EA22520 - EARTH RESOURCES

Module Identifier

EA22520

Module Title

EARTH RESOURCES

Academic Year

2004/2005

Co-ordinator

Dr Charles Bendall

Semester

Semester 2 (Taught over 2 semesters)

Other staff

Professor Alex Maltman, Dr Charles Bendall, Dr Nicholas J G Pearce, Dr Stephen Tooth

Pre-Requisite

EA11600 Rocks and Minerals or EA11510 Planet Earth

Mutually Exclusive

GG21510

Course delivery

Lecture

33 Hours Introduction and Energy 4 x 2 hrs; Water 4 x 2 hrs; Bulk Materials 3 x 3 hrs; Metals 4 x 2 hrs

Practical

20 Hours Energy 4 x 1 hr; Water 4 x 1 hr; Bulk Materials 2 x 3 hrs; Metals 2 x 2 hrs, 2 x 1 hr

Assessment

Assessment Type	Assessment Length/Details	Proportion
Semester Exam	2 Hours Written Examination in Semester 2	25%
Semester Assessment	Practical Reports. Selected practical exercises in Semesters 1 & 2 (37.5%) and a practical project report in Semester 2 (12.5%).	50%
Semester Assessment	Course Essays. 2 project essays in Semester 1	25%
Supplementary Exam	2 Hours Written Examination. Resubmission of written examination	25%
Supplementary Assessment	Coursework Components. Resubmission of failed coursework	75%

Learning outcomes

On succesful completion of this module, students should be able to demonstrate knowledge of:-

Energy resources, formation, exploration and extraction (where relevant) uses and environmental impacts

Water resources and their management and environmental impact inclusive of hydrogeology

Bulk Materials, inclusive of aggregates, building stones, sand and gravels, cement and bricks, exploration testing and environmental impacts

Metals and Mineral Deposits. The formation of key ore and mineral deposits (iron, aluminium, uranium, base metal, strategic metals, gold), their extraction and mineral processing methods and the impact on the environment of these processes

Aims

The aim of this module is to introduce students to the most important of Earth's physical resources in terms of their use, formation, exploration, extraction, processing and environmental impacts. This will be structured under four main topics: Energy; Water; Bulk Materials and Metals

Brief description

Energy Resources will be discussed under the following topics: Fossil fuels; nuclear power; hydroelectricity; geothermal energy and renewable energy.
The Water Resources part of this module will describe the water cycle, discuss water management and usage, surface water and groundwater, and provide an introduction to hydrogeology.
The part of the module on Bulk Materials will cover the following topics: building stones; aggregates; sands and gravels; bricks.
Under the Metal and Mineral Deposits part of this course, the formation of key mineral deposits (iron, aluminium, uranium, base metal, strategic metals, gold), their extraction and mineral processing methods and the impact on the environment of these processes will be discussed.

Content

Course outline is as follows:

General introduction and introduction to energy
Fossil fuels - coal and peat
Fossil fuels - oil
Nuclear power
Renewable energy, hydropower, geothermal energy
Water cycle
Surface water
Groundwater
Hydrogeology
Building stones and bricks
Aggregates and cement
Sands and gravels
Sands and gravels (practical)
Sands and gravels (practical)
Mineral extraction and processing
Iron
Aluminium
Base metal deposits (lead, zinc, copper)
Uranium and strategic metals
Gold and precious metals

Reading Lists

Books
** Recommended Text
Manning, D.A.C (1994) Introduction to Industrial Minerals
Ramage, J (1997) Energy
Wills, B.A (1997) Mineral Processing Technology
Bishop, V. and Prosser, R (1986) Water Resources
Edwards, R. and Atkinson, K (1986) Ore Deposit Geology

Notes

This module is at CQFW Level 5