ERB204 Deforming Earth: Fundamentals of Structural Geology

Unit Outline: Semester 2 2024, Gardens Point, Internal

Overview

This unit develops the knowledge and skills required to recognise, classify, describe, record, and interpret deformation structures in rocks, from the scale of millimetres to kilometres. Rock deformation driven by plate tectonics is a fundamental process that shapes the lithosphere of our planet and the complex 3D spatial distribution of rocks within it. It is integral to the study of the solid Earth and touches almost all geological disciplines.

Learning Outcomes

On successful completion of this unit you will be able to:

1. Identify, classify, describe, quantify, map, and interpret rock deformation structures occurring on a broad range of length scales, both in the field and in laboratory settings.
2. Conduct basic geometric, kinematic, and dynamic analyses of deformation structures.
3. Classify, describe, explain and infer the basic mechanical behaviour of rocks.
4. Develop problem-recognition and -solving skills through field-survey design, data collection, and interpretation.
5. Communicate the aim, results, and interpretation of a field study of deformed rocks in writing according to discipline-specific standards.

Content

Learning Approaches

This unit consists of three major elements: 

[a] Theory lectures

On-campus lectures and flipped content (such as short videos and/or selected reading material visited in your own time) introduce the discipline-specific terminology, conceptual framework, and theoretical foundations for this unit. Student-teacher dialogue during contact time is promoted actively through impromptu discussions of applied problems and question time.

[b] Workshops

Weekly workshops underpin new concepts conveyed in lectures with a practical application as soon as possible. The workshop sections employ a collaborative approach to teaching and learning. They have two purposes. First, they will recapitulate, deepen, and discuss the material presented in the preceding lecture and/or flipped learning activity. Then, practical methods for solving structural problems are introduced and exercised in a hands-on fashion in small collaborative groups. 

[c] Field work

[c.1] Two one-day field excursions to study deformed rocks in the Brisbane area. 

It is vital for an authentic learning experience that you engage with natural deformed rocks in 3D as much as possible. Fieldwork is the common denominator for the overwhelming majority of professions requiring an Earth-Science degree. Importantly, Structural Geology is a multi-scale 3D science. You need to practice how to analyse rocks on the scale of grains to that of kilometres in three dimensions. This is only possible in the field. These two short excursions aim at introducing the basic field skills required to recognise and analyse deformed rocks. 

[c.2] One extended fieldtrip in the beginning of exam period lasting several days. This excursion will give you the opportunity to integrate all theoretical and practical concepts and skills attained throughout the semester through solving and communicating a real-world deformation problem in the field. We chose the most excellent outcrops that allow you to observe all structures discussed in class under ideal exposure conditions. This excursion serves as the applied capstone of the unit.

Feedback on Learning and Assessment

Feedback will be provided to you through the following mechanisms:
1. Written comments on practical exercises and reports.
2. Discussions with the teaching team and peers during workshops and in the field.
3. Personal consultation with the lead academic any time during office hours or upon appointment.
4. Verbal discussion of common problems observed in assessment items with the entire class.

Assessment

Overview

Summative assessments include: 

[1] Four practicals (assessment item 1): theory knowledge and practical skills related to in-class activities are examined through two written take-home task sheets solved collaboratively. 

[2] Two field reports (assessment items 2 and 3): field observations are collected, presented, analysed, interpreted and communicated in written reports. Two small Brisbane-based excursions held during the teaching period will introduce you to the fundamentals of mapping deformation structures (assessment item 2). The extended field trip at the end of the term will serve as your capstone learning experience, in which all your skills will be put into practice and assessed where it matters most: the real world (assessment item 3). 

[3] One online quiz (assessment item 4)

If campus access is restricted at the time of the central examination period/due date, an alternative, which may be a timed online assessment, will be offered. Individual students whose circumstances prevent their attendance on campus will be provided with an alternative assessment approach.

Unit Grading Scheme

7- point scale

Assessment Tasks

Assessment: Problem Solving Task

Problem-solving task 1: practicals on [a] deformation, [b] stress, [c] Faults and shear zones, and [d] folds. You will solve practical problems concerning the fundamentals of recognizing, describing, classifying, and estimating deformation in rocks collaboratively. Written practicals are to be completed cumulatively in class and over the course of the week(s) following our discussion of deformation measures and stress, respectively. 

This is an assignment for the purposes of an extension.

Assessment: Report 1

Report 1: Fractures and folds in the field
You will present, describe, analyse and interpret your observations of the two one-day excursions in one written report.

Submission: 20%; data collection in the field: group, report: individual; due in week 11.

This is an assignment for the purposes of an extension.

Assessment: Report 2

Report 2: Analysis of polyphase deformation in the field
You will present, describe, analyse and interpret your observations of the extended field trip in a written report. The ultimate goal is the derivation of an evidence-based deformation history of the research area.

Submission: Data collection in the field: group, report: individual; due one week after excursion.

This is an assignment for the purposes of an extension.

