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Unit of study_
GEOL3888: Earth Systems Research Project
2025 unit information
The fields of geology and geophysics play a critical role in securing resources for a low-emissions economy. They are equally relevant in assessing the severity and longevity of modern society's impacts on surface environment, involving complex economic, environmental and societal issues. The unit introduces methods involved in imaging and monitoring the Earth, including gravity, magnetic and seismic methods, applied on land, at sea, and from the air, and covers how these can be used, in combination with geological observations and modern data science methods, to explore for critical metals and to monitor surface environments. These approaches can also be used for mapping the deep structure of sedimentary basins and continental margins, important for understanding groundwater dynamics, carbon sequestration and some natural hazards, including earthquakes and tsunamis. Using the geology of Australia as a natural laboratory, this unit of study presents projects ranging from learning how to create digital ore deposit prospectivity maps to projects tackling environmental issues. Organized in multi-disciplinary teams, students will combine geological and geophysical data with machine learning approaches to explore the information content in the data and understand how this approach can be used to solve practical problems.
Unit details and rules
Managing faculty or University school:
Science
| Study level | Undergraduate |
|---|---|
| Academic unit | Geosciences Academic Operations |
| Credit points | 6 |
|
Prerequisites:
?
|
GEOS2X14 and GEOS2X24 |
|---|---|
|
Corequisites:
?
|
None |
| Prohibitions:
?
|
GEOS3102 or GEOS3802 or GEOS3003 or GEOS3004 or GEOS3904 or GEOS3006 or GEOS3906 or GEOS3017 or GEOS3917 or GEOS3903 |
| Assumed knowledge:
?
|
None |
At the completion of this unit, you should be able to:
- LO1. recognize geological phenomena as the products of diverse but interlinked processes operating over a wide range of timescales
- LO2. develop an understanding of the "Systems" approach to geoscience, which enables effective extrapolation from sparse data sets
- LO3. employ geophysical data to assess and define geological processes and features that are remote in space and/or time
- LO4. interrogate diverse data types to effectively characterize geological domains in terms of past or future events for the benefit of society, the environment and the resources industry
- LO5. apply disciplinary knowledge to solve problems in an interdisciplinary context
- LO6. create an investigation strategy, explore solutions, discuss approaches and predict outcomes
- LO7. collaborate with diverse groups and across cultural and disciplinary boundaries to develop solution(s) to the project problems
- LO8. communicate project outcomes effectively to a broad audience
Unit availability
This section lists the session, attendance modes and locations the unit is available in. There is a unit outline for each of the unit availabilities, which gives you information about the unit including assessment details and a schedule of weekly activities.
The outline is published 2 weeks before the first day of teaching. You can look at previous outlines for a guide to the details of a unit.
| Session | MoA ? | Location | Outline ? |
|---|---|---|---|
|
Semester 2 2025
|
Normal day | Camperdown/Darlington, Sydney |
Outline unavailable
|
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Modes of attendance (MoA)
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