Catalogo dei Corsi di studio

Understanding the importance of time in geological processes.
Knowledge of the Earth structure and of the dynamic processes that rule its evolution. Knowledge of the interaction between dynamic processes and human activities.
Acquisition of the basic elements on stratigraphy and tectonics.
Acquisition of a method for the macroscopic description of igneous, sedimentary and metamorphic rocks.
Acquisition of a method for the interpretation of geological maps.

A) Knowledge and understanding - demonstrating knowledge and understanding in the field of Earth Sciences, especially in Geology at a post secondary level;
B) Apply knowledge and understanding - to be able to apply the acquired knowledge in a competent and reflective way; possess adequate skills to support arguments concerning the teaching subjects, to describe the texture of a rock and to read and interpret a geological map
C) Making judgments - collecting and interpreting data useful for determining judgments in an autonomous form, including judgements on social, scientific or ethical issues related to them;
D) Communication skills - communicating information, ideas, problems and solutions to specialists, experts, and unexperienced speakers;
E) Learning skills - developing skills necessary to undertake further studies with a high degree of freedom.

Programme

Introduction: Historical background of Earth Sciences (2 hours)
First knowledges on Earth Sciences, catastrophism, plutonism, neptunism and actualism theories.

Solar System and Meteorites (2 hours)
Birth of the Solar System, chemical composition of the Sun and the life cycle of stars. Earth differentiation and first evolution. Asteroids, comets and meteorites. Impact craters and consequences of meteorite impacts. Global Scale Changes. The Tunguska event.

Geological Time (2 hours)
Precambrian, Paleozoic, Mesozoic, Cenozoic and Quaternary Era. Speed of geological processes. Relative and absolute dating of geological events. Geochronological methods.

Elements of seismology (5 hours)
Earthquakes distribution, seismic waves propagation, reflection and rifraction, earthquakes scales of magnitude, Seismometers and seismographs, dromochrones, focal mechanisms, seismic prevention and risk.

Earth Structure (10 hours)
Dimensions and shape. Seismological discontinuities and Earth structure (crust, mantle, eastern and inner core). Rheological differentiation: lithosphere and asthenosphere. Continental and oceanic lithosphere. Earth gravitational field: gravimeters and units of measurements. Gravity anomalies and their meaning. Isostasy and continental roots. Earth magnetic field: origin, variations and inversions. Paleomagnetism, apparent polar wandering and oceanic spreading. Earth heat production and origin. Geothermal gradient and heat flux. The Earth Geotherm.

Rocks and genetic processes (37 hours)
Rocks and rock-forming minerals. Silicates and carbonates. Lithogenetic cycle: fusion, crystallization, metamorphism and anatexis, erosion and sedimentation.
Igneous rocks and their emplacement: types of magma and their origin. Magmas evolution, magmatic differentiation, fractional crystallization, magma mixing. Magmatic intrusions: dimensions and shapes. Volcanism, effusive and explosive eruptions, central and fissure eruptions. Phreatomagmatic eruptions. Types of products: lavas and pyroclastic deposits. Shapes of volcanoes. Calderic collapses.
Sedimentary rocks and environments: physical and chemical weathering, erosion, transport, sedimentation, diagenesis. Composition and texture of sediments, skeleton-matrix-cement ratios. Clastic rocks, compositional and textural maturity, sedimentary structures and genetic mechanisms, depositional environments. Classification of conglomerates, sandstones and pelites. Clays and Soils. Carbonatic rocks, features and classification (Folk and Dunham), carbonates and dolostones, dolostones formation processes. Chemical and biochemical rocks: evaporites, travertine, laterite and bauxite, phosphorites, BIF, iron-manganese nodules, hydrocarbons.
Metamorphic rocks: metamorphic processes and types of metamorphism. Metasomatism. Metamorphic textures, blastesis, foliation and lineation. Metamorphic facies and grade.
Exercises on macroscopic identification of igneous, sedimentary and metamorphic rocks.

Litosphere Dynamics (8 hours)
Continental drift. Wagner and the horizontal movements of the Earth crust. Theory of Plate tectonics: physical structures and evolution of lithospheric plates and of their boundaries. Divergent plate boundaries: rifting and lithospheric thinning, middle oceanic ridges, continental passive margin. Convergent plate boundaries: subduction zones, volcanic arc system, back-arc basins, accretionary prisms, ophiolites, orogenic belts. Conservative plate boundaries. The Wilson’s cycle. Convective fluxes and mantle plumes. The Plates engine.

Elements of Stratigraphy (5 hours)
Principles of stratigraphy: horizontality and stratigraphic overlapping, principle of intersection, lateral continuity, stratigraphic correlations and Walther’s law. Concept of facies. Paraconformities and angular unconformities. Causes and effects of transgressive and regressive processes. Sea level changes and subsidence.

Elements of Tectonics (5 hours)
Brittle and ductile deformation. Types of faults and folds. Kinematic indicators. Faults associations and structural styles, horst and graben, thrust and nappes, klippen and tectonic windows, pull-apart basins.

Reading and interpretation of Geological maps (10 hours)
Topography and plan representation. Lithostratigraphic maps. Anatomy of a geological map. Strike, dip and dip direction of flat surfaces. The geological boundary. Exercises on reading and interpretation of geological maps.

Historical and Regional Geology (14 hours)
Main orogenic, paleogeographic and paleobiologic events in the last 600 million years. Caledonian, Hercynian and Alpine orogeny. Distribution of main stratigraphic-structural units in Italy. The Alps, Northern, Central and Southern Apennines. The Tyrrhenian Sea and the Calabria-Peloritani Arc. Field trip in the Apennines.

Adopted texts

Grotzinger J.P. & Jordan T.H – Capire la Terra – Zanichelli III italian edition
P. Casati – Scienze della Terra – Volume I – elementi di Geologia generale – Città Studi Edizioni
A. Bosellini & E. Mutti – Rocce e successioni sedimentarie - UTET
B.C.M. Butler & J.D. Bell – Lettura ed interpretazione delle carte geologiche – Zanichelli
A. Mottana, R. Crespi, G. Liborio – Minerali e Rocce – Mondadori

Prerequisites

knowledge of chemistry, mineralogy and physical geography are useful for facing this course

Exam modes

The final exam consists of an oral test with questions on the main topics of the course and of an oral/practical test on macroscopic description and identification of rocks and interpretation of geological maps