This is the gateway unit of study for Human Geography, Physical Geography and Geology. Its objective is to introduce the big questions relating to the origins and current state of the planet: climate change, environment, landscape formation, and the growth of the human population. During the semester you will be introduced to knowledge, theories and debates about how the world's physical and human systems operate. The first module investigates the system of global environmental change, specifically addressing climate variability and human impacts on the natural environment. The second module presents Earth as an evolving and dynamic planet, investigating how changes take place, the rate at which they occur and how they have the potential to dramatically affect the way we live. Finally, the third module, focuses on human-induced challenges to Earth's future. This part of the unit critically analyses the relationships between people and their environments, with central consideration to debates on population change and resource use.

Advanced students will complete the same core lecture material as for GEOS1001, but will be required to carry out more challenging practical assignments.

The aim of this unit of study is to examine the chemical and physical processes involved in mineral formation, the interior of the Earth, surface features, sedimentary environments, volcanoes, and metamorphism. Lectures and laboratory sessions on mountain building processes and the formation of mineral deposits will lead to an understanding of the forces controlling the geology of our planet. Processes such as weathering, erosion and nature of sedimentary environments are related to the origin of the Australian landscape. In addition to laboratory classes there is a one-day excursion to the western Blue Mountains and Lithgow to examine geological objects in their setting.

This unit has the same objectives as GEOS1003 and is suitable for students who wish to pursue aspects of the subject in greater depth. Entry is restricted and selection is made from the applicants on the basis of their ATAR or UAI and/or their university performance at the time of enrolment. Students that elect to take this unit will participate in alternatives to some aspects of the standard unit and will be required to pursue independent work to meet unit objectives. This unit may be taken as part of the BSc (Advanced).

The unit provides an essential framework for understanding the environmental response to short- and long-term geologic, oceanic and atmospheric processes. This Unit of Study introduces students to a variety of natural phenomena that affect society with impact levels ranging from nuisance to disastrous. The discussion of each hazard focuses on: (1) the process mechanics, (2) hazards and risk, and (3) methods for mitigation. Geographic Information Systems (GIS) are used by scientists, planners, policy-makers and the insurance industry alike to address many issues relating to natural hazards. This Unit of Study will introduce students to the major concepts relating to GIS and provide practical experience in the application of GIS techniques to hazard mapping, risk assessment and mitigation.

This unit has the same objectives as GEOS2111 and is suitable for students who wish to pursue aspects of the subject in greater depth. Entry is restricted and selection is made from the applicants on the basis of their performance to date. Students who elect to take this unit will participate in alternatives to some aspects of the standard unit and will be required to pursue independent work to meet unit objectives.

This unit of study relates plate tectonics to a) volcanoes and magma systems that create them; b) the formation of precious metal and gemstone ores around the Pacific Rim; and c) an understanding of how Earth's materials (minerals, rocks, rock formations, lithospheric plates etc.) respond to stresses and the forces that deform them. Methods of analysis involve studies at the microscopic scale (performed on thin sections) and the mesoscopic scale performed on hand specimens and outcrops. The unit includes a two to three day field trip to study an extinct volcano in NSW. Practical work includes independent study of igneous systems, rocks and minerals employing both microscope-based techniques and computer modelling.

This unit has the same objectives as GEOS2114 and is suitable for students who wish to pursue aspects of the subject in greater depth. Entry is restricted and selection is made from the applicants on the basis of their performance to date. Students that elect to take this unit will participate in alternatives to some aspects of the standard unit and will be required to pursue independent work to meet unit objectives. This unit may be taken as part of the BSc (Advanced).

This unit of study introduces core concepts about how the formation of ocean basins and their influence on climate govern the development of coasts and continental margins. These concepts provide a framework for understanding the geographic variation of coasts, continental shelves and sediment accumulations in the deep ocean. Ocean-basin evolution is explained in terms of movements within the Earth's interior and how these movements determine the geometry of ocean basins, and their alpine counterparts, which interact with the global circulation of the ocean and atmosphere. This interaction plays a key role in marine sedimentation and controls the environmental conditions responsible for the development of coral reefs and other ecosystems. The Unit of Study systematically outlines how these factors have played out to produce, by gradual change, the coasts we see today, as well as the less familiar deposits hidden beneath the sea and coastal lands. The Unit thereby outlines how knowledge of responses to climate change in the past allow us to predict environmental responses to accelerated climate change occurring now and in the future due to the industrial greenhouse effect, but places these responses into perspective against the geological record. Overall therefore, the Unit aims to provide familiarity with fundamental phenomena central to the study of marine geoscience and environmental impacts, introduced through process-oriented explanations. The Unit of Study is structured around GIS-based practical sessions and problem-based project work, for which lectures provide the theoretical background.

