GEOLOGY | 15
Field Courses
Fieldwork is an integral part of Geology at Keele and field courses are embedded
as an integral part of our modules. We offer a free field course pathway through
your degree, with accommodation and transport costs covered. For Single Honours
students we currently offer the choice of a no-cost field course to SE Spain or a field
course to the Western USA where students pay the additional costs.
Set in the heart of England, Keele is close
to many classic geological localities in
Staffordshire, the Peak District, Pennines,
Lake District, North Wales and the Welsh
Borders.
We also travel further afield to study
exceptional geological localities and each
programme has an overseas field course.
In the first year, several day-long field
courses will introduce you to the skills
needed to make geological maps. Other
excursions will highlight fossils and fossil
ecosystems. A week-long residential field
course brings together much of what has
been taught in the first year, sedimentary
and igneous rocks, fossils, structural
geology and Earth history.
The second year starts with a week-
long residential field course. This course
covers advanced geological mapping
skills including techniques in aerial
photo interpretation and navigation in
mountainous terrain using facilities such
as the satellite-based Global Positioning
System (GPS) that you will need to
undertake your independent mapping
in the summer between the second and
third years. There are also day field
courses to study a variety of aspects
of geology.
The highlight of the second year is
the overseas field course. Combined
Honours students currently undertake
a week-long field course in the Almeria
province of southern Spain studying the
varied geology of the Betic mountain
belt and adjoining sedimentary basins.
Single Honours students can either
go to Almeria for free or pay extra to
go on a two-week field course to the
Western USA to examine the stunning
sedimentary and structural geology
exhibited there.
In the summer between the second and
third years you will undertake a piece
of independent geological mapping in
an area of your choosing. This could be
in the UK or overseas. For Combined
Honours students this is done for three
weeks, for Single Honours students,
five weeks. This is an opportunity to
bring together all of the mapping and
other geological skills that you have
acquired and the project is written up as a
dissertation in the third year.
During the third year you will take a
number of core and option modules,
some of which include field courses.
Combined Honours (Major Route)
students have a week-long field
course studying a volcanic province,
and Single Honours students spend
a week examining igneous and
metamorphic rocks.
MGeol students typically have a week-
long field course in the Lake District
undertaking geophysical surveying, in
addition to option module related field
courses and any fieldwork associated
with their master’s project.
SOME NATIONAL STUDENT
SURVEY COMMENTS FROM
OUR STUDENTS …
“Courses well taught by
enthusiastic lecturers.”
“Very good facilities
available to help studies
… lecturers more than
happy to help with
problems, even if not for
their own subject.”
“There is a strong
community in our
course … you get to
know the department,
the lecturers and get the
full experience. They
provide good one-to-
one teaching”.
Please note that our field courses are
under constant review and timing and
destinations of field courses may be
subject to change. Although many
images in this brochure are taken from
previous field courses, they are included
for indicative purposes only and do not
necessarily mean that the same localities
will be visited during the course of your
particular degree.
keele.ac.uk/gge