6 ECTS credits
155 h study time
Offer 1 with catalog number 1015246ANR for all students in the 2nd semester at a (A) Bachelor - preliminary level.
1) Theoretical part
INTRODUCTION
- Formation of the solar system and the planets, inc. Earth
- Early evolution of Earth, its composition, origin of oceans and atmospheres
- Earthquakes
- Structure and composition of the Earth crust, mantel and core
EARTH MATERIALS
- Crystallography
- Crystal chemistry
- Mineralogy
- Magmatic rocks and processes
- Sedimentary rocks and processes
- Metamorphic rocks and processes
- The geological cycle
PLATE TECTONIC
- From continental drift to seafloor spreading and plate tectonic
- Plate contacts
- Plate movement through time
- Hot Spots
WEATHERING, SOILS AND SEDIMENTOLOGY
- The water cycle
- Rock alteration and climate
- Soil formation and processes
- Sedimentology, clastic versus biogenic sediments
- Formation, transport and depositional settings
- Diagenesis
STRATIGRAPHY en TIME: THE GEOLOGICAL TIMESCALE
- Geologic time concept
- Principles of the stratigraphy
- Fossils, and the concept of biostratigraphy
- Building a timescale
- Absolute ages : geochronology and isotopic dating
EARTH BIO-GEO-EVOLUTION THROUGH GEOLOGIC TIME
- 4.5 billion years of Earth evolution (geo en bio coupling)
- Tectonic, structural geology and paleogeography
- The Quaternary
2) Practical part
The practical part of the class is composed of exercise sessions (max 8 session of 3 hours) and field trips. Reading material is provided during the sessions and is put online, student are encouraged to read it
Topics:
Crystallography and Crystal chemistry
Mineralogy
Magmatic rocks and processes
Sedimentary rocks and processes
Metamorphic rocks and processes
Paleontology fossils and biostratigraphy
Simple hand-on exercises over crystal, minerals, rocks and fossils, measurements and testing on real samples, identification criterias etc.
The emphasis on the exercise part differs according to study groups
Interactive debates, and seminars might be organised to address specific topics in more detais, with reading material and preparation of discussions
Field trip : during field trips in Belgium, various aspects of the course will be illustrated by examples directly in the field. A 3 - 4 pages report is written by the students, corrected and returned before the exam session.
See internet learning platform Lecture notes including various figures (among which all figures used during HOC), along with PPT presentation available online
Complementary study material:
Handbooks are available at the Self Study Centre and Central Library.
Recommended : Essentials of Geology, by S. Marshak, Norton, ISBN 978-393-93238
This course is a general introduction to geology and is meant for students of different trainings.
Goals
Simple, insightful knowledge, based on chemical and physical regularities, concerning structures in, the composition of, and processes in the earth's crust and, particularly, of the interactions between the earth's crust, hydrosphere, atmosphere, biosphere and the earth's mantle. This course is an insightful introduction to geology as an environmental science, which studies the evolution of the earth's physical environment through time. Final attainment levels (and exam requirements).
To be able to demonstrate and explain subjects treated in a synthetic and coherent manner, for which encyclopaedical knowledge may be limited to the bare-bones minimum but must make up a working basis.
The final grade is composed based on the following categories:
Oral Exam determines 60% of the final mark.
Practical Exam determines 30% of the final mark.
Other Exam determines 10% of the final mark.
Within the Oral Exam category, the following assignments need to be completed:
Within the Practical Exam category, the following assignments need to be completed:
Within the Other Exam category, the following assignments need to be completed:
Oral exam with written preparation. During the exam you will receive questions related to the content of the lectures, but additionally, questions linked to the content of the seminars and excursions can also be asked.
An active participation to the practical sessions (laboratory practicals, exercise sessions, seminars and excursions) are compulsory.
When illegitimately absent during 2 sessions (in principle max. 3 hours) of the laboratory practicals, exercises or seminars, participation to the exam will be refused. Planned absences during the WPO-activities need to be discussed prior to the start of the semester, in view of potential alternative tasks.
The practical lab sessions, exercise sessions and excursions are being evaluated: there is a WPO test (6 points out of 20) including a question dealing with the excursion (2 points out of 20) during the last WPO in the month of May.
This offer is part of the following study plans:
Bachelor of Biology: Default track (only offered in Dutch)
Bachelor of Chemistry: Default track (only offered in Dutch)
Bachelor of Geography: Default track (only offered in Dutch)
Master of Geography: Standaard traject (only offered in Dutch)