This courseware module is designed for first and second year undergraduates and has two main objectives:
To put geology into the broader context of environmental management, pollution control and the water and engineering industries. Also, to encourage an appreciation of the limits set by the natural geological cycles, and of the relationship between human demands and the consequences of resource exploitation.
To teach such essential and transferable skills as data handling, and to develop the ability to analyse and accurately interpret resource problems.
The module comprises four sections accessed via this main menu
The environment is a major concern with resource exploitation
The module occupies about 19Mb and consists of four main sections accessed via a main menu. The sections are as follows:
The natural water cycle is used as the starting point from which the amount of water available for exploitation by man is examined. Methods of borrowing water from the cycle for drinking, irrigation and industry are followed by a subsection on water quality. The latter examines water treatment and water pollution issues. The final subsection presents options for future water supplies. The nature of water as a valuable and sustainable resource, provided it is well managed, is emphasised throughout.
User interaction occurs throughout the module
Energy
Energy is introduced as a resource that may be either renewable or non-renewable. The geology of the fossil fuels is outlined, both in formation and as it affects exploration and production. Environmental considerations and alternative forms of energy are dealt with. A subsection on thermodynamics stresses constraints of energy production versus the need for increased thermal efficiencies.
Clicking on interactive parts of the screen brings up more information on the particular subject
The rock cycle is used as a starting point for examining the different types of building material. A subsection briefly covers the properties and uses for each material. Environmental factors are considered in the third subsection. Here users are guided through a mini project with the aim of providing aggregates to meet future demands, whilst taking socio-economic issues into account.
An introduction to the Cornish mining industry is used as the basis for three mini tutorials. Users are required to manipulate data relating to the geologic and economic aspects of the industry, thereby developing their data handling and interpretation skills.
At the end of each section there is an assessment comprising ten questions
The different parts of the module are accessed via a main menu and each section has a submenu. Navigation around the module is by means of buttons along the base of the screen. A glossary can be accessed by clicking on a button at the bottom of the screen. At the end of each section a bibliography of references used in its compilation is given.
Other Modules Available
| Arc Magmatism | Basic Geochemistry | Basic Petrography | Basic Skills for Earth Sciences | Crystallography | Dynamic Stratigraphy: Controls and Products | Exploring the Shallow Subsurface using Geophysics | Field Safety for Geologists | Fossils as Palaeoenvironmental Indicators | Geological Map Skills | Ocean Crust and Ophiolites | Optical Mineralogy | Petrogenesis of Granitic Rocks | Phase Diagrams in Igneous Systems | Radiogenic Isotopes in Geological Sciences | Rock Deformation and Geological Structures | Systematic Palaeontology: the Phylum Mollusca | Using the Compass/Clinometer | Using Stereonets in Geology | Visualising Geology in 3D |
