The purpose of this page is to draw attention to those aspects of Geography to be found in the UKESCC courseware and to pin-point the modules containing the material. Links to descriptions of individual module are given at the bottom of the page.
Earth Resources
Most of the material in the 'Aspects of Earth resources' module could be of interest to Geographers. It attempts to 1) put geology into the broader context of environmental management, pollution control and the water and engineering industries. and 2) 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.
One of the four main sections deals with water resources. 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. Water treatment and water pollution issues are examined. 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.
The second section deals with energy resources, both renewable and 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.
Building materials are the subject of the third section. The rock cycle is used as a starting point for examining the different types of building material. The properties and uses for each material are considered together with environmental factors. To emphasis environmental factors 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 in the final section. Users are required to manipulate data relating to the geologic and economic aspects of the industry, and in doing so develop data handling and interpretation skills.
Exploring the Shallow Subsurface using Geophysics
Increasingly geographers are using shallow geophysical methods to investigate the nature and extent of near-surface materials. This courseware module explains the specific use of three of the most common geophysical techniques in environmental, archaeological and engineering site investigations.
The basic principles of seismic refraction, gravity surveying and electrical resistivity surveying are explained and students learn by being involved in hypothetical site investigations with particular problems. The student works through each section, initially answering questions then by making decisions.
Plate tectonics
While there is not a courseware module specifically on plate tectonics, elements of plate tectonics are to be found in several of the modules. The most material is to be found in the Arc Magmatism module. While there is information on the basic structure of the lithosphere and its creation, most of the material is about destructive plate margins, so subduction zones and island arcs figure extensively.
The Ocean Crust and Ophiolites module deals exclusively with constructive plate margins and sea-floor spreading. Here you will find descriptions of the way ocean crust is constructed and the processes that lead to splitting and spreading of the lithosphere. There is a complete section on spreading rates, segmentation and spreading centres.
Volcanoes
Basic information about the types of volcanoes, the various components of volcanoes and associated igneous rocks is provided in the 'Igneous Rocks' section of the 'Visualising Geology in 3D' module. Volcanic landforms, including calders, are described in the 'Volcanism in arc settings' section of the 'Arc Magmatism' module. This section also contains descriptions of explosive eruptions, pyroclasic deposits and debris flows. Controls on volcanic construction is covered in the 'Ocean Crust and Ophiolites' module.
Exploring the Shallow Subsurface using Geophysics
