Unit information: Geology Fieldwork in 2020/21

Unit name	Geology Fieldwork
Unit code	EASC30006
Credit points	10
Level of study	H/6
Teaching block(s)	Academic Year (weeks 1 - 52)
Unit director	Dr. Parkinson
Open unit status	Not open
Pre-requisites	Successful completion of year 2 of a Geology programme (BSc or MSci)
Co-requisites	N/A
School/department	School of Earth Sciences
Faculty	Faculty of Science

Description including Unit Aims

Five one-day fieldtrips and three one-day consolidation workshops will put into practice skills acquired throughout the course to classic geological localities

Aims:

• To develop further observational, recording and deductive skills in the field.

• To become familiar with the geology of the British Isles

• To understand large-scale crustal structure as illustrated by the local geology.

Intended Learning Outcomes

On successful completion of the field class you will be able to:

• Make mineralogical and structural observations and interpretations in metamorphic basement rocks.

• Make detailed observations of sedimentary rocks, including accurate logs, and to interpret these data in terms of sedimentary environments, current directions, provenance etc.
• Collect structural data from a deformed area in order to deduce its structural history from a combination of stereonet analysis and cross-section construction.

• Make detailed observations of igneous rocks in the field and interpret their origins in terms of volcanological and igneous processes.

• Inter-relate information determined in the field to that obtained from maps and other reference material.

• Synthesise information on a range of scales in the field to develop models of geological history.

Teaching Information

Details of the fieldwork will be posted on Blackboard. Teaching will be delivered via five one-day fieldtrips and three one-day consolidation days in Bristol. For students who are not present in the UK at the time of the fieldtrip (due to Covid-19 restrictions) an online equivalent will be available.

Assessment Information

Each of the five field locations will be worth 20% of the total assessment. Assessment will be based on a series of field exercises (field notebooks, sedimentary logs, mapping and collection of structural data) in combination with follow up exercises in Bristol (plotting structural data, map exercise and petrographic observations). All assessment will be completed and handed in at the end of the field day (Sand Bay) or associated consolidation day (Malverns, Vallis Vale/Wren’s Nest, and Lulworth Cove/Portland).

Reading and References

Woodcock, N.H. and Strachan, R.A., 2009. Geological history of Britain and Ireland. John Wiley & Sons.