To introduce students to field geology and enable students to apply knowledge and understanding that they have developed previously in lab-based modules.

(LO1) On successful completion of this module, students should be able to demonstrate competence in rock, fossil, and mineral identification, and the identification and measurement of characteristic features of rock outcrops.

(LO2) On successful completion of this module, students should be able to complete hazard assessments of geological field localities based on topography, access, tide times, etc.

(LO3) On successful completion of this module, students should be able to record observations and interpretations in a scientific notebook.

(LO4) On successful completion of this module, students should be able to perform sedimentary analysis through the construction and interpretation of sedimentary logs.

(LO5) On successful completion of this module, students should be able to perform geometrical analysis of geological structures through the use of stereonets.

(LO6) On successful completion of this module, students should have grasped the rudiments of geological mapping, GVS construction, and cross section construction.

(LO7) On successful completion of this module, students should be able to use geological field observations as a basis to interpret outcrop features in terms of geological processes and environments.

(LO8) On successful completion of this module, students should be able to summarize the geological history of a field area, derived from the synthesis of multiple days of field observations and interpretations.

(S1) Problem solving skills developed in field exercises where students need to gather appropriate data to interpret geological processes and environments.

(S2) Teamwork - working in groups during field exercises and post-fieldwork poster creation

(S3) Ethical awareness - understanding need to respect natural environment and minimise impact

(S4) Adaptability - understanding need to carry out fieldwork appropriate to weather and tidal conditions, and adapt accordingly

(S5) Organisational skills - organization and maintenance of own field equipment including PPE

(S6) Time management - students need to meet deadlines for transportation, completion of exercises in the field, and after fieldwork

Fieldwork will comprise six local field days in Semester 2. The exact schedule is dependent on tides and other logistical constraints.

Skills to be covered include:
maintaining a geological field notebook
constructing field diagrams
description and identification of a range of rock types
sedimentary logging
facies analysis and construction of palaeoenvironmental models
stratigraphy
description and interpretation of folds and faults
uses of stereonets in the field
rudiments of geological mapping and cross sections
interpretation of geological history

Teaching Method 1 - Field Work
Description: 6 days of practical field work based around a series of thematic exercises.
Attendance Recorded: Yes
Notes: Fieldwork is supported by academic staff and postgraduate student demonstrators

Teaching Method 2 - Pre-recorded online lectures
Description: Lectures take place before the field days: engagement with this material is an essential preparation.
Notes: Pre-fieldclass lectures provide a framework for independent work. The lectures cover (1) logistics, (2) field safety and hazard assessment, (3) how the lab-based modules contribute to an understanding and the construction of a geological history of the field area.

Teaching Method 3: online Q&A sessions prior to each field day to cover specific logistics, field safety and hazard assessment, and after each field day to provide support for assessed work.