Keele University Prospectus Undergraduate | 2016 | Page 114

NATURAL SCIENCES

Geoscience
Overview

Geoscience is a single honours course covering
geology and its related subject areas. Geoscience
provides a modern approach to the study of planet
Earth: its structure, composition, processes, history,
geological materials and resources. The course
also places emphasis on the relevance of applied
geoscience to the needs of society, including natural
resources such as oil, gas, coal and minerals, as well
as the importance of geoscience in environmental
and engineering projects. You are not required to
have knowledge of, or have studied geoscience
in order to be accepted onto this course.

Course content

First year
• Planet Earth introduces the Earth as a planet
and geological processes such as plate tectonics.
• Mineralogy and Petrology provides an
introduction to common rock forming minerals
and different rock types.
• Sedimentology and Palaeontology develops
understanding of sedimentary rocks and the
major fossil groups.
• Time and Space provides an introduction to Earth
history, geological structures and geological maps.
• The Earth System focuses on interactions between
the solid earth, the oceans, the atmosphere and
the biosphere.
• Introductory Environmental Chemistry
introduces core concepts in chemistry
applicable to geochemistry.
• Geoscience Data Interpretation, Analysis
and Visualisation covers remote sensing and
geographical/geological information systems.
You also choose an elective module from a wide
range of options including ‘Dinosaur Planet’.
Second year
• Igneous and Metamorphic Petrology studies
the formation and textures of igneous and
metamorphic rocks.
• Reconstructing Past Environments demonstrates
how ancient sedimentary environments can
be determined.
• Geoscience and Society develops an awareness
of the essential contributions of geoscience to the
needs of society.
• Palaeoclimatology and Quaternary Studies
includes the study of causes of climate change
over geological time and deposits from the last
ice age.

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• Forensic and Historical Geoscience provides
knowledge of aspects of applied geoscience
in forensic and historical contexts.
• Geochemistry provides a broad introduction to
the principles and analytical techniques of the
chemistry of rocks and minerals.
• Advanced Structural Geology and Geological
Mapping Training investigates the deformation
of rocks and the techniques used to make a
geological map.
• Geoscience Field Techniques introduces
near surface geophysics and prepares you to
carry out your final year independent field project.
Third year
You will complete an independent field-based
geology project, a core module on Economic
Geology and attend an advanced field course on
the Isle of Mull. You also take four option modules
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