ESC2091

Structural geology and tectonics

4 points - 4 hours per week - First semester - Clayton - Prohibition: ESC2011

Objectives On the completion of this subject students will be able to describe and classify large and small scale structural features of deformed rock sequences; review the structural makeup of orogenic belts; understand the rheological properties of the crust and mantle.

Synopsis This subject deals with the description and classification of large scale (folds, faults, joints) and small scale (cleavage, foliation, lineation) structural features of deformed rock sequences. Relationships between the geometry of structures, and applied stress fields. The structural make-up of orogenic belts, the geometry of thrust-belts and extensional terrains in a plate tectonic framework.

Assessment Examinations (2 hours): 65% - Practical work/fieldwork: 35%

Prescribed texts

Van Der Pluijm B A and Marshak S Earth structure: An introduction to structural geology and tectonics McGraw-Hill, 1997

Back to the 1999 Science Handbook