93429 - Fundamentals of Geology

Learning outcomes

By the end of the course, students will be able to practically apply the acquired knowledge and skills in Geological Sciences for a critical analysis of the natural landscape. Specifically, students will: ‒ learn basic concepts about composition, structure and evolution of the Earth; ‒ understand the main endogenous and exogenous processes and related products; ‒ acquire knowledge about depositional environments and the fundamental concepts and principles of sedimentology and stratigraphy; ‒ acquire basic knowledge on both geological risks and geological resources; ‒ recognize the fundamental elements of a geological map; ‒ know how to consult cartographic products published on online portals; ‒ understand the basic tools of GIS software necessary for creating thematic maps.

Course contents

Module 1 (7 CFU):

Earth's interior, origin of Earth; geologic time and absolute dating methods; relative dating methods (basics); chronostratigraphic chart and principles of stratigraphy; Earth's heat and (paleo)magnetism; lithospheric plates (plate tectonics and kinematics); hot spot; volcanic processes and products, volcanic risk; processes, sediment transport and deposition, basics of sedimentology and stratigraphy; depositional environments and deposits; hydro-geological risk (basics); circum-mediterranean geology; seismic risk (basics); palaeoclimatology and the Quaternary record; the Messinian salinity crisis (basics).

Module 2 (1 CFU):

Laboratories and practical exercises: Introduction to Geographic Information Systems (GIS); basic tools of QGIS software; use of online cartographic portals; reading geological maps.

Readings/Bibliography

Presentation slides and bibliographic material will be provided during the course. The didactic material will be deposited in the Virtuale platform at the end of each lesson.

Recommended books:

SI FORMA SI DEFORMA SI MODELLA: come il territorio si modifica attraverso il tempo geologico (C. Venturini, 2010) - Geoworld e Comunità Montana della Carnia

CAPIRE LA TERRA (J.P. Grotzinger & T. H. Jordan, 2016) - Zanichelli

STORIA GEOLOGICA d'ITALIA gli ultimi 200 milioni di anni (A. Bosellini, 2005) - Zanichelli

Teaching methods

Lectures; practical exercises.

Given the types of activities and teaching methods adopted, attendance for this learning activity requires all students to complete Modules 1 and 2 in e-learning mode, as well as to participate in Module 3, which provides specific training on health and safety. Information on the dates and attendance procedures for Module 3 can be found in the dedicated section of the degree program website.

Assessment methods

Module 1 (7 CFU):

Written/practical exam (3 open questions/exercises about the course contents, including interpretation of figures/graphs) + oral exam (2-3 questions). Time limit for the written/practical exam: 2 hours. The final score will be calculated considering a weight of 60% for the practical exam and 40% for the oral exam.

Module 2 (1 CFU):

Practical test using QGIS software.

The final mark is determined taking into account the marks of the two modules; the weights are proportional to the CFU (Module 1: 27 out of 30; Module 2: 3 out of 30).

Students with learning disorders and\or temporary or permanent disabilities: please, contact the office responsible (https://site.unibo.it/studenti-con-disabilita-e-dsa/en/for-students) as soon as possible so that they can propose acceptable adjustments. The request for adaptation must be submitted in advance (15 days before the exam date) to the lecturer, who will assess the appropriateness of the adjustments, taking into account the teaching objectives.

Teaching tools

LCD projector, Google Earth, personal laptops, thematic geological cartography.

Office hours

See the website of Veronica Rossi

See the website of Giuseppe Ciccarese