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Earth Science and Society

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Understanding of Earth Science is fundamental to Geography. This course introduces you to the key processes and materials in Earth science, and how these have influenced society. It considers the range and origin of Earth science materials, and will provide you with the skills to describe and analyse these materials and the knowledge to understand their development and meaning. Through exploration of the geological history of Ireland and beyond, you will consider the influence of geological processes and features on human geographic processes, including settlement patterns, agriculture, and economic activity.

Topics to be covered include the formation of the solar system and the Earth; the structure of the Earth and plate tectonics; igneous, metamorphic, and sedimentary rocks, minerals, and processes; environments and landscapes; the fossil record and biogeography; economic geology, including mining and petroleum geology; and geoenvironmental engineering and management.

Module Learning Outcomes

On successful completion of this module, you will be able to:

  1. Explain the process of plate tectonics, and the formation of rocks in different tectonic settings and environments
  2. Use the principles of stratigraphy, the geologic time scale, and information from geological maps and other sources to describe the geological history of an area
  3. Relate patterns in human geography to causal geological processes and features
  4. Integrate information from disparate sources in earth science and human geography

Topics

Each topic includes lecture slides (video lectures to follow) and suggested reading, with additional content links for some topics; except topics 7 and 12, which are based around virtual field trips to Wales and Norway.

  1. Origin of the Earth
  2. Plate Tectonics
  3. Volcanoes
  4. Metamorphism
  5. Erosion, transport, and deposition
  6. Carbonates
  7. Economic geology - Virtual Field Trip to Parys Mine
  8. Laurentia, Avalonia, and the Iapetus Ocean
  9. The Caledonian Mountains
  10. Tropical Ireland
  11. Recent Ireland
  12. Virtual Field Trip to Geirangerfjord

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