1) Describe the properties of aquifers, their performance and threats to their water quality.
2) Explain the earth processes and conditions necessary for the formation of economically viable fossil fuel, nuclear and renewable geoenergy resources.
3) Outline the role played by geoscientists in the discovery and exploitation of geomaterial and geoenergy resources, and in the disposal of their waste products (nuclear waste; carbon capture and storage)
4) Discuss how a variety of types of economic mineral deposit form, in theory and by observation of rocks and thin sections, and describe the factors influencing their economic viability.

LECTURES:

Lecture 1: Global trends in energy use. (Assoc. Prof. T. Manzocchi)
Global energy production and consumption trends: Oil, Gas, Coal; Nuclear; Hydroelectric, Solar, Wind; Biofuels. Projected global energy demand: future consumption scenarios and implications for carbon emissions. Transitions from hydrocarbons, energy-related emissions mitigation strategies.

Lecture 2: Sedimentary basins and hydrocarbon formation. (Assoc. Prof. T. Manzocchi)
Global sediment distribution. Type and origin of sedimentary basins. Rift basins, passive margins. Sediment burial and compaction. Formation water, pore pressure, over-pressure, hydraulic fracture. Geofluid redistribution. Chemical composition of natural gas and crude oil. The carbon cycle. Formation and types of kerogen.

Lecture 3: The conventional petroleum system. (Assoc. Prof. T. Manzocchi)
Elements of a conventional hydrocarbon reservoir: reservoir rock, top seal, fluid contacts, pressures, saturations. Physical properties of reservoir rocks and seals: porosity, permeability, pore throat radius, capillary threshold pressure. The conventional petroleum system: source rocks, maturation, migration. Traps, seals. The Petroleum system chart.

Lecture 4: Petroleum systems of the North Sea and Ireland. (Assoc. Prof. T. Manzocchi)
Tectonic and stratigraphic evolution of the North Sea. The Permo-Triassic Rotliegend Play. The Jurassic Brent Play. Cretaceous chalk reservoirs. Paleogene deep-water clastic reservoirs. The Petroleum system chart. Creaming Curve of a petroleum province. Petroleum systems offshore Ireland.

Lecture 5: Conventional exploration, appraisal and development. (Assoc. Prof. T. Manzocchi)
Phases of a project. Seismic reflection data. Seismic processing, 3D seismic. Oil well drilling. Cuttings and coring, Wireline logging. Well testing. Directional drilling. Primary, secondary and tertiary production. Hydrocarbon recovery factors.

Lecture 6: Unconventional oil and gas. (Assoc. Prof. T. Manzocchi)
Definitions and types. Shale gas and shale oil. Tight Gas and Tight Oil. Other unconventional Gas: coalbed methane, sour Gas, methane hydrates. Other unconventional oil: heavy oil, extra heavy oil, bitumen, oil Shale. Long-term supply/cost curves for oil and gas.

Lecture 7: Coal and Carbon Capture and Sequestration (CCS). (Assoc. Prof. T. Manzocchi)
Coal types and uses. Clean coal, hydrogen and CCS. Marine sequestration. Mineral sequestration. CCUS, sequestration in unminable coal seams, sequestration during enhanced oil recovery (EOR). Sequestration in saline aquifers. Sequestration in disused hydrocarbon-fields. CCS costs and carbon storage inventories.

Lecture 8: Hydrogeology: some physical aspects, part 1. (Dr C.J. Childs)
Introduction to principles of groundwater. Hydrological cycle and controls on water table elevation and fluctuation. Overview of aquifer types; confined and unconfined aquifers. Distinction between matrix and fracture porosity. Aquifer property definition including porosity, specific yield, hydraulic conductivity and storativity. Application of Darcy’s Law to calculate rates of flow in confined and unconfined aquifers.

Lecture 9: Hydrogeology: some physical aspects, part 2. (Dr C.J. Childs)
Ground subsidence due to groundwater extraction. Pump testing to characterize aquifer properties. Patterns of groundwater flow; flow lines and equipotential lines. Topographic and geological control on groundwater flow and scales of flow systems. Salt water intrusion in coastal aquifers. Controlling and remediation of groundwater.

Lecture 10: Hydrogeology. (Mr David Ball, Consultant Hydrogeologist)
An introduction to practical hydrogeology by a professional hydrogeologist of over 40 years’ experience. The lecture covers topics including from how to drill and case a well for a domestic water supply in Ireland to finding water in the Sahara.

Lecture 11: Renewable energy 1. (Prof. F. McDermott)
What is renewable energy? H2020 targets. Where does the wind come from? (incident solar radiation, geostrophic winds, local winds and surface winds). Wind energy potential in Ireland. Harvesting wind energy onshore and offshore. Wind power capacity and production in Ireland. Predictability of wind power. Critical metals for wind energy. Energy storage. Pumped storage plants (Turlough Hill) and dammed power stations (Ardnacrusha power plant).

Lecture 12: Renewable energy 2. (Prof. F. McDermott)
Ocean energy potential. Technologies to harness waves’ energy (WEC). Wave energy potential and test sites in Ireland (Carnegie Wave Energy Project). Technologies to harness tidal energy. Technological barriers to overcome. Ocean energy in Ireland. Global insolation patterns (potential of solar energy). Thermal energy. Electricity production (photovoltaics and concentrated solar power). Energy storage. Environmental impacts (production of panels, critical metals). Emerging technologies. Solar resource in Ireland. Integrated energy systems.

