing mineral deposits and their properties. The assignment will be structured under the headings: 1. Deriving land-use and mineral resources maps from geological base maps; 2. Classifying mineral workings; 3. Mineral safeguarding maps; 4. Welsh Coal resource maps and the impact of buffering; 5. The mineral deposits of Wales - historical perspectives and future trends.

Written assignment 2: Quantifying uncertainty on geological maps and their derivative products
This assignment will seek to develop the student's ability critically to question the ways in which published maps and datasets are used for mineral planning purposes in Wales and to explore ways in which uncertainty can be assessed both qualitatively and numerically.

Field excursion: 1 x 1 day (Saturday or Sunday) field excursion, mid-Semester. Students will be introduced to local bedrock units and the evidence for tectonic and sedimentary processes they provide, which link to evolution of the Welsh Basin and formation of mineral deposits in the Central Wales Orefield.