ESC-20126 - Geological Field Skills
Coordinator: Stuart Clarke Room: WSF16 Tel: +44 1782 7 33171
Lecture Time: See Timetable...
Level: Level 5
Credits: 30
Study Hours: 300
School Office: 01782 733615

Programme/Approved Electives for 2024/25

None

Available as a Free Standing Elective

No

Co-requisites

None

Prerequisites

None

Barred Combinations

None

Description for 2024/25


Aims
To introduce and provide experience of the key field skills required of geologists and geoscientists; to introduce and provide experience of modern lab-based data analysis techniques, as well as structural geological and geophysical techniques for data analyses, in the context of the field skills they augment; to provide experience in the use of field skills to interpret the development of geological settings that can not be experienced in the UK as well as those that can; to prepare students with appropriate background knowledge to plan and execute their Level 6 independent research project for their chosen pathway, source relevant literature, and communicate their results though written reports, maps, standard diagrams and data analyses.

Intended Learning Outcomes

record, interpret and analyse observations and measurements of geological features and phenomena whilst in the field, using a range of standard field skills: 1,2
work efficiently as a member of a team and contribute to the presentation of a team project: 2
demonstrate the application of geological and geophysical analyses to the interpretation of field data: 1,2
demonstrate the application of modern lab-based techniques of GIS, digital mapping, photogrammetry and remotely sensed data interpretation to the analysis of field data to augment field analyses: 1,2,3
integrate strands of geology studied at Levels 4 and 5, and relate them to the evolution of major geo-tectonic provinces, including those that can not be experienced within the UK: 1,2,3
design an independent field-based research project, including project planning, logistics, H&S, the application of appropriate pre and post-fieldwork data analysis techniques and source and review published material on a geoscience topic: 3

Study hours

field course study hours 100
Lectures 24
Labs 42
Private study 134 comprising ~70 hours on lecture / lab follow up and consolidation (writing up lecture notes, consolidating theory and reading around the subject) ~20 hours on pre-fieldwork preparation exercises, and ~44 hours on assignment completion. These figures are for indicative purposes only. Students should use their own discretion over how they divide up their private study time based upon their personal circumstances, academic skills, strengths and weaknesses.

School Rules

Students attend two residential field courses as part of this module. They have the option of attending two field courses to UK destinations at no additional cost for transport and accommodation. The option of going to an overseas destination is available for one of the field courses which requires students to pay the additional costs for travel and accommodation above the level to which the UK field course is subsidised.

Description of Module Assessment

1: Report weighted 40%
Field mapping report (UK field course)
Written report of 2000 words length including associated field maps, notebooks and analyses.

2: Portfolio weighted 45%
Field skills related assessments (UK or Overseas Field Course)
Portfolio of field exercises and presentation materials that demonstrate the application of core field skills, augmented by lab-based analyses, to interpret field data. Exercises include individual exercises and contributions to field-based group presentation on a group-researched aspect of the field geology.

3: Report weighted 15%
Level 6 independent project preparation
1800 word literature synthesis on the student's Level 6 Independent Research Project.