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Curricular information is subject to change
On completion of the module, you will have learned:
(1) Fundamentals of geographical information systems and their use in earth sciences.
(2) Where to find, and how to access, sources of geological or other geospatial data in offline and online repositories.
(3) Technical and digital skills in workflows required to construct and analyse geological maps.
(4) How to read and interpret published geological survey maps to deduce the geological history of an area.
(5) How to deduce and illustrate the 3D geological structure in a geological survey map area.
(6) How to integrate geological data with other geospatial and geo-scientific data sets (e.g. satellite imagery, geochemical data, or geophysical data).
(7) An outline of the geological and tectonic evolution of the British Isles, to put examples of published maps and project work into wider context.
(8) How to synthesise, illustrate and present various lines of geoscientific data by using graphic design and desktop publishing software.
Indicative Module Content (4 contact hours per week)
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1 Introduction to Cartography and Geographical Information Systems (GIS)
Dr. S. E. Kelley – 09:00-11:00 & 12:00-14:00, Thursday 26th January
• Two lectures covering the history and fundamentals of geodesy/cartography and geological mapping.
• Practical exercise on collecting hand-held GPS data and loading into GIS. Practical classes to explore the use of various co-ordinate systems and projections in Google Earth and ArcMap.
2 Creating topographic base maps in a GIS
Dr. S. E. Kelley – 09:00-11:00 & 12:00-14:00, Thursday 2nd February
• Lecture covering geospatial data formats (e.g. vector, raster) and file types (e.g. shape files, GeoTIFF, etc.). Overview of geospatial data sets commonly-used in earth sciences and how/where to access them.
• Practical on creating base-maps in ArcMap from topographic data and satellite imagery.
3 Georeferencing field sheets and digitising geological data in a GIS
Dr E. P. Holohan – 09:00-11:00 & 12:00-14:00, Thursday 9th February
• Lecture on overall geological evolution of Britain and Ireland.
• Practical on geo-referencing field sheets, digitising geological boundaries and plotting structural data in a GIS (based on the Louisburgh area). Creating and editing points, polylines and polygons.
4 Creating inset maps or multiple maps in GIS.
Dr E. P. Holohan – 09:00-11:00 & 12:00-14:00, Thursday 16th February
• Lecture on Archean to Early Neo-Proterozoic evolution of Britain and Ireland.
• Using multiple data frames to create location maps and/or inset maps. Using the layout view in ArcMap to add grids, scale-bars and legends, etc.
5 Starting your individual desktop study project
Dr E. P. Holohan – 09:00-11:00 & 12:00-14:00, Thursday 23rd February
• Lecture on Late Neo-Proterozoic to mid-Ordovician evolution of Britain and Ireland.
• Practical class on georeferencing your project map image and accessing online BGS and SRTM data. Preliminary overview of each map area and guidance/discussion regarding aspects to focus on.
6 Analysis of the Geology of the Glasgow Map Area – 1
Dr E. P. Holohan – 09:00-11:00 & 12:00-14:00, Thursday 2nd March
• Lecture on late-Ordovician to end-Silurian evolution of Britain and Ireland (incl. Grampian, Scandian and Iapetan Orogenies).
• Practical classes to examine and illustrate the topography and geology of the Glasgow map area, Scotland. Consideration of published map and online datasets in terms of accuracy and stratigraphic (in)consistency, and how to resolve conflicts. Merging of SRTM raster tiles to generate topographic map and profiles.
7 Analysis of the Geology of the Glasgow Map Area – 2
Dr. E.P. Holohan – 09:00-11:00 & 12:00-14:00, Thursday 9th March
• Lecture on Devonian to Carboniferous evolution of Britain and Ireland (incl. Acadian and Variscan Orogenies).
• Practical class on how to synthesise existing shapefile data in a GIS to make simplified regional and local tectonic maps. Summarise the geological history, and the main tectonic features in the area.
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MID-TERM BREAK
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8 Digitising cross-sections and stratigraphic columns
Dr E. P. Holohan – 09:00-11:00 & 12:00-14:00, Thursday 24th March
• Lecture on Mesozoic to Cenozoic evolution of the British and Ireland (incl. Alpine Orogeny and Opening of Atlantic Ocean).
• Practical class on extracting and exporting topographic profiles, boundaries and dip data for use in drawing cross-sections. How to use the graphic design software Adobe Illustrator to draw a cross-section and a simplified stratigraphic column for the Glasgow area.
9 Analysing digital data on glacial and post-glacial sediments
Dr S.E. Kelley – 09:00-11:00 & 12:00-14:00, Thursday 6th April
• Lecture on Quaternary evolution of British and Ireland and related sedimentary deposits
• Practical class on interrogating data related to superficial deposits and geomorphic expressions of ice-motion and of post-glacial sedimentary processes.
10 Check-in on individual desktop study project
Dr E. P. Holohan – 09:00-11:00 & 12:00-14:00, Thursday 13h April
• Trouble shooting and advice on students’ individual projects.
11 Oral Presentation of individual desktop study project
Dr E. P. Holohan – 09:00-11:00 & 12:00-14:00, Thursday 20th April
• Presentation summarising key findings of your desktop study of the regional and local geology of a selected area. Feedback on the presentation will guide the final written report to be submitted.
12 Final Report Check in
Dr E. P. Holohan & Dr S.E. Kelley – 09:00-11:00 & 12:00-14:00, Thursday 27th April
• Trouble shooting and final advice on students’ individual projects ahead of submission of written report.
| Student Effort Type | Hours |
|---|---|
| Practical | 44 |
| Autonomous Student Learning | 56 |
| Total | 100 |
Not applicable to this module.
| Description | Timing | Component Scale | % of Final Grade | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Continuous Assessment: Weekly submission of course work (end-products of assigned work flows and/or answers to problems posed). | Throughout the Trimester | n/a | Standard conversion grade scale 40% | No | 70 |
| Assignment: Independent synthesis of geo-scientific data sets available as published maps or online datasets for an assigned area on Earth. | Coursework (End of Trimester) | n/a | Standard conversion grade scale 40% | No | 20 |
| Presentation: Individual presentation of synthesis of geo-scientific data for assigned area. | Unspecified | n/a | Standard conversion grade scale 40% | No | 10 |
| Resit In | Terminal Exam |
|---|---|
| Autumn | No |
• Feedback individually to students, on an activity or draft prior to summative assessment
• Feedback individually to students, post-assessment
• Group/class feedback, post-assessment
• Self-assessment activities
Feedback will be provided on a weekly basis and will take the form of: (1) Oral feedback on activities prior to assessment (2) Oral and written post-assessment feedback individually to students and to the class as a whole; (3) Self-assessment and peer-review activities related to projects and presentations.
| Name | Role |
|---|---|
| Dr Sam Kelley | Lecturer / Co-Lecturer |