Delivery Type	Delivery length / details
Practical	30 Hours. Practicals / Field Days. 10 x 3 hours (3 practicals involving field sampling)

Assessment Type	Assessment length / details	Proportion
Semester Assessment	In-Course Assessment:	10%
Semester Exam	2 Hours Short answer/data response/short essay exam:	90%
Supplementary Assessment	In course assessment marks to be carried forward.	10%
Supplementary Exam	2 Hours Short answer/data response/short essay exam.	90%

Learning Outcomes

On successful completion of this module students should be able to:

demonstrate knowledge of safe laboratory procedures.

produce appropriate sampling and analytical procedures for a variety of sediments.

distinguish sediments from a variety of depositional environments.

Aims

To furnish students with sampling, interpretational and analytical skills, permitting them to analyse natural materials.

Content

This practical module provides instruction in the laboratory methods of the analysis of natural materials. All stages of sediment analysis are included in this course, from field sampling to sample preparation, analysis and interpretation. Both coarse and fine fraction sediment analysis techniques are utilised to discriminate between the sediments sampled from different environments of deposition. Three practicals, towards the end of the course, are devoted to further sediment sampling and analysis techniques.

The following practical timetable is planned for this module:

Introduction to sediments
Fieldwork: sediment sampling
Fieldwork: sediment sampling
Coarse fraction analysis: dry sieving
Coarse fraction analysis: dry sieving
Fine fraction analysis: hydrometer method/pipette method/sedigraph
Environmental Discrimination
Fieldwork: suspended sediment sampling
Physical properties of sediments
Compilation and analysis of results

In the interests of safety, all students will be required to purchase a laboratory coat for use during the practical classes.

Course Delivery

Assessment

Learning Outcomes

Aims

Content

Reading List

Notes