| CODE | PHY1201 | |||||||||
| TITLE | Science of the Solid Earth | |||||||||
| UM LEVEL | 01 - Year 1 in Modular Undergraduate Course | |||||||||
| MQF LEVEL | 5 | |||||||||
| ECTS CREDITS | 2 | |||||||||
| DEPARTMENT | Geosciences | |||||||||
| DESCRIPTION | Course Work: This course has a website at http://isaac.phys.um.edu.mt/NOTES/PHY1201/ which contains Power Point presentations for the different topics. Aims: This part of the course aims to give a basic and wide introduction to the Solid Earth. Students are first introduced to a brief history of the formation and evolution of our planet, its age, and the methods used to date rocks, events and milestones in Earth’s history. A few lectures are dedicated to the classification of rocks and minerals making up the Earth. The physical and chemical compositions of the Earth and corresponding methods of investigation are treated in some detail, and finally the dynamics and related phenomena of global plate tectonics. The course is comprehensively illustrated and real-time Internet links and animations are used to make the material as visually clear as possible. Mathematical content is kept to the bare minimum. Learning Outcomes: At the end of Part 1, the students will be able to: - Describe clearly the processes that have formed today’s Earth, and have a basic understanding of radiometric techniques - Distinguish between the various mineral groups and know which are the most important minerals in the various regions of the Earth. They will also understand the different rock types and their formation, and how these are transformed in the rock cycle - Relate the observation of seismic waves to the major features of the earth’s interior, and interpret simple features of seismograms - Understand the plate tectonic processes going on in various regions of the Earth’s surface - Understand the basic mechanisms of earthquakes and related hazards. Course content: The earth as a planet: Origin; differentiation of the earth; age of the earth - basic principles of radiometric dating; geologic time scale Physical properties of the earth: Seismic waves as a tool for probing earth's interior; earth's internal structure; variation of seismic velocity, density, pressure, temperature with depth; earth models; geomagnetic field Minerals and rocks: Atoms, molecules and crystals; mineral groups; mineral properties; mineral composition of earth layers; classification of rocks (sedimentary; igneous and metamorphic); rock cycle (weathering, transport, sedimentation) Global plate tectonics: lithospheric plates and plate boundaries; crustal deformation (faults and earthquakes); plate boundary processes (divergent, convergent, transform); palaeo-plate reconstructions - the role of palaeomagnetism; earthquake mechanism, magnitude and intensity. Recommended Texts: - J Davidson, W Reed and K Davis, Exploring Earth: An Introduction to Physical Geology, Prentice-Hall - P Smith, Understanding the Earth, Open University - F Press and R Siever, Understanding Earth, W H Freeman and Company |
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| ADDITIONAL NOTES | Pre-requisite Qualification: Physics at Ordinary Level This study-unit can be taken by Physics and Non-Physics students. |
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| STUDY-UNIT TYPE | Lecture | |||||||||
| METHOD OF ASSESSMENT |
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| LECTURER/S | Sebastiano D'Amico |
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The University makes every effort to ensure that the published Courses Plans, Programmes of Study and Study-Unit information are complete and up-to-date at the time of publication. The University reserves the right to make changes in case errors are detected after publication.
The availability of optional units may be subject to timetabling constraints. Units not attracting a sufficient number of registrations may be withdrawn without notice. It should be noted that all the information in the description above applies to study-units available during the academic year 2025/6. It may be subject to change in subsequent years. |
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