Lecture 13: Nuclear and geothermal energy. (Prof. F. McDermott)
Distinction between shallow and deep geothermal energy sources. Low- and high-enthalpy geothermal sources. Distribution of heat producing elements in the Earth’s crust. Exploitation of geothermal energy in high- and low-enthalpy settings. Potential geohazards associated with geothermal energy exploitation. Advantages of geothermal in an integrated energy system that have high levels of intermittent renewables. Fundamentals of nuclear fission and nuclear power plants. Nuclear waste, inventories and storage options. Update on nuclear fusion research.

Lecture 14: Introduction to ore deposits; hydrothermal fluids. (Assoc. Prof. J.F. Menuge)
Ore deposits – ore and industrial minerals; geological processes concentrating metals; reserves and resources; factors affecting economic viability; evidence for the existence of hydrothermal fluids; chemical and physical properties of hydrothermal fluids in the upper crust; fluid inclusion analysis; causes of metal solubility and deposition; hydrothermal alteration; isotopic evidence for the origin of hydrothermal fluid components.

Lecture 15: Irish gold and orogenic gold deposits. (Assoc. Prof. J.F. Menuge)
Gold deposits in the Dalradian of Co. Tyrone – geological setting, paragenesis, age, origin of mineralizing fluids and gold; orogenic gold deposits worldwide – isotopic evidence for fluid sources; amphibolite facies metamorphism and gold sources.

Lecture 16: Granite-related tin-tungsten and volcanogenic massive sulphide deposits. (Assoc. Prof. J.F. Menuge)
The Cornish polymetallic vein deposits: mining history, vein types, origin of fluid, wolframite mineralization; distribution of tin-tungsten granite deposits and causes of metal enrichment. Kuroko-type VMS deposit characteristics: the Avoca deposits as an ancient example; black smokers and Cyprus-type VMS deposits; fluid origin and mineral precipitation in VMS deposits.

Lecture 17: Irish-type Carbonate-hosted ore deposits. (Assoc. Prof. J.F. Menuge)
The Irish midlands orefield and the distribution of Irish-type zinc-lead deposits; the Navan and Lisheen deposits as examples – geological history, hydrothermal mineralogy, fluid inclusion constraints; models for Irish-type deposit formation.

Lecture 18: Industrial mineral deposits 1. (Assoc. Prof. J.F. Menuge)
Definition of industrial minerals; industrial minerals for construction – sand, gravel and crushed rock for aggregate; limestones, lime, cement and concrete; gypsum deposits and plaster; dimension stone; industrial minerals for making glass – industrial sand, feldspar, soda ash, boron and strontium.

Lecture 19: Aluminium and iron ore deposits; Industrial mineral deposits 2. (Assoc. Prof. J.F. Menuge)
Chemical weathering and laterites – bauxite as aluminium ore, kaolinite and supergene metal deposits; formation of banded iron formations and their use as iron ores; halite deposits; mineral sands as sources of heavy minerals; the scale of industrial mineral use.

Lecture 20: Rare element ore deposits. (Assoc. Prof. J.F. Menuge)
The industrial needs for rare elements; technological change, substitution and predictability of demand; markets for rare elements; the critical elements concept; platinum group element ores; rare earth element ores; pegmatites as sources of rare metals; rare elements extracted from ores of common metals and predictability of supply.

PRACTICAL CLASSES (2 HOURS EACH):

Practicals 1 - 4: The Oil Game. (Assoc. Prof. T. Manzocchi)
Form teams of oil companies, bid for exploration licenses. Weekly updates of drilling results lead to improved understanding of the prospects. Two plays: reef deposits forming structural traps, and a sub-unconformity stratigraphic trap.

Practical 5: Hydrogeology I. (Dr C.J. Childs)
Construct a contour map of a potentiometric surface from borehole data and evaluate how a producing well will perturb groundwater flow.

Practical 6: Hydrogeology II. (Dr C.J. Childs)
A range of standard hydrogeological formulae are used to calculate groundwater storage, flow and well production in 6 questions based on different input hydrogeological parameters.

Practical 7: Estimating the energy output of a wind turbine. (Prof. F. McDermott)
Use of wind data to estimate energy production of a wind turbine. Evaluate wind turbine power curves. Assess the relationship between wind speed and capacity factor as well as their uncertainties and limitations. Evaluate advantages and disadvantages of wind and solar energy.

Practical 8: Cornish tin-tungsten ores. (Assoc. Prof. J.F. Menuge)
Description of Cornish granite-hosted Sn-W veins in hand specimen, and analysis of a virtual microscope thin section, to determine mineralization processes.

Practical 9: Carbonate-hosted Zn-Pb mineralization, Abbeytown. (Assoc. Prof. J.F. Menuge)
Description of sphalerite-galena-iron sulphide from the Abbeytown base metal deposit, Co. Sligo, in hand specimen, and analysis of a virtual microscope thin section, to determine mineralization processes.

Practical 10: Rare metal pegmatites, south Leinster. (Assoc. Prof. J.F. Menuge)
Description and analysis of spodumene pegmatite hand samples, thin sections and chemical maps, to interpret sequence of crystallization and rare metal enrichment processes.

Not applicable to this module.

• Feedback individually to students, on an activity or draft prior to summative assessment
• Feedback individually to students, post-assessment
• Group/class feedback, post-assessment

Students will receive feedback on their practical and project work during classes and in written form on submitted practical and project work. Where appropriate, oral feedback will also be given to the whole class on commonly encountered difficulties.