93429 - Fundamentals of Geology

Academic Year 2021/2022

  • Moduli: Veronica Rossi (Modulo 1) Jo Hilaire Agnes De Waele (Modulo 2)
  • Teaching Mode: Traditional lectures (Modulo 1) Traditional lectures (Modulo 2)
  • Campus: Bologna
  • Corso: First cycle degree programme (L) in Natural Sciences (cod. 8016)

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 with a focus on the Lithosphere and the Crust and their geological generating processes;
  • acquire theoretical and practical knowledge on the fundamental concepts and principles of sedimentology and stratigraphy;
  • acquire basic knowledge on both geological risks and geological resources.

Course contents

Module 1 (7 CFU):

Earth's interior, origin of Earth; Geologic time and absolute dating methods; Relative dating methods (basics); Earth's heat and magnetism; Chronostratigraphic chart and principles of stratigraphy; Lithospheric plates (Plate tectonics and kinematics); Hot spots; Volcanic processes and products, volcanic risk; Seismic risk (basics); Circum-Mediterranean geology; Degradation processes, sediment transport and deposition, basics of sedimentology and stratigraphy; Depositional environments and deposits; Hydro-geological risk (basics); Palaeoclimatology and Quaternary record.

Module 2 (1 CFU):

Laboratory activities

Recognition of sedimentary rocks, reading of geological maps, use of scientific literature, online databases and bibliographic citations.

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, brief seminars; Laboratory activities on rock samples, geological maps and online databases.

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

Module 1:

Practical exam (3-4 open questions about the course contents, including interpretation of figures/graphs) + oral exam (1-2 questions). Time limit for the 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:

Practical exercise with description of sedimentary rocks, analysis of geological maps, and use of geological literature and its citation.

The final mark is determined taking into account the marks of the two modules; the weights are proportional to the CFU (Module 1: 26 out of 30; Module 2: 4 out of 30).

Teaching tools

CD projector, Google Earth, geological thematic maps, geological samples.

Office hours

See the website of Veronica Rossi

See the website of Jo Hilaire Agnes De Waele

SDGs

Responsible consumption and production Climate Action

This teaching activity contributes to the achievement of the Sustainable Development Goals of the UN 2030 Agenda.