This unit has the same objectives as GEOS2115 and is suitable for students who wish to pursue aspects of the subject in greater depth. Entry is restricted and selection is made from the applicants on the basis of their performance to date. Students who elect to take this unit will participate in alternatives to some aspects of the standard unit and will be required to pursue independent work to meet unit objectives.

This unit of study explores cultural constructions of nature and resources, the evolution of environmental thought, and the debates surrounding sustainable development and climate change. It integrates environmental, economic, cultural and social considerations in respect to natural resource management in Australia and the Asia-Pacific. The environmental considerations extend to an understanding of climatic responses over the long term that provide constraints on resource management today, and how these responses are projected to vary in future. These environmental constraints include air, land, vegetation and water resources and are examined in relation to current issues driving contemporary debate on the politics of climate change that must now be considered in environmental management. These concepts and principles are reinforced through the analysis of real-world data from the Hunter Valley of NSW – a region rich in resources with many stakeholders that hold differing, sometimes contrary perceptions of environmental and resource management. The unit of study enables students to learn about the social, cultural and environmental considerations that must be taken into account when developing and implementing environmental and resource management policies in an increasingly congested 'marketplace of ideas'.

Advanced students will receive the same core lecture materials as for GEOS2121 but are required to complete alternative written work.

The unit aims to convey how fossils, stratigraphic and structural data are used together to determine ages and environments and the deformation history of rock layers. It covers an introduction to historical geology and the evolution of the major fossils groups. Methods of stratigraphic age determination include litho-, bio-, chemo-, magneto- stratigraphy, as well as radiometric geochronology and the stratigraphic characteristics of the main geological time intervals. Structural methods are focused on brittle deformation in the upper crust and sediments. Students will gain familiarity with the most important fossil groups and how to identify them, and with the most important types of faults and folds. The formation of fossil fuels such as coal, oil and gas will also be covered in an earth history and resource exploration context. The simultaneous use of fossils, stratigraphy and structure to unravel the geological history of a set of exposed rock layers is demonstrated during a field excursion to Yass.

This unit has the same objectives as GEOS2124 and is suitable for students who wish to pursue aspects of the subject in greater depth. Entry is restricted and selection is made from the applicants on the basis of their performance to date. Students that elect to take this unit will participate in alternatives to some aspects of the standard unit and will be required to pursue independent work to meet unit objectives. This unit may be taken as part of the BSc (Advanced).

This unit of study provides an introduction to the fundamentals of fluvial geomorphology (the study of surface water as an agent of landscape change) and groundwater hydrology. The fluvial geomorphology section of the unit will describe the movement of water in stream channels and investigate the landscape change associated with that movement. Topics to be covered will include open channel flow hydraulics, sediment transport processes and stream channel morphology. Practical work will focus on the collection and analysis of field data. The quantity and quality of the groundwater resources are closely linked to geology and fluvial geomorphology. The groundwater section of this unit is based around four common groundwater issues: contamination, extraction, dryland salinity and groundwater-surface water interaction. In the practical component, common groundwater computer models such as FLOWTUBE and MODFLOW will be used to further explore these problems.

This unit is considered an essential component all Geology and Geophysics majors. All students will undertake a range of exercises, but concentrate on aspects that emphasise their chosen major: (1) field mapping and the analysis of geological objects in the field, in weakly to complexly deformed sedimentary and volcanic sequences; (2) field investigations of mineral deposits and their relationships to host rocks; and (3) the practical application of geophysical methods in field mapping. The field course complements other subject areas in Geology & Geophysics and will give students experience in the field identification of rocks and minerals, regional geology, stratigraphy, structure and rock relationships. Students will be required to pay the cost of hostel-style accommodation during field work, which may involve camping.

This unit has the same objectives as GEOS3008 and is suitable for students who wish to pursue aspects of the subject in greater depth. Entry is restricted and selection is made from the applicants on the basis of their performance at the time of enrolment. Students who elect to take this unit will participate in alternatives to some aspects of the standard unit and will be required to pursue independent work to meet unit objectives. Specific details for this unit of study will be announced in meetings with students in week prior to the field camp which is usually in the break between semester 1 and 2. This unit of study may be taken as part of the BSc (Advanced).

