Structural Geology and Tectonics - 2021 entry

In studying Structural Geology and Tectonics you will gain an understanding of why rocks deform and skills in the acquisition and interpretation of structural geological data. All rock masses contain geological structures and they are an important control on resource and engineering geology as well as providing an insight into regional tectonic evolution. The module is compulsory for students on the geology degree programmes and possible for others who have completed modules CSM1030, CSM1034 and CSM1036. Teaching comprises a mixture of lectures and practical classes plus skills-orientated field classes based upon the Upper Palaeozoic tectonic evolution of south Cornwall.

An overview of the causes and mechanisms of tectonic deformation within the lithosphere and the recognition, nomenclature, formation, representation and analysis of the principal types of geological structure and their implications for applied earth science and earth resources engineering.

On successful completion of this module, you should be able to:

Module Specific Skills and Knowledge:

1 Recognise, classify, measure, record and analyse geological structures at a variety of scales and represent them in field note books and upon geological maps, sections and stereograms;

2 An understanding of stress and its origins within the lithosphere;

3 An understanding of strain as it relates to naturally occurring deformation;

4 An understanding of the controls upon the rheology of geological materials and the deformation mechanisms that accommodate strain on a grain and lattice scale;

5 An appreciation of the relationship(s) between the geometry of small-scale geological structures, kinematics and larger-scale tectonic regimes;

6 An overview of the roles of tectonic processes and geological structures in applied earth science and earth resource engineering;

Discipline Specific Skills and Knowledge:

7 The ability to synthesise data from different sources, scales and sub-disciplines into coherent models of the (structural geological and tectonic) processes affecting the lithosphere;

8 A knowledge of how these (structural geological and tectonic) processes might influence resource, engineering and environmental geoscience;

Personal and Key Transferable / Employment Skills and Knowledge:

9 An ability to select appropriate data from a range of sources and develop research strategies;

10 An ability to manage learning using resources for the discipline; an ability to develop working relationships of a professional nature within the discipline;

11 An ability to identify key areas of problems and choose appropriate tools/methods for their resolution in a considered manner.

Term 1:

- Data collection/representation;

- Stress;

- Deformation;

- Rheology;

- Deformation mechanisms;

Term 2:

- Global tectonics;

- Fractures;

- Faults and faulting;

- Brittle-ductile and ductile shear zones;

- Folds and folding.

Fieldclasses:

The Upper Palaeozoic rocks of south Cornwall provide an excellent series of case studies for collecting structural geological data and learning how these may be synthesised, with other data sets, into tectonic models. Fieldclasses have the following themes:

- Structures developed during polyphase deformation (convergence and extensional reactivation) in very low-grade regionally metamorphosed sedimentary rocks;

- Convergent margin sedimentation and structures.

If a student is referred or deferred, the failed / non-completed component(s) will be re-assessed at the same weighting as the original assessment.

Web based and electronic resources:

ELE - http://vle.exeter.ac.uk/

Haakon Fossen Structural Geology e-modules - https://folk.uib.no/nglhe/StructuralGeoBookEmodules2ndEd.html

Reading list for this module: