Sediments and sedimentary rocks cover most of the Earth's surface, record much of the Earth's geological and climatic history and host important resources such as petroleum, coal, water and mineral ores. The aim of this unit is to provide students with the skills required to examine, describe and interpret sediments and sedimentary rocks for a variety of different purposes. Specific foci of the unit will be the identification of the recent or ancient environment in which sedimentary materials were deposited, the environmental controls which produce sedimentary structures, and the processes that control the production, movement and storage of sediment bodies. On completion of this unit students will be familiar with the natural processes that produce and modify sediments across a range of environments at the Earth's surface, including fluvial, aeolian, lacustrine, marginal marine and deep marine environments. The various controls on the sedimentary record such as climate and sea-level change, as well as diagenesis and geochemical cycles will also be discussed. Practical exercises will require students to examine global datasets, and determine the properties and significance of sediments and sedimentary rocks. The course is relevant to students interested in petroleum or mineral exploration, environmental and engineering geology as well as marine geoscience.
Unit details and rules
| Unit code | GEOS3103 |
|---|---|
| Academic unit | Geosciences Academic Operations |
| Credit points | 6 |
|
Prohibitions
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GEOS3803 |
| Prerequisites
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(GEOS2114 or GEOS2914) or (GEOS2116 or GEOS2916) or (GEOS2124 or GEOS2924) |
| Corequisites
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None |
| Assumed knowledge
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(GEOS1003 or GEOS1903) |
| Available to study abroad and exchange students | Yes |
Teaching staff
| Coordinator | Dan Penny, dan.penny@sydney.edu.au |
|---|
