Undergraduate Course: Rock Forming Processes (EASC08032)
Course Outline
| School | School of Geosciences |
College | College of Science and Engineering |
| Credit level (Normal year taken) | SCQF Level 8 (Year 2 Undergraduate) |
Availability | Not available to visiting students |
| SCQF Credits | 20 |
ECTS Credits | 10 |
| Summary | The course will primarily enable the students to understand the processes that form igneous, metamorphic and sedimentary rocks. Specifically, the interactive nature of the lectures will demonstrate how the different rock types are interconnected within the overall plate tectonic framework of the modern Earth. Global cycles and their timescales will be discussed, and the role of diverse tectonic environments and drivers investigated. Optical mineralogy, geochemistry (igneous and sedimentology), thermodynamics (igneous and metamorphic), and depositional and diagenetic environments will be used as tools to understand planetary processes at length. Hazards, associated with the dynamic Earth, will also be discussed and their impacts on society highlighted. |
| Course description |
20 lectures and 20 practicals
Optical Mineralogy (2 lectures and 2 practicals)
The basic principles of petrography
Theoptical identification of rock-forming minerals
Igneous Petrology (6 lectures and 6 practicals)
Linking minerals to rocks: Introduction to phase diagrams
The Earth's mantle and other ultramafic rocks
Basalts and the formation of the planet's oceanic crustal surface
Magma differentiation in the Earth's surface
Subduction-zone magmatism and worldwide volcanic hazards
Granitoids, the continental crust and economic reserves
Metamorphic Petrology (6 lectures and 6 practicals)
Metamorphic reactions and recrystallisation
Factors of metamorphism
Contact vs regional metamorphism
Metamorphc facies: metabasites at medium pressures and temperatures
Metamorphic facies: metabasites at low and high pressures and temperatures
P-T-t paths and the role of plate tectonics
Sedimentology (6 lectures and 6 practicals)
Sediment production and preservation: the role of tectonics and climate
Continental environments- Rivers,deserts, lakes and coal
Shallow marine settings- Deltas
Deep water settings- submarine fans
Modern carbonate systems and processes; the carbon cycle
Ancient carbonate systems
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Entry Requirements (not applicable to Visiting Students)
| Pre-requisites |
|
Co-requisites | |
| Prohibited Combinations | |
Other requirements | None |
Course Delivery Information
|
| Academic year 2025/26, Not available to visiting students (SS1)
|
Quota: 120 |
| Course Start |
Semester 2 |
Timetable |
Timetable |
| Learning and Teaching activities (Further Info) |
Total Hours:
200
(
Lecture Hours 17,
Supervised Practical/Workshop/Studio Hours 40,
Feedback/Feedforward Hours 20,
Programme Level Learning and Teaching Hours 4,
Directed Learning and Independent Learning Hours
119 )
|
| Assessment (Further Info) |
Written Exam
50 %,
Coursework
50 %,
Practical Exam
0 %
|
| Additional Information (Assessment) |
Exam (2 hrs, 50%), Coursework (a 2-hour practical test, 50%) |
| Feedback |
Feedback will be given in all practicals and lectures. In addition, interactive discussion sessions every week will enable staff and students to talk at length about any subject which requires attention. |
| Exam Information |
| Exam Diet |
Paper Name |
Minutes |
|
| Main Exam Diet S2 (April/May) | Rock Forming Processes | 120 | |
Learning Outcomes
On completion of this course, the student will be able to:
- Explain how the formation of igneous, metamorphic and sedimentary rocks is linked by global tectonic cycles on a wide range of geological timescales.
- Use polarised-light microscopy to identify common minerals in order to gain insight into rock-forming processes.
- Explain how magmas form and diversify in different tectonic settings, and how these processes link to volcanic hazards.
- Explain the metamorphic facies concept in terms of mineral reactions and physical conditions in the Earth, and how metamorphic facies series link to tectonic processes.
- Explain the main controls on sediment accumulation on the planet, and the primary characteristics of the main sedimentary rock types in relation to their depositional environments.
|
Reading List
Mineralogy and Crystallography
Gribble, C.D. & Hall, A.J. 1993. Optical Mineralogy: Principles & Practice, CRC, ISBN-13: 978-1857280142
Deer, W.A., Howie R.A. & Zussman, J. 1992. The Rock Forming Minerals, Prentice Hall, ISBN-13: 978-0582300941
Igneous and Metamorphic Petrology and Geochemistry
Winter, J.D. 2010. Principles of Igneous and Metamorphic Petrology, 2nd Edition. Pearson, ISBN: 13:978-0-321-68132-4
Gill, R. & Fitton G. 2022. Igneous Rocks and Processes: A Practical Guide, 2nd edition. Wiley-Blackwell, ISBN-13: 9781119455660
Yardley, B. & Warren, C. 2021. An introduction to Metamorphic Petrology, Second Edition. ISBN 978-1-108-45648-7
Sedimentology
Leeder, M. R. 2011
Sedimentology and sedimentary basins from turbulence to tectonics / Mike Leeder.
Chicester : John Wiley & Sons. ISBN: 0632049766 |
Additional Information
| Graduate Attributes and Skills |
Synthesis of data from a variety of practical sources
Using data to test ideas and understanding
Problem solving exercises
Simple quantitative assessment |
| Keywords | Igneous,Metamorphic,Sedimentary,Plate Tectonics,Depositional environments,thermodynamics |
Contacts
| Course organiser | Dr Alan Hastie
Tel: (0131 6)50 4910
Email: |
Course secretary | Mr Johan De Klerk
Tel: (0131 6)50 7010
Email: |
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