GES2110

Soils, land use and the environment

(ART)

Ms Meredith Orr

8 points + 4 hours per week (two lectures per week, one 2-hour practical in alternate weeks and one two day field trip) + First semester + Clayton + Prerequisites: A first-year sequence in geography or earth sciences, or permission + Prohibition: GES2130

Synopsis: Introduction to Australian soils and their management. Topics include soil constituents and characteristics; Australian soil types and their formation; soil description, classification and mapping; physical causes of land degradation; and soil management issues. Practical and field work should enable students to describe and classify soils in the field, and identify the nature and causes of land degradation.

Assessment: Written (2500 words): 40% + Examinations (2 hours): 50% + Practical work/fieldwork: 10%