GEOL480-15S2 (C) Semester Two 2015

Geological Evolution of NZ and Antarctica

15 points

Details:
Start Date: Monday, 13 July 2015
End Date: Sunday, 15 November 2015
Withdrawal Dates
Last Day to withdraw from this course:
  • Without financial penalty (full fee refund): Sunday, 26 July 2015
  • Without academic penalty (including no fee refund): Sunday, 11 October 2015

Description

The course is built around the geological development of New Zealand and Antarctica and will focus on the evolution of the Pacific sector of the Gondwana margin and its break-up to form the Southern Ocean and the austral continents. The connecting theme will be regional tectonics and an integration of data from magmatic, metamorphic and sedimentary basin histories into a consistent tectonic story. The validity of a range of tectonic and terrane models will be assessed.

The first half of the course will focus on the Palaeozoic evolution of the Pacific margin of Gondwana particularly on how the oldest rocks of New Zealand relate to those of Antarctica and Australia (Block 1).  The second half of the course will focus on the Mesozoic evolution and ultimate break-up of Gondwana to form our southern continents (Block 2).

Prerequisites

Subject to approval of the Head of Department.

Timetable Note

There will be weekly seminars in Terms 3 and 4 approx 1.5 to 2 hours each.  Detailed timetable is included below.

Term 3
Block 1 Palaeozoic Orogens

Week 1 The Origin of the Gondwana continent
Week 2 Ross-Delamerian Orogen 1
Week 3 Ross-Delamerian Orogen 2
Week 4 Seminar Student presentation
Week 5 Seminar Student presentation
Week 6 Synthesis and tectonic models
End of term Submit abstracts

Term 4 Mesozoic Margins
Block 2

Week 1 Mesozoic terranes of New Zealand
Week 2 Break up magmatism and processes
Week 3 Magmatic arcs and accretionary complexes
Week 4 New Zealand-Antarctic rifting
Week 5 Post-subduction magmatism
Week 6 Essay review
End of term Submit essays

Course Coordinator / Lecturer

Bryan Storey

Assessment

Assessment Due Date Percentage  Description
PowerPoint presentation 25% 15-minute oral PowerPoint presentation related to one of the topics in Term 3
A 1-page abstract, table of contents and reference list 25% A 1-page abstract, table of contents and reference list (to be submitted at the end of term 3, summarising the oral presentation
Essay selected from a list of topics presented at the beginning of the course 50% Essay selected from a list of topics presented at the beginning of the course (essay to be submitted at the end of term 4)

Textbooks / Resources

No specific text books.  Students should revise their knowledge of plate tectonics, igneous petrology and New Zealand geology.

Course links

Library portal

Notes

Students should revise their knowledge of plate tectonics, igneous petrology and New Zealand geology. Essay topics to be decided.

Additional Course Outline Information

Academic integrity

Marks and Grades
The Department of Geological Sciences uses the following scale to convert marks into grades:
100 – 90 A+ 75 – 79 B+ 60 – 64 C+
89 – 85 A 70 – 74 B 55 – 59 C
84 – 80 A- 65 – 69 B- 50 – 54 C-
Below 50 D/E
The Department of Geological Sciences reserves the right to adjust this mark/grade conversion, when deemed necessary.

Late Work
Late work should be accompanied with a short note explaining why the work is late. The work will be marked and marks will be subtracted for each day the work is late. Days late include week-ends and holidays.

Aegrotat Applications
If you feel that illness, injury, bereavement or other critical circumstances has prevented you from completing an item of assessment or affected your performance, you should complete an aegrotat application form, available from the Registry or the Student Health and Counselling Service. This should be within seven days of the due date for the required work or the date of the examination. In the case of illness or injury, medical consultation should normally have taken place shortly before or within 24 hours after the due date for the required work, or the date of the test or examination. For further details on aegrotat applications, please refer to the Enrolment Handbook. You have the right to appeal any decision made, including aegrotat decisions.

Missing of Tests
In rare cases a student will not be able to sit a test. In such cases, the student should consult with the course co-ordinator or the Head of Geological Sciences to arrange alternative procedures. This must be done well in advance of the set date for the test, unless the situation is covered by the aegrotat regulations.

Reconsideration of Grades
• Grades for individual items of coursework may be reassessed, and in the first instance students should speak with the course coordinator. If an agreeable solution cannot be reached students should then speak to the Head of the Geological Sciences Department. Reconsideration should normally be requested within 4 weeks of the test or the return of the item of assessment.
• Grade reconsideration for courses as a whole can be obtained by applying to the Registry within 4 weeks of the date of publication of the final results. Students should refer to UC Calendar under general course and examination regulations for details of the appeal process.

Academic Liaison
Tom Brookman and Tim Stahl currently share the Chairperson role on the Postgraduate Liaison Committee. A student representative is appointed to the Liaison Committee at the start of the semester. Please feel free to talk to Tom, Tim or the student representative about any problems or concerns that you might have.

Students with Disabilities
Students with disabilities should speak with someone at the Disability Resource Service. Inquire in the first instance at Level 3 Rutherford Building  Email: disability@canterbury.ac.nz

Policy on Dishonest Practice
Plagiarism, collusion, copying and ghost writing are unacceptable and dishonest practices.
• Plagiarism is the presentation of any material (text, data, figures or drawings, on any medium including computer files) from any other source without clear and adequate acknowledgement of the source.
• Collusion is the presentation of work performed in conjunction with another person or persons, but submitted as if it has been completed only by the named author(s).  
• Copying is the use of material (in any medium, including computer files) produced by another person(s) with or without their knowledge and approval.
• Ghost writing is the use of another person(s) (with or without payment) to prepare all or part of an item submitted for assessment.  
In cases where dishonest practice is involved in tests or other work submitted for credit, the student will be referred to the University Proctor. The instructor may choose to not mark the work.

Indicative Fees

Domestic fee $945.00

* 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 GEOL480 Occurrences

  • GEOL480-15S2 (C) Semester Two 2015