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An outline of the development and diversity of life on Earth, the forces controlling Earth history and the geological structure and development of New Zealand and the southwest Pacific. The course also considers the application of geological knowledge to society.
This course covers the geological history of the Earth and describes how geologists unravel the story hidden in rocks and fossils. The lecture course covers the origin of the Earth, moon and planets; geological time and the geological time scale; fossils and the evolutionary history of life on Earth; introductory structural geology; New Zealand's tectonic development; mining, exploration and engineering geology. Practical work includes an introduction to topographic maps; construction and interpretation of simple geological maps; study of the more commonly occurring, and geologically useful, groups of invertebrate fossils. There is a 1-day field trip to study the geology of the Middle Waipara region, north Canterbury.What the course entails:Three lectures and one practical class per week in the same time slot as GEOL111, plus a 1-day field trip. What you need for this course:Can be taken by students with no previous experience in geology. However, GEOL111 is recommended preparation. Two additional laboratory classes will be arranged on Saturday mornings for those who have not taken GEOL111.What this course gets you into:Together with GEOL111, GEOL112 is recommended preparation for all 200 level Geology courses.
Students successfully completing this course should have a basic understanding of:the history of life on Earththe geological usefulness of fossilssimple geological structures and how they may be producedthe tectonic development of New Zealandaspects of applied and environmental geology.Students will be able to:read a topographic map and identify landscape features on the maps produced by different geological processesuse aerial photographs to identify landscape features or potential geological hazardsinterpret simple geological structures shown on geological maps and write a simple geological history of a mapped areaidentify common fossil invertebrates and appreciate their value in age-dating, correlation, and paleoenvironmental reconstruction.
RP: GEOL111
ENCI271
GEOL111
Field TripThere is a mandatory 1-day field trip to North Canterbury scheduled over the weekends of 22/23 September and 29/30 September. Trip lists should be finalised by the end of the 4th week of term 3. Once students have been assigned a field trip date they should see Dr M Bradshaw (Room 321) as soon as possible if the assigned field trip date clashes with any pre-exisitng commitment. The trip leaves the big car park outside Geology at 9 am (be there by 8.45 am), returning by 4.30 pm. Students will need to bring warm clothing (even if it is hot in Christchurch), a waterproof parka, food and drink bottle, medication if allergic or asthmatic, dry shoes and socks to leave in the bus and a pencil as you will be issued with a handout.NOTE as you will be away from the bus all day, a small pack would be useful and as you will have several shallow traverses of the Waipara River the dry shoes and socks for the homeward journey are important.
Jarg Pettinga and Margaret Bradshaw
Each student will have a practical test including fossil identification, mapping techniques and interpretation of a geological map during week 24 (15-19 October) during scheduled laboratory groups.
Benton, M. J. , Harper, D. A. T; Basic palaeontology ; Longman, 1997.
Marshak, Stephen; Earth : portrait of a planet ; 3rd ed; W.W. Norton, 2008.
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Domestic fee $712.00
International fee $3,070.00
* 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 .