Assessment: Quiz/Test

Quiz: Plate Tectonics, the Structure of Earth, rheology, and regional fault systems 
An online quiz will test your knowledge of the plate-tectonics theory, the structure of the Earth, and the structural inventory associated with convergent, divergent, and strike-slip boundaries. 
Due date: within the last three weeks of the term.

Academic Integrity

Students are expected to engage in learning and assessment at QUT with honesty, transparency and fairness. Maintaining academic integrity means upholding these principles and demonstrating valuable professional capabilities based on ethical foundations.

Failure to maintain academic integrity can take many forms. It includes cheating in examinations, plagiarism, self-plagiarism, collusion, and submitting an assessment item completed by another person (e.g. contract cheating). It can also include providing your assessment to another entity, such as to a person or website.

You are encouraged to make use of QUT’s learning support services, resources and tools to assure the academic integrity of your assessment. This includes the use of text matching software that may be available to assist with self-assessing your academic integrity as part of the assessment submission process.

Further details of QUT’s approach to academic integrity are outlined in the Academic integrity policy and the Student Code of Conduct. Breaching QUT’s Academic integrity policy is regarded as student misconduct and can lead to the imposition of penalties ranging from a grade reduction to exclusion from QUT.

Resources

Resource Materials

Recommended text(s)

Recommended textbooks and online resources:

Virtually any textbook on "Structural Geology" provides the basic information relevant to this unit. No. 1 in the list below is available in the QUT bookstore and also comes with a nice eBook available freely here: https://folk.uib.no/nglhe/StructuralGeoBookEmodules.html

No. 2 in the list, the book of Twiss and Moores, served as a source for many figures in the lecture slides. It is more comprehensive in terms of the theoretical background. Unfortunately, it went out of print. However, there are copies in our library, and it is possible to obtain copies via the web.

The same is true for titles 3 and 4 on the list below. These two seminal books constitute a very rich source on the subject matter of this unit, which well exceeds the depth intended here. They are recommended if you want to build a thorough personal library.

1. Fossen, H., 2016, Structural Geology, 2nd edition, Cambridge University Press, ISBN: 9781107057647.
2. Twiss, R. J., and Moores, E. M., 2007, Structural Geology, 2nd ed., Freeman
3. Ramsay and Huber (1983 - 2000): The techniques of modern structural geology, v. 1 & 2
4. Ramsay and Lisle (v. 3): Applications of continuum mechanics in structural geology
5. Van der Pluijm and Marshak 2004, Earth Structure - an introduction to structural geology and tectonics, W. W. Norton

Finally, I would like to recommend the following book, which teaches a rarely explicitly addressed yet very important skill: the drawing of geological structures in outcrop, hand specimen, and thin section. The drawing of geological structures - including microstructures, igneous and metamorphic textures, and sedimentary structures - constitutes a very important cognitive, interpretative activity.

6. Kruhl, J., 2017, Drawing Geological Structures, Wiley-Blackwell, ISBN: 978-1-405-18232-4

Other

Field-trip equipment and costs

The following equipment will be needed in the field:

[a] Field clothes and gear

• Sturdy hiking boots with ankle support (compulsory)
• Wide-brimmed hat for sun protection (compulsory)
• Sunscreen, sun glasses, and long-sleeved pants and shirts
• Wet/cold weather clothing
• Backpack
• Water bottles with a minimum capacity of 2l
• Bug repellent
• Personal first-aid kit (for advice, visit this Government website: https://www.healthdirect.gov.au/first-aid-kits)

[b] Geological hardware

• Camera (not compulsory but very useful for documentation purposes)
• Rock hammer
• Hand lens
• Scratch kit
• Protective leather gloves (not compulsory but useful)
• Scale/ruler

[c] Stationary equipment

• Notebook: must be suitable for a permanent record; no loose notebooks. Chartwell or Markwell hard-covered flip-over books are best. These should be available in the bookshop.
• Clipboard
• Bulldog clips
• Graph paper
• Assessment descriptions
• Pencils and sharpeners
• Coloured pencils
• Ruler
• Calculator
• Protractor
• Schmidt net and tracing paper
• A3 paper

[d] Personal gear (not required for day trips)

• Sleeping bag
• Pillow
• Towel
• Toiletries
• Any medication and related items you may need. Please, seek detailed advice from a medical professional.
• Earplugs for noisy neighbours.
• Torches and batteries

Risk Assessment Statement

There are no extraordinary risks associated with the in-class activities in this unit. When working in laboratories and workshops, you will undertake specific hazard and risk related inductions from your tutors and/or technical staff, which may include personal protective equipment (PPE) requirements; participation is compulsory.

Prior to any off-campus class activities, a risk assessment will be prepared. You will receive a briefing regarding any specific hazard and risk-related instructions via Canvas and from your field leader before commencing the activity onsite. Fieldwork will involve daylong outdoor activities including walking on dirt tracks, meadows, beaches, and rocky, uneven surfaces near the ocean and in the forest, and mapping of rock in these environments. The submission of a field-trip consent form including emergency and health information is compulsory and organised in the beginning of the semester.