Dynamic Earth
tutor: Mike Horne
Our planet
formed over 4 billion years ago and is forever changing - in this course we
look at the processes that shaped it in the past and are still continuing.
Topics covered include -
- How earthquakes and volcanic eruptions are driven by plate tectonics.
- How Ice Ages affect sea levels and threaten our future.
- Evolution and extinction.
This course will cover the major theories in Geology and provide a larger scale background to local geology. It will be less 'hands - on' than the other courses taught by the tutor - Mike Horne.
Content will include (time permitting):
The Rock Cycle.
The structure of the earth and how we investigate it.
Plate tectonics
Folding and faulting
Earthquakes, mountain building and volcanoes
Weathering, erosion and deposition
Geological time and how it is measured
Stratigraphy and the use of fossils for dating
Evolution
The geological history of England
The Ice Age
Other topics of interest to the students
Suitable for beginners and experienced students. Students will be expected to take notes during the course and study other sources. They will be able to borrow books from the Book Box. They will be asked to write short reports on aspects of the work covered, for assessment. They may prefer to give a short presentation to the class or tutor, or demonstrate their understanding to the tutor on an individual basis.
The classes will mainly consist of lectures and talks illustrated with slides and OHP; discussion in class ; practical work with specimens in the University Collection. No field trips are planned, but a visit to a local cemetery to look at rock types could replace one of the evenings.
(Risk assessment for laboratory work)
This course will start on 26th September 2007 for ten Wednesday evenings from 7-30pm until 9-30pm,
Course code is U0703PS
This course was last run on 29th September 2004 for ten Wednesday evenings.
