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2021/2022

Current Geological Areas

Code: 101071 ECTS Credits: 4
Degree Type Year Semester
2500254 Geology OT 3 0
2500254 Geology OT 4 0
The proposed teaching and assessment methodology that appear in the guide may be subject to changes as a result of the restrictions to face-to-face class attendance imposed by the health authorities.

Contact

Name:
Oriol Oms Llobet
Email:
JosepOriol.Oms@uab.cat

Use of Languages

Principal working language:
catalan (cat)
Some groups entirely in English:
No
Some groups entirely in Catalan:
Yes
Some groups entirely in Spanish:
No

Prerequisites


It is recommended to have basic knowledge in Stratigraphy, Sedimentology and a good level of comprehension of writings in English.

Objectives and Contextualisation

The course Present Geological Environments provides the fundamental formation in a field of sedimentary geology that today is expanding strongly and is basic for the needs of today's society, such as environmental sedimentology.
This branch of Stratigraphy and Sedimentology, which can also be understood as a branch of Applied Sedimentology, deals with the function and dynamics of today's sedimentary systems, focusing the study on how these systems respond to changes or due to natural or antropic processes as by the disturbances disturbances. The course wants wants the student to go beyond the knowledge that has already acquired in the subjects that affect the sedimentary geology and that have been oriented to a fundamental knowledge of the history of the Earth.
The course addresses the relationship between Geology and the Environment and seeks to ensure that the student is able to identify the factors of specificity that are involved in current sedimentary media towards fossils and, taking into account the main sources and dynamics of production and of sediment accumulation, be able to explore the impact of a wide range of disturbances of a given medium, whether natural or artificial

Competences

    Geology
  • Display understanding of the size of the space and time dimensions of Earth processes, on different scales.

Learning Outcomes

  1. Apply Geochemistry concepts to solve problems of land and water pollution.
  2. Assess changes to geological environments and their level of degradation resulting from direct anthropogenic action or climate change.

Content

1-Introduction: Concept and scope of environmental sedimentology. Factors of uniqueness of current media with regard to fossil media. Sediment response to environmental changes. Processes and management of sedimentary media.
										
											

2-Coastal environment: Sedimentary processes, control factors and interaction with anthropic activity.
3-Lacustrine environment: Types of lakes and lacustrine sediments. Lake pollution. Processes and impacts of natural and anthropogenic disturbances.
4-Mountain environment Types of mountain environments. Environmental sedimentological characteristics. Interaction with the anthropic activity
5-Desert environment Sedimentary processes and their impacts. Aridification and anthropogenic impacts.
6-Fluvial environment Sedimentary processes and impact of anthropogenic activity.
7-Urban environment Geology-city interaction: the case of a large city.

Methodology

Three types of activities will be carried out: (a) mentoring, (b) supervised and (c) autonomous
										
											
										
											 
										
											
										
											Directed activities
										
											
										
											Theoretical lessons. Master classes of the subjects by the teachers
										
											
										
											Practices: Sediment analysis of some current environment. Case studies on the evolution of a current environment
										
											
										
											 
										
											
										
											Supervised activities:
										
											
										
											A proposed real case which the student develops on the basis of bibliographic search. This work must be presented in class.
										
											
										
											 
										
											
										
											Autonomous activities
										
											
										
											In addition to the study of conceptual issues, the student must complete the practice exercises and prepare the reports of the proposed works as well as, if applicable, the presentations of the works.

Annotation: Within the schedule set by the centre or degree programme, 15 minutes of one class will be reserved for students to evaluate their lecturers and their courses or modules through questionnaires.

Activities

Title Hours ECTS Learning Outcomes
Type: Directed      
Practices 16 0.64 1, 2
Theoretical lessons 18 0.72 1, 2
Type: Supervised      
Report on a study case 9 0.36 1, 2
Type: Autonomous      
Theory study, Report performance 45 1.8 1, 2

Assessment

Evaluation
										
											
										
											Evaluation of the theoretical contents according to the score obtained in partial tests. Accounts for the 40% of the final score.
										
											
										
											Evaluation of the practices. Attendance is taken into account, together with the profiting of the sessions and the correction of a dossier with the set of the finished practices. Questions about the papers presented in class can be included. It accounts for the  20% of the final score. This part is considered continuous evaluation
										
											
										
											Evaluation of a study case. Accounts for the 40% of the final score. The questions, queries and progress of the work will be considered for this evaluation and in the  continuous evaluation
										
											
										
											 
										
											
										
											 
										
											
										
											Final recovery test
										
											
										
											Fail partial theoretical tests (score less than 5) may be recovered in a final test on the scheduled date in the course  general program.
										
											
										
											 
										
											
										
											There will be no tests (partial, recovery or synthesis) other than in the scheduled days.

Assessment Activities

Title Weighting Hours ECTS Learning Outcomes
Evaluation of theoretical contents 40 4 0.16 1, 2
Practices evaluation 20 0 0 1, 2
Report on a sedimentary environment 40 8 0.32 1, 2

Bibliography

Arche, A. (2010). Sedimentología: del proceso físico a la cuenca sedimentaria. Publicaciones del Consejo Superior de Investigaciones Científicas; Colección Textos universitarios, Ref. CSIC 11761, 1287p

Lovejoy, T.E. & hannah, L. (2005). Climate Change and Biodiversity. Yale University Press.

Perry, C.T. and Taylor. K.G. (2007). Environmental Sedimentology, (C. Perry and K.G. Taylor, eds.) Blackwell Scientific Publications.

Solomon, S., Quin, D., Manning, M., Marquis, M., Averyt, k., Tichnor, M. Lery-Miller, H. Eds.  (2008). Climate Change . CAmbridge University Press.The Physical Science Basis. Working Group I to the 4th assesment report of the Intergornmental Pannel on Climate Change.

Walker, R. (1984). Facies models. Geosciences Canada, Reprint Series 1 (2nd. Ed. Revised). Geol. Assoc. Canada, 317 pp.

 

 A list with references will be uploaded in Campus Virtual. Students will search for these references to build up a report on them.  

Software

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