Undergraduate Course: Geology and Landscapes (EASC10079)
Course Outline
| School | School of Geosciences |
College | College of Science and Engineering |
| Credit level (Normal year taken) | SCQF Level 10 (Year 4 Undergraduate) |
Availability | Not available to visiting students |
| SCQF Credits | 10 |
ECTS Credits | 5 |
| Summary | This course will link the surface and the subsurface of the Earth through case studies at various space scales, from hills to whole mountain ranges. Students will learn how the structure of the subsurface controls the shape of the landscape. They will learn how to use surface information to reconstruct the subsurface and build geological cross-sections in various geological contexts. |
| Course description |
This course will link the surface and the subsurface of the Earth through case studies at various space scales, from hills to whole mountain ranges. Students will learn how the structure of the subsurface controls the shape of the landscape. They will learn how to use surface information to reconstruct the subsurface and build geological cross-sections in various geological contexts. The course will consist of ten three-hour practicals during which geological cross-sections will be built using geological maps and landscapes will be analysed using the ArcGIS software. Seven maps will be analyzed, with increasing degree of complexity.
- Week 1: Introduction to topographic analysis, application to MAP 1, the Grand Canyon area (Arizona). Students will learn how to use ArcMap to analyse the morphology of a landscape, from the mapping of slope distribution to the extraction of river profiles. It is very important that students attend this practical because they are expected to perform the landscape analysis using ArcMap on their own for the following maps.
- Week 2: Cross-section building on MAP 1, the Grand Canyon area (Arizona). Monoclinal structure + unconformities.
- Week 3Cross-section building on MAP 2, the Devils Fence area (Montana). Folded structures + magmatic intrusions. Students will hand in the cross-section of the Grand Canyon area (map 1).
- Week 4: Cross-section building on MAP 3, the Bristol area (UK). Folded structures + faulting + unconformities. Students will hand in the cross-section of the Devils Fence area (map 2). Feedback on the Grand Canyon work will be given to students (map 1).
- Week 5: Topographic analysis, application to MAP 3, the Bristol area (UK). Students will hand in the cross-section of the Bristol area (map 3). Feedback on the Devils Fence work will be given to students (map 2).
- Week 6: Cross-section building on MAP 4, the Williamsville area (Virginia). Folding + faulting + relief inversion. Feedback on the Bristol work will be given to students (map 3).
- Week 7: Cross-section building on MAP 5, the Kyle of Lochalsh area (Skye + mainland). Sedimentary + igneous + metamorphic units, folding and faulting. Students will hand in the cross-section from the Williamsville area (map 4).
- Week 8: Cross-section building on MAP 6, the Canmore area (Canada). Fold and thrust belt + unconformities. Students will hand in the cross-section from the Kyle of Lochalsh area (map 5). Feedback on the map 4 work will be given to students. Students will be told which of the maps they will analyse for their oral presentation in week 10 (map 2, 4, 5 or 6).
- Week 9: Cross-section building on MAP 7, the area that will be investigated during the Spain field trip. Folded structures + faulting + unconformities. Students will hand in the cross-section of the Canmore area (map 6). Feedback on the map 5 work will be given to students.
- Week 10: Oral presentation. Pairs of student will have ten minutes to describe how the geology affects the morphology of the landscape in the area that will have been allocated to them. Feedback on the Canmore work will be given to students (map 6).
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Course Delivery Information
| Not being delivered |
Learning Outcomes
On completion of this course, the student will be able to:
- Students will learn how the structure of the subsurface controls the shape of the landscape.
- They will learn how to use surface information to reconstruct the subsurface and build geological cross-sections in various geological contexts.
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Reading List
Bierman, P.R., and Montgomery, D.R. Key Concepts in Geomorphology. Freeman and Company. ISBN: 978-1429238601.
Bennison, G.M. An Introduction to Geological Structures and Maps. Hodder Education. ISBN: 978-1444112122.
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Additional Information
| Graduate Attributes and Skills |
Ability to extract geological and topographic information from geological maps. Use of the ArcGIS software to perform topographic analysis and display topographic information. |
| Additional Class Delivery Information |
All practical and laboratory sessions are on Fridays from 9:00-12:00, Week 1 - 10 |
| Keywords | Geological maps,geomorphology,cross-sections,GIS,inferring the subsurface using surface informat |
Contacts
| Course organiser | Dr Mikael Attal
Tel: (0131 6)50 8533
Email: Cinzia.Discolo@ed.ac.uk |
Course secretary | Ms Casey Hollway
Tel: (0131 6)50 8510
Email: |
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