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, stratigraphy and micropalaeontology; 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: how to read a geological map (basics); analysis of micropalaeontological associations (foraminifers and ostracods) and relationship to geological mapping.

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 the 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 in the laboratory and group work on geological maps and micropalaeontology samples (microscope).

As concerns the teaching methods of this course unit, all students must attend Module 1, 2 [https://www.unibo.it/en/services-and-opportunities/health-and-assistance/health-and-safety/online-course-on-health-and-safety-in-study-and-internship-areas] online, while Module 3 on health and safety is to be attended in class. Information about Module 3 attendance schedule is available on the website of your degree programme.

Assessment methods

The assessment consists of two parts, each designed to assess the learning of the content covered in the corresponding module.

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).

The use of AI is prohibited during assessments. Any use constitutes a violation of academic integrity.

Module 1 (7 CFU):

Written exam (3 open questions/exercises about the course contents, including interpretation of figures/graphs) + oral exam (1-2 questions). Time limit for the written exam is two hours, and the oral exam will happen a few days later. The final score will be calculated considering a weight of about 60% for the written exam and 40% for the oral exam.

Module 2 (1 CFU):

Practical test involving the reading of a geological map and the observation/description of a micropalaeontological sample. The test will take place at the same time as the oral exam for Module 1.

During the test, the student will be required to identify: i) the main elements of a geological map and ii) the principal microfossil groups present in the sample (similar to those observed during Module 2 activities), while discussing their applications in a geological context.

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, power-point presentations; geological maps, microfossil samples and microscopes.

Office hours

See the website of Veronica Rossi