Undergraduate - UnitESC2111 - The dynamic earth I: Mountain belts and basins

This unit entry is for students who completed this unit in 2014 only. For students planning to study the unit, please refer to the unit indexes in the the current edition of the Handbook. If you have any queries contact the managing faculty for your course or area of study.

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6 points, SCA Band 2, 0.125 EFTSL

Refer to the specific census and withdrawal dates for the semester(s) in which this unit is offered, or view unit timetables.

Level	Undergraduate
Faculty	Faculty of Science
Organisational Unit	School of Geosciences
Offered	Clayton First semester 2014 (Day)
Coordinator(s)	Dr Jeffrey Stilwell

Synopsis

An integrated understanding of processes that build and modify the Earth's crust. This unit uses the broad framework of plate tectonics to define the nature of all major geological environments and processes. The unit deals with where and how mountain belts form, an introduction to describing structures and their significance, and where and how sedimentary basins form. It also covers sedimentation and understanding the evolution of the earth's environment through time.

Outcomes

On completion of this unit students will be able to:

Relate geological processes to global tectonic settings and to demonstrate a broad, integrated overview of crustal processes on planet Earth;

Comprehend mountain-building processes, and to be able to recognise the products of tectonics (metamorphosed and deformed rocks) to decipher tectonic processes;

Explain earthquakes and deep earth structure;

Understand basin evolution as evidenced by geophysical techniques and evaluate the sedimentological and palaeontological record of basins;

Reconstruct past earth environments using the rock record.

Assessment

Two closed book examinations (2 hours each): 50%
Practical examination: 10%
Practical/fieldwork: 40%

Chief examiner(s)

Dr Jeffrey Stilwell

Workload requirements

Three 1-hour lectures and three hours of practical/tutorial classes per week, plus two days of field trips

This unit applies to the following area(s) of study

Geosciences

Prerequisites

ESC1011 or ENV1011, plus ESC1022; or by permission from the Head of School

Prohibitions

ESC2011