EARTH SCIENCES: PRINCIPLES AND LABORATORY - 4

This practical course is designed to give a basic understanding of how to interpret topographic and geological maps. The module aims to develop the students’ skills of understanding geological processes and their evolution through time from their cartographic representation and in the field. The geological processes dealt in Module 4 through practical exercises are theoretically covered by Module 3, which is dedicated to the Earth System, with special emphasis on tectonism, volcanism, and processes operating on the surface of the Earth and the resulting landforms and features.

Upon successful completion of the course, both in the classroom and in the field, students will be able to acquire knowledge on: i) the main cartographic systems and geographic projections; ii) how to read and interpret topographic and geological maps; iii) the identification of diverse lithologies in the field and their related sedimentary depositional systems; iv) the methodology of measurements of strata and fractures; v) the identification of main landforms, together with and the processes of erosion, transport and deposition they record; vi) the identification of the different bedrock and Quaternary units and the basic principles of their representation in geological maps; vii) the sampling of geological materials.

It is recommended to have attended the Modules 1 (theoretical lectures) and 2 (laboratory exercises) of the “Earth Sciences: Principles and Laboratory” course and to attend parallel lectures of Module 3.

The course is comprehensive of practical work in classroom and a one-day field trip in the Dolomites. The contents can be subdivided in the following sections.

Topographic maps:
• Reference systems, projections, geographic and UTM grid coordinates;
• Elevation contour lines, steepness of slopes, planimetric and topographic distances, topographic profiles;
• Landscape description (natural and human constructed features) from topographic maps.

Geological maps:
• Definition of lithostratigraphic and chronostratigraphic units;
• Layout, symbols and legends of geological maps;
• Intersection of geological surfaces and topography (vertical, horizontal and dipping geological boundaries);
• Identification of folds and faults in geological maps;
• Identification of quaternary landforms and deposits in geological maps;
• Description of geological sections.

Activity in preparation to the fieldwork and field trip in the Dolomites:
• Field equipment and risks associated to field work activities (Mrs. Flavia Visin);
• Determination of a cartographic point in the field;
• Identification of lithologies and geological units in the field;
• Identification of sedimentary and tectonic structures in the field;
• Geologic compass and measurements of geological surfaces;
• Identification and description of morphologies and quaternary deposits in the field;
• How to sample geological material and compile its own field book.

MSauro U., Meneghel M., Bondesan A., Castiglioni B., Dalla carta topografica al paesaggio: Atlante ragionato. IGM LAC, Firenze, 2011. ISBN: 9788879144513 e 9788879144520.

Cremonini G., Rilevamento geologico. Pitagora Editrice, Bologna, 1985. ISBN: 978-8837106973.

Coe A.L. (Editor), Geological field techniques. Wiley Blackwell, 2010. ISBN: 9781444330618 e 9781444330625.

Assessment strategy will be carried out through a written and oral examination.
Participation in the field trips and in practical classes of Modules 2 and 4 (at least 70%) is mandatory for admission to the final exam. Attendance will be taken every class period. In addition, it is also mandatory to deliver the topographic maps with measurements of the strata attitudes taken during the field trip.
Overall the exam of “Earth Sciences: Principles and Laboratory” consists of two written/practical examinations with a description and classification of minerals and rocks (Mod. 1-2) and evaluation of the geological and topographic map understanding and of the field activities (Mod. 3-4). If both written exams will be positively evaluated, the student will be admitted to the final oral exam.
Examinations of Modules 1-2-3-4 will concur to the final mark of the entire course of “Earth Sciences: Principles and Laboratory”.

This course will be taught in the classroom in a lecture format along with laboratory exercises. The lecture and lab sessions will complement each other, but the lecture focus on general geological mapping topics, while the lab exercises will show the students how to apply that knowledge in practice. This will be followed by a one-day field trip in the Dolomites.
The lectures and the supplementary materials for practical exercises and field excursion (e.g. topographic basemaps) will be available in pdf format on the University Moodle platform. In addition, the Mineralogy/Geology Laboratory of the Department has a rich collection of national geological and topographic maps that can be used in preparation to the examination.

written and oral