ESC3222

Crustal evolution of Gondwana

(SCI)

Dr Ian Cartwright and Dr Mark Jessell

6 points + Second Semester + Clayton + Three 1-hour lectures and one 6-day field excursion + Prerequisites: ESC2011, ESC2022 or permission of Head of Department

Synopsis: This subject is highly recommended for students taking either single or double majors. It addresses processes in: convergent plate margins; intracratonic basins; Archaean cratons; Proterozoic terrains; Neogene Margins; and the Palaeozoic Lachlan Fold Belt. Emphasis is placed on integrating tectonics, sedimentology, volcanology, igneous petrology; metamorphic petrology; and economic geology to understand tectonic environments, and in illustrating tectonic changes over geological time. The field course will be based in the geologically-diverse Lachlan Fold Belt of Victoria, and will examine a variety of geological environments to construct an integrated tectonic history.

Assessment: One 3-hour examination: 60% + Fieldwork (field exercises and report): 40%