Field Skills II

Description

Year two is bookended by two field courses which are part of this module: the Highlands field course focuses on mapping training in the Assynt district (12 days) and a geological overview of the Caledonides.

The SW England trip (8 days) is split between 2 locations in Cornwall and Dorset. Together the field courses deliver field skills in structural geology, sedimentology, metamorphic and igneous petrology and reinforce technical skills regarding data collection and analysis.

The Assynt trip is followed by a series of workshops that incorporate training in the map interpretation of thrust tectonics and is assessed through submission of field slips and final maps and cross sections.

The SW England course is introduced in tutorial classes in semester 2 and then all assessment is done on the trip through small evening exercises.

Delivery

20 field days

12 hours in class:

  • 1 hour to introduce Assynt at end of semester 3 in year 1
  • 4 x 2 hrs post Assynt workshop classes
  • 3 introduce SW England

Assessment

100% coursework

  • Assynt 50%:
  • 1:10k Field slips
  • 1:5k field slip of duplex
  • Final maps at 1:10k
  • Final cross section at 1:10k
  • Cross section of duplex at 1:5k (formative assessment includes comments and nominal score of notebooks, comments and nominal score of cross section made in the field, comments and help with field slips in the field)
  • SW England 50%

Several exercises involving working up and plotting data from the day’s field work. All work completed on the trip. Formative assessment includes comments on notebooks in person and help with data collection and plotting data in evenings.

Key skills

  • Geological mapping
  • Thinking in 3D
  • Testing hypotheses in the field
  • Drawing cross sections
  • Drawing cross sections to a model and adjusting according to data
  • Collecting complex and detailed data sets
  • Specialist analysis of geological data
  • Stereonets
  • Sedimentary logging
  • Field identification of rock type
  • Field petrology (igneous and sedimentary)
  • Field descriptions of lithologies
  • Discriminating lithofacies in the field
  • Constructing geological history
  • Determining stratigraphic relationships