| Course Description: |
The structural geology component of the course introduces the basic concepts of brittle and ductile deformation processes and how they control the strength, mechanical behaviour and development of structures in the Earth's continental crust. The course provides an understanding of the forces driving deformation, and the displacements and strains associated with simple crustal deformations. Emphasis is placed on (1) illustrating how deformation processes change under the influence of changing pressures and temperatures with increasing depth in the lithosphere, and (2) examining the basic types of structures produced by single episodes of brittle and ductile deformation of the continental crust, and how their styles and geometries vary as a function of depth in the continental crust. The field geology component of the course is a practical, field-based program which introduces the fundamentals of geologic mapping techniques in undeformed to simply folded and faulted and relatively unmetamorphosed sedimentary and igneous terrains. The week will be composed of three assessable assignments: measuring stratigraphic columns, mapping igneous contacts, and introduction to mapping deformed sediments. |