The Earth's crust and upper mantle, or lithosphere, are a consequence of dynamic and thermal processes operating since the beginning of the Archaean. This unit focuses on information and techniques that enable an understanding of these processes. The main topics presented in this unit include: the formation and evolution of oceanic and continental lithosphere; tectonic deformation, magmatism and metamorphism at plate boundries; and the mesoscopic and microscopic analysis of igneous and metamorphic rocks. Practical classes and field exercises are designed to enable students to competently and independently identify the common crystalline rocks in hand-specimen; and to gather and interpret the structural field data which enables the determination of the structural style and deformational history presented in particular tectonic settings. The concepts and content presented in this unit are generally considered to be essential knowledge for geologists and geophysicists and provide a conceptual framework for their professional practice. Students wishing to specialise in the field and become professional geologists will normally need to expand upon the knowledge gained from this unit and either complete an honours project or progress to postgraduate coursework in this field.

This unit has the same objectives as GEOS3101 and is suitable for students who wish to pursue aspects of the subject in greater depth. Entry is restricted and selection is made from the applicants on the basis of their performance at the time of enrolment. Students who elect to take this unit will participate in alternatives to some aspects of the standard unit and will be required to pursue independent work to meet unit objectives. Specific details for this unit of study will be announced in meetings with students in week 1 of semester.

This unit examines the processes that form energy and mineral resources, outlines the characteristics of major fossil fuel and metal ore deposits and introduces the principles that underpin exploration strategies used to discover and develop geological resources. The unit will focus on a variety of topics including: coal; petroleum formation and migration, hydrocarbon traps and maturation; precious metal, base metal and gemstone deposit types; and exploration strategies. An integrated approach will relate tectonic processes through time to the formation of fossil fuel and mineral provinces. Practical exercises will introduce students to the techniques used to identify economically viable geological resources using a variety of exercises based on actual examples of resource exploration drawn from both the petroleum and minerals industry.

This unit has the same objectives as GEOS3102 and is suitable for students who wish to pursue aspects of the subject in greater depth. Entry is restricted and selection is made from the applicants on the basis of their performance at the time of enrolment. Students who elect to take this unit will participate in alternatives to some aspects of the standard unit and will be required to pursue independent work to meet unit objectives. Specific details for this unit of study will be announced in meetings with students in week 1 of semester.

Sediments and sedimentary rocks cover most of the Earth's surface, record much of the Earth's geological and climatic history and host important resources such as petroleum, coal, water and mineral ores. The aim of this unit is to provide students with the skills required to examine, describe and interpret sediments and sedimentary rocks for a variety of different purposes. Specific foci of the unit will be the identification of the recent or ancient environment in which sedimentary materials were deposited, the environmental controls which produce sedimentary structures, and the processes that control the production, movement and storage of sediment bodies. On completion of this unit students will be familiar with the natural processes that produce and modify sediments across a range of environments at the Earth's surface, including fluvial, aeolian, lacustrine, marginal marine and deep marine environments. The various controls on the sedimentary record such as climate and sea-level change, as well as diagenesis and geochemical cycles will also be discussed. Practical exercises will require students to examine global datasets, and determine the properties and significance of sediments and sedimentary rocks. The course is relevant to students interested in petroleum or mineral exploration, environmental and engineering geology as well as marine geoscience.

This unit has the same objectives as GEOS3103 and is suitable for students who wish to pursue aspects of the subject in greater depth. Entry is restricted and selection is made from the applicants on the basis of their performance at the time of enrolment. Students who elect to take this unit will participate in alternatives to some aspects of the standard unit and will be required to pursue independent work to meet unit objectives. Specific details for this unit of study will be announced in meetings with students in week 1 of semester.

This unit introduces the common geophysical methods used to investigate the interior and dynamics of the Earth and focuses on the techniques used for mineral and hydrocarbon exploration. On completion of this unit students will have developed a thorough understanding of the common geophysical methods utilised in academia, the environmental resource exploration industry. They will be able to evaluate and critically assess most forms of geophysical data as well as actively participate in geophysical explorations. Furthermore the course will provide the students with the computational skills to process different geophysical data in an applied, resource exploration-centred perspective. The unit is aimed at students with interests in land-based and marine resource exploration, plate tectonics, internal earth structure/dynamics, and near-surface investigations of groundwater resources and environmental pollution. Students wishing to specialise in the field and become professional geophysicists will normally need to expand upon the geophysics knowledge gained from this unit and either complete an honours project or progress to postgraduate coursework in this field. In 2013 a geophysical field prac will be run, taking the students out to an area to be determined to undergo practical experience in geophysical data acquisition (gravity, ground penetrating radar, magnetics), and subsequent processing and interpretation of the data.

This unit has the same objectives as GEOS3104 and is suitable for students who wish to pursue aspects of the subject in greater depth. Entry is restricted and selection is made from the applicants on the basis of their performance at the time of enrolment. Students who elect to take this unit will participate in alternatives to some aspects of the standard unit and will be required to pursue independant work to meet unit objectives. Specific details for this unit of study will be announced in meetings with students in week 1 of semester.