Academic Year 2017/2018

  • Teaching Mode: Traditional lectures
  • Campus: Bologna
  • Corso: First cycle degree programme (L) in Geological Sciences (cod. 8015)

Learning outcomes

At the end of the course the students will have the basis for the understanding of the speleogenetic evolution and the different erosional and depositional forms in caves and at the surface. The student will be able to: - recognise the main active speleogenetic mechanisms in carbonate rocks, but also in other types of rock; - recognise the agents and mechanisms that cause the formation of erosional and corrosional forms at the surface and inside caves; - recognise and define the genesis of the main speleothems.

Course contents

There are some preliminary lectures in the class room (preparation to the excursions).

During these lectures the didactic material will be given to the students (powerpoint presentations regarding speleothems, speleogenesis, the karst process, geomorphology in karst areas, karst hydrogeology, karst in non carbonate rocks (silicates, gypsym, rock salt), volcanic caves, hypogenic caves, sediments in caves, palaeoclimate reconstruction using speleothems, natural hazards in karst areas, biospeleology, etc.).

For the preparation of the excursions the topographic maps in scale 1:25000 if the areas that will be visited will be given, the geological maps (1:100000), a book on geology, the cave surveys of those that will be visited, a set of cave articles that describe the caves to be visited, and many scientific articles concerning the areas in Sardinia.

All materials will be given in digital format (pdf, jpg, tiff, etc.).

Readings/Bibliography

http:// document.speleo.it/ (progetto Powerpoint 2009)

Teaching methods

Lectures and excursions (with written report to be prepared). It will be extremely important to observe, describe and take note. At the end it will be important to make a synthesis of the field observations and of the discussions made during the fieldwork.

Assessment methods

Each of the students will take care of taking note in a fieldbook dedicated to the course. The precision of the notes, the drawings etc. will be evaluated at the end of the course. In particular the correspondence between field notes and the final report will be checked. 

The exam is based especially on the final report. This will describe the entire course, reporting the field observations and the discussions done in the field. The report has to describe the things that have been observed in the field, their description, the elaboration of these data and conclusions. Each student is free to decide how to write down this report, as far as it is as complete as possible. The report can be enriched with pictures, drawings, maps etc.

These reports, together with the field notes, will have to be delivered to the Prof. before the return to Bologna.

Each evening around two hours of work on the computer are required in the refuge, during which students will work on their reports, their pictures taken during the day, and the consultancy of scientific papers and maps. This work can also be carried further on after dinner.

At the end of each day half an hour of discussion is foreseen to clarify ideas, observations and to discuss the contents on the day of work in the field.

Teaching tools

Powerpoint lectures, some specific case studies, excursions in karst areas and caves.

Office hours

See the website of Jo Hilaire Agnes De Waele