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This course focuses on modern sedimentary environments, oceanography and marine organisms as a key to interpreting depositional environments, and the techniques and approaches that allow geologist to deal with geological time. The fundamental underpinning is stratigraphy, and using sedimentary features and fossils as palaeoenvironment indicators, with particular attention paid to New Zealand examples.
This course focusses on modern sedimentary environments at the surface of the Earth as a key to interpreting the past, and the techniques and approaches that allow geologists to deal with geological time. The course opens with lectures and laboratory classes that introduce the principles of fluid flow, sediment transport, and sedimentary depositional environments and how these processes affect the texture and composition of sedimentary rocks. The course then moves on to carbonate sedimentology and oceanography, and the interpretation of carbonate environments. The interaction of biota with substrates is introduced with trace fossils and the preservation potential of different fossils groups. The focus is on how sedimentary features, along with fossils, are used to interpret past environments. The fundamental underpinning is stratigraphy, that is, the study of the layers of sedimentary rocks in the earth’s crust, and using fossils as dating tools.Timetable:Lectures - 3 lectures per week - TBA by central timetablingLaboratories - 1 lab (2.5 hour) per week – TBA by central timetabling
Goal of the Course:For students to be able to describe and interpret siliciclastic and carbonate sedimentary rocks and depositional environments, and and interpret stratigraphic successions from a palaeontological and sedimentary perspective. Learning Outcomes:Students successfully completing this course will: Have developed an understanding of sedimentary processes occurring at the surface of the Earth. Be able to classify and identify common sedimentary rocks in both hand specimen and under the microscope. Be able to use sedimentary and biofacies analysis to interpret ancient environments and to reconstruct palaeogeography. Be able to construct and correlate stratigraphic columns from a variety of data. Be able to recognise and utilise important fossil groups used in NZ stratigraphy and environmental interpretation.
(1) GEOL111, and (2) GEOL113 or GEOL115
For further information see School of Earth and Environment Head of Department
The topics coved by this course are:• Sediment transport processes and sedimentary textures• Terrestrial and marine depositional environments• Clastic and Carbonate sedimentology• Basic principles of oceanography • Use of microfossils in stratigraphy, and modern and ancient environment analysis• Trace fossils in marine environments• Sequence-, litho- and biostratigraphy.
Week # - Dates - Lectures (3 x 1 hr) - Lecturer - Laboratory (1 x 2.5 hr) 9 - 22 Feb - Sedimentary framework - KNB - Clastic Sedimentary Rock Textures10 - 29th Feb - Sediment transport processes and textures - KNB - Sedimentary structures/flume11 - 7th March - Sediment transport processes and textures - KNB - Braided river trip12 - 14th March - Terrestrial depositional settings - KNB - Clastic Sedimentary Rock Compositions13 - 21st March - Submarine depositional settings - KNB - LAB TEST14 - 30th March - Carbonates - EH - Carbonates I15 - 4th April - Carbonates - EH - Carbonates IIBREAK 19 - 2nd May - Oceanography & phosphorites - EH - Carbonates III20 - 9th May - Micropal & Trace fossils - EH/CMR - Forensic Micropalaeontology21 - 16th May - Taphonomy and Zealandia - EH/CMR - Trace fossils & macrofossils s22 - 23rd May - Introduction stratigraphy and lithostratigrahy - SW - Stratigraphic correlation exercise23 - 30th May - Litho-, sequence- and biostratigraphy - SW - Stratigraphic correlation exercise (cont.)
Domestic fee $832.00
International fee $3,638.00
* All fees are inclusive of NZ GST or any equivalent overseas tax, and do not include any programme level discount or additional course-related expenses.
This course will not be offered if fewer than 30 people apply to enrol.
For further information see School of Earth and Environment .