Gwybodaeth Modiwlau
Module Identifier
EA11810
Module Title
THE EARTH IN SPACE AND TIME
Academic Year
2008/2009
Co-ordinator
Semester
Semester 2
Other Staff
Course Delivery
| Delivery Type | Delivery length / details |
|---|---|
| Lecture | 20 x 1 hour lectures |
| Practical | 5 x 2 hour practicals |
Assessment
| Assessment Type | Assessment length / details | Proportion |
|---|---|---|
| Semester Exam | 2 Hours Short answer/multiple choice examination paper. Comprising Evolution of Britain - 50%, Earth Structures - 10% Geological Maps - 40% | 100% |
| Supplementary Exam | 2 Hours Resit Exam | 100% |
Learning Outcomes
On completion of the module, students should have :-
- an awareness of the fundamental principles of stratigraphy and the key personalities responsible for formulating them
- knowledge of the magnitude of geological time and the problems of dealing with it
- a basic knowledge of the way the present day distribution of geological materials came about, including resources which underpin much of today's political and social patterns, and in particular the physical and cultural landscape of the British Isles
- a basic working knowledge of geological maps and an appreciation for their breadth of application
Aims
The module provides a basic introduction to the distribution and arrangement of earth materials, through the geological past and as they are now. It is primarily aimed at students with some earth science background, e.g. EA11510: Planet Earth.
Content
The distribution and arrangement of earth materials, through the geological past and as they are now, form the core of this module. The development of ideas concerning the evolution of geology as a science are outlined with references to key personalities of the 17th-19th centuries. The concept and measurement of geological time and time-scales are next introduced. We trace the progressive evolution of the surface of our planet, focusing on Britain and its place in the global context. We also look at:
(i) earth structures - how deformation in the earth has modified the arrangement of materials;
(ii) the present-day distribution of earth resources, including energy sources and mineral deposits in
Britain;
(iii) the links between geology and landscape; and
(iv) the nature and uses of geological maps.
Maps form a convenient way of summarising and recording geological information, and help bring together the different themes of the course. The basic principles are covered in both the 1st edition (Blue cover) and the 2nd edition (Green cover) of the recommended text book by Maltman, but the 2nd Edition includes sections on environmental matters and physical geography.
The lecture themes are:
These are grouped under "geological maps" and "evolution of Britain from a global perspective"; the lectures on these topics will be interspersed with each other.
1. GEOLOGICAL MAPS
Geological maps: an introduction
(Practical 1. An introduction to Geological maps)
(Practical 2. Visual assessment of maps)
Geological maps: visual assessment
(Practical 3. Measurements on maps)
Earth structure: the fracturing of rocks
Geological maps: structures on maps
(Practical 4. Structures on maps; resources and landscape)
Earth structure: other deformation structures
(Practical 5. Maps for resource and environmental planning)
2. EVOLUTION OF BRITAIN
Evolution of geological concepts (including key personalities in the 17th to 19th centuries)
Geological time (development of ideas, the geological time-scale, methods of dating and
correlating rocks)
Tectonic framework of the British Isles
Early crustal evolution (Archaean - middle Proterozoic)
Early sedimentary basins (late Proterozoic cover rocks)
Late Proterozoic basin development, orogeny and magmatism
Cambrian - Silurian sedimentary basin development and volcanism
Geological maps: measurements on maps
Earth structure: rock deformation; folding
The Caledonian orogeny - compressional tectonics
The Old Sandstone continent and Devonian seas; Carboniferous coal-forming swamps and warm
tropical seas
Late Palaeozoic - Cenozoic extensional tectonics
Permian - Triassic tropical deserts
Jurassic - Cretaceous warm shallow seas and early Cenozoic rift-basin deposits
The Palaeogene (Early Tertiary) igneous record
The Quaternary Period: glacial/interglacial cycles
(i) earth structures - how deformation in the earth has modified the arrangement of materials;
(ii) the present-day distribution of earth resources, including energy sources and mineral deposits in
Britain;
(iii) the links between geology and landscape; and
(iv) the nature and uses of geological maps.
Maps form a convenient way of summarising and recording geological information, and help bring together the different themes of the course. The basic principles are covered in both the 1st edition (Blue cover) and the 2nd edition (Green cover) of the recommended text book by Maltman, but the 2nd Edition includes sections on environmental matters and physical geography.
The lecture themes are:
These are grouped under "geological maps" and "evolution of Britain from a global perspective"; the lectures on these topics will be interspersed with each other.
1. GEOLOGICAL MAPS
Geological maps: an introduction
(Practical 1. An introduction to Geological maps)
(Practical 2. Visual assessment of maps)
Geological maps: visual assessment
(Practical 3. Measurements on maps)
Earth structure: the fracturing of rocks
Geological maps: structures on maps
(Practical 4. Structures on maps; resources and landscape)
Earth structure: other deformation structures
(Practical 5. Maps for resource and environmental planning)
2. EVOLUTION OF BRITAIN
Evolution of geological concepts (including key personalities in the 17th to 19th centuries)
Geological time (development of ideas, the geological time-scale, methods of dating and
correlating rocks)
Tectonic framework of the British Isles
Early crustal evolution (Archaean - middle Proterozoic)
Early sedimentary basins (late Proterozoic cover rocks)
Late Proterozoic basin development, orogeny and magmatism
Cambrian - Silurian sedimentary basin development and volcanism
Geological maps: measurements on maps
Earth structure: rock deformation; folding
The Caledonian orogeny - compressional tectonics
The Old Sandstone continent and Devonian seas; Carboniferous coal-forming swamps and warm
tropical seas
Late Palaeozoic - Cenozoic extensional tectonics
Permian - Triassic tropical deserts
Jurassic - Cretaceous warm shallow seas and early Cenozoic rift-basin deposits
The Palaeogene (Early Tertiary) igneous record
The Quaternary Period: glacial/interglacial cycles
Reading List
Recommended TextMaltman, A.J. (1998) Geological Maps: an introduction 2nd John Wiley and Sons Primo search Peter Toghill (2000) The Geology of Britain - an Introduction Swan Hill Press, Shrewsbury. Primo search Supplementary Text
Doyle, P., Bennett, M.R. & Baxter, A.N. (1994) The Key to Earth History: an introduction to stratigraphy Wiley & Sons Ltd Primo search
Notes
This module is at CQFW Level 4