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The principal building blocks of the Earth Sciences: rocks, minerals and their composition, formation and origins.
Coordinator: Dr. Adrian Jones
- Module details
Title From Petrology to Petrogenesis UG Code GEOL0002 Coordinator Dr. Adrian Jones Other Contributors Term 2 Credit 15 credits Written Exam 50% (2 hrs unseen) Coursework 40% (Field notebooks and exercises), 10% (Practical) Pre-Requisites 2 sciences at A-level, with a preference for one of them being chemistry. Maths & Stats Content and Requirement Total Number of Hours of Student Work 188 hours Hours of Lectures/Seminars 20 hours Hours of Practicals/Problem Classes 20 hours Hours of Tutorials 0 Days of Fieldwork 5 days Other None - Content
This course provides an introduction to petrology and will aim to provide an understanding of the compositional variation of the Earth and other terrestrial planets. Topics include: rocks, minerals & the rock cycle;nucleosynthesis in the early universe;meteorites & planetary differentiation;crystals and crystal growth;silicate melts;plutons & plutonic rocks;volcano architecture & eruptions;lavas;pyroclastic rocks;sandstones;ores & ore minerals;limestones & evaporites;metamorphic rocks
This course provides an introduction to petrology and will aim to provide an understanding of the compositional variation of the Earth and other terrestrial planets. Topics include:
- rocks, minerals & the rock cycle;
- nucleosynthesis in the early universe;
- meteorites & planetary differentiation;
- crystals and crystal growth;
- silicate melts;
- plutons & plutonic rocks;
- volcano architecture & eruptions;
- lavas;
- pyroclastic rocks;
- sandstones;
- ores & ore minerals;
- limestones & evaporites;
- metamorphic rocks
AIMS
To introduce the principal building blocks of the Earth Sciences: rocks, minerals and their composition, formation and origins. To summarise the formation of the elements at the Big Bang and distribution of the elements throughout both the solar system and the periodic table. To show how elements combine to produce crystal forms, introducing the principles of crystallography and mineralogy. To demonstrate how minerals combine to form rocks. To outline the petrogenesis and variety of igneous, sedimentary and metamorphic rocks.
OUTCOMES
The course will provide the student with a fundamental knowledge of rocks and minerals plus a knowledge of the available tools for their identification and the scientific language used in their description.