Undergraduate Course: Mountain Building and Destruction: Spain virtual field trip (EASC09057)
Course Outline
| School | School of Geosciences |
College | College of Science and Engineering |
| Credit level (Normal year taken) | SCQF Level 9 (Year 4 Undergraduate) |
Availability | Not available to visiting students |
| SCQF Credits | 0 |
ECTS Credits | 0 |
| Summary | This course provides key skills required to observe, measure, process and interpret rocks and landscapes, from both a geological and geographical perspective, in an area that is tectonically young and active. Students will learn to reconstruct the geological and geomorphological evolution of the study area at the regional scale based on observations at key locations.
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| Course description |
This virtual trip focuses on the development of Neogene and Quaternary sedimentary basins and associated landscape evolution in the Betic Cordillera in SE Spain.
By the end of the trip, students will have a broad and integrated knowledge and understanding of the Neogene and Quaternary evolution of SE Spain, which will be gained through analysis of the structure, sedimentology and geomorphology of the area.
Students will learn how to exercise the autonomy and initiative required to conduct independent projects. They will practice drawing on a range of sources to assist with making interpretations, from the outcrop to the regional scale.
The Virtual Field Trip will take place 7th-14th September 2020, with compulsory field days on the 7th, 8th, 10th, 11th and 14th September. A pre-trip exercise based on GIS will take place, with students submitting a 1000-word summary on which they will receive formative feedback.
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Entry Requirements (not applicable to Visiting Students)
| Pre-requisites |
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Co-requisites | |
| Prohibited Combinations | |
Other requirements | None |
Course Delivery Information
| Not being delivered |
Learning Outcomes
On completion of this course, the student will be able to:
- Develop a broad, integrated knowledge of the geology and evolution of SE Spain
- Develop a broad, integrated knowledge of the processes that shape the Earth's surface and how to quantify them, in particular using GIS techniques
- Develop and enhance skills required for the effective documentation and interpretation of data from both rock outcrops, topography, and measurements of Earth Surface processes. These skills will include making observations on a range of scales, reporting them in a notebook, analysing sediments (including logging) and applying quantitative methods of data collection
- Develop skills in visualising map and related field data in three dimensions using appropriate graphical techniques
- Develop skills in synthesising the evolution of an area in terms of its geology and its surface processes, through the integrated use of field measurements, maps, application of theoretical models of landscape evolution, cross-sections and diagrams
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Reading List
| Students are expected to read scientific papers on the geodynamics of the study area. Relevant papers will be uploaded on Learn before the trip. |
Additional Information
| Graduate Attributes and Skills |
Students will learn to: (1) integrate data from a range of locations and sources (including field data and remotely sensed data) to understand processes at the regional scale. (2) become proficient in the tools that enable measurement and recording of data in the field and using GIS. (3) Work autonomously and in groups to solve problems in a responsive manner (time-limited, e.g., 1 hour to interpret observations at one outcrop). (4) Communicate their findings to an audience of peers and experts, both orally and in writing. |
| Keywords | Geology,Physical Geography,Spain,Betics,Tectonic Geomorphology,Landscape evolution,sediment |
Contacts
| Course organiser | Dr Mikael Attal
Tel: (0131 6)50 8533
Email: |
Course secretary | Ms Katerina Sykioti
Tel: (0131 6)50 5430
Email: |
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