Goals

Upon completion of the Teaching Unit, the students will be able to :

  • Identify common minerals and detail their characteristics (including the symmetry of the crystal structure)
  • Recognize different types of igneous rocks and describe the minerals they contain
  • Describe the functioning of geological processes responsible for the formation (and destruction) of rocks
  • Discuss the interactions between geological processes and our immediate environment: relief, soils, land use, climate, living organisms, etc.
  • List and describe the key stages in the history of the Earth (and life), using the geological timescale

 

Content

The course aims to present the Earth as a dynamic system affected by processes that are often imperceptible (slow and gradual) but whose effects impact the history of life and our daily lives.

It can be divided into several major chapters:

  • Introduction: age, internal structure of the Earth, and constituent elements (minerals)
  • Magmatism, volcanism, and geodynamics: formation of the oceanic and continental crust
  • Weathering and erosion of the continental crust, formation of soils and sedimentary rocks
  • The two-speed carbon cycle: geological and biological/anthropogenic processes, the development of life, and major extinctions
  • The birth of present-day landscapes and our place within the "Earth system"
  • Planetary geology (The Moon, Mars, and Venus)

 

Assessment method

  • Written theoretical exam (70% of the final grade)*
  • Practical exam (30% of the final grade)*

*If a grade is lower than 8/20 on one of the exams (theory or practical), that grade becomes "absorbing" and thus serves as the final grade. A grade of 12/20 or higher on one of the exams may be partially carried over to a subsequent session, upon written request (by email) from the student, submitted at least 14 days before the exam date.

 

Sources, references and any support material

Essentials of Geology, Marshak

Géologie générale : Du minéral aux géosphères, Boulvain (French)

 

Language of instruction

Français