GEOL473-09S2 (C) Semester Two 2009

Structural Geology

15 points

Details:
Start Date: Monday, 13 July 2009
End Date: Sunday, 15 November 2009
Withdrawal Dates
Last Day to withdraw from this course:
  • Without financial penalty (full fee refund): Sunday, 26 July 2009
  • Without academic penalty (including no fee refund): Sunday, 11 October 2009

Description

This course will focus on tectonic and structural aspects of convergent and divergent plate margins. It will give an overview on subduction zones, collisional orogens as well as extensional margins and rift. We will be seeking to discover what structural geology can tell us about mountain building processes, relationships between deformation and metamorphism and the feedback between tectonics and climate.

This course will focus on tectonic and structural aspects of convergent and also to some degree divergent plate margins that are not covered in the Canterbury undergraduate courses at 200 level or 300 level. The course will consist of a series of weekly seminars aimed at providing a graduate-level coverage of current issues in the application of structural geology, geochronology, metamorphic petrology and numerical modellingfor resolving mountain building processes. The students will be asked to do background or follow-up reading, and will occasionally have some set problems to tackle. In the second part of the course we will pursue selected topics, one of which will be chosen by each of you for an assessed essay and oral seminar presentation.

The course may include a structural field mapping exercise in the Port Hills.

Learning Outcomes

  • The course will provide an overview on the application of structural geology, metamorphic petrology and geochronology for solving tectonic problems. Students successfully completing this course will:
  • have a general knowledge of the range of techniques used to investigate mountain building processes
  • have some knowledge of techniques appropriate for dating tectonic events
  • have some basic understanding of feedback processes between tectonics and climate
  • be aware of current research trends.

Prerequisites

Subject to approval of the Head of Department.

Timetable Note

Topics will be covered using PowerPoint presentations. Students will be asked to do background or follow-up reading, and will occasionally have some set problems to tackle. In the second part of the course selected topics will be pursued, one of which will be chosen by each student for an assessed oral seminar presentation.

Course Coordinator / Lecturer

Uwe Ring

Assessment

Assessment Due Date Percentage  Description
Essay 21 Aug 2009 50% Essay
Oral presentation of a topic 50% Oral presentation of a topic

Textbooks / Resources

Recommended Reading

Moores, Eldridge M. , Twiss, Robert J; Tectonics ; W.H. Freeman & Co, 1995.

Ramsay, John G. , Huber, Martin I., Lisle, Richard J; The techniques of modern structural geology ; Academic Press, 1983.

Van der Pluijm, Ben A. , Marshak, Stephen; Earth structure : an introduction to structural geology and tectonics ; 2nd ed; W.W. Norton, 2004.

Indicative Fees

Domestic fee $698.00

* 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.

For further information see Geological Sciences .

All GEOL473 Occurrences

  • GEOL473-09S2 (C) Semester Two 2009
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