GEOS 3102/3802: Global Energy and Resources

GEOS 3102 Global Energy and Resources (6cp)
GEOS 3802 Global Energy and Resources (Advanced) (6cp)
Dr Derek Wyman and A/Prof Gavin Birch


Session: February
Prerequisites: 16 credit points of Intermediate Science or CIVL 2409
Prohibitions: May not be counted with GEOS 3006 or GEOS 3906
Classes: 2 hours of lectures and 3 hours of practicals per week
Assessment: Practical work (50%) includes a mandatory 3-day excursion to central NSW for visits to mines and past producing ore deposit sites; a 2 hour final exam (50%). Independent assessment is required for the Advanced Unit of Study

This Unit examines the processes that form energy and mineral resources, outlines the characteristics of the 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 & migration, hydrocarbon traps & maturation; precious metal, base metal, & 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. An excursion to active and historic mining sites in NSW will complement the practical studies.

Course Outline (pdf)