Current course offerings

Please Note: Course profiles marked as not available may still be in development.

Course description

Sediments and sedimentary rocks are the most abundant geological materials at the Earth's surface. From river systems, coral reefs and deep sea fans, sedimentary sequences are critical archives of the past, recording climatic, tectonic and biological processes through time. They also host important resources including water, hydrocarbons, coal and many base metal deposits. A thorough understanding of sediments, sedimentary processes and sedimentary sequences (stratigraphy) is vital for students studying Geological Science and extremely useful for students undertaking programs in marine science, geography, paleontology and archaeology. This course will explore the processes that cause sediments to be produced, transported and deposited. We will examine the composition of sedimentary rocks introducing the traditional petrological microscope and possibly hands on experience of advanced techniques such as Scanning Electron Microscopy and geochemical analysis using X-ray Fluorescence. We also will undertake two field trips to observe modern and ancient sedimentary environments and develop the tools for interpreting them.

Archived offerings