Caricamento in corso...
Geology
01PZGTR
A.A. 2023/24
Course Language
Inglese
Degree programme(s)
1st degree and Bachelor-level of the Bologna process in Civil And Environmental Engineering - Torino
Course structure
| Teaching | Hours |
|---|---|
| Lezioni | 42 |
| Esercitazioni in aula | 18 |
Lecturers
| Teacher | Status | SSD | h.Les | h.Ex | h.Lab | h.Tut | Years teaching |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Gizzi Martina | Ricercatore L240/10 | GEOS-03/B | 42 | 6 | 0 | 0 | 3 |
Co-lectures
Context
| SSD | CFU | Activities | Area context | GEO/05 | 6 | B - Caratterizzanti | Ingegneria ambientale e del territorio |
|---|
2023/24
The course provides basic knowledge of geology and geomorphology necessary for the various typical activities of civil and environmental engineering.
The course is aimed at students with a basic background and is aimed at providing knowledge regarding the nature and formation of rocks, geomorphological and geodynamic processes, notions of tectonics and stratimetry. This knowledge represents a necessary background for the subsequent courses in Geotechnics, Hydraulics and Materials Science
Geology is the primary Earth Science and looks at how the Earth formed its structure and composition and the types of processes acting on it.
The course provides basic geological knowledge, especially regarding the lithosphere, the phenomena that occur in it, and their relationship with human activities. This knowledge provides a necessary basis for subsequent courses in Environmental Engineering, Geotechnics, Science and Technology of Materials.
The course combines theoretical and practical studies and aims to enable students to acquire skills relevant to different areas of Civil and Environmental Engineering, thus allowing them to characterise the different geological contexts in which an environmental engineer will have to work.
Students will be able to know the main mineral-petrographic characteristics of the most common rocks, the morphologies and the morphological evolution of the land, the tectonic structures, to have general knowledge on geodynamics, to draw simple geological sections and to interpret a geological map.
At the end of the course, students will have acquired knowledge about:
- Fundamental principles of the Earth Science: geological timescales, principles of stratigraphy, Earth’s internal and external structure features.
- Main mineralogical and petrographic characteristics of rocks, tectonic structures, landscape morphologies and sedimentary deposits
- Guidelines for geological maps analysis
- Guidelines and methodologies for geological cross-sections construction and analysis
At the end of the course, students will have acquired abilities for:
- Identifying minerals and classifying rocks
- Drawing geological cross-sections and interpreting geological maps at different scales
- Using technical language for the description of geological structures and the analysis of geological cartography
General knowledge of physics and chemistry are required
Basic knowledge of mathematics, physics, chemistry and geography.
First part:
The geochemical composition of the crust and the subdivision of the Earth on a geophysical basis (Preliminary Reference Earth Model). The general classification of minerals. Igneous (intrusive and effusive), sedimentary and metamorphic rocks. The cycle of rocks. Structure, texture and attitude of the rocks. Weathering of the rocks. (1.5 credits).
Second part:
Glacial landforms and desert environments. Scree, alluvial plains and alluvial fans, meanders, deltas and coastal areas (1.5 credits).
Third part:
Principles of tectonics (folds, faults), geodynamics (volcanism, seismicity, plate tectonics). Elements of Stratimetry (1 credit)
Exercises (2 credits):
Macroscopic recognition of rock samples;
Drawing of hydrographic basins;
Realization of geological sections
The course is subdivided into three main sections.
Section I:
The Earth system: the geochemical composition of the crust and the subdivision of the Earth on a geophysical basis (Preliminary Reference Earth Model). The general classification of minerals and rocks: igneous (intrusive and effusive), sedimentary, and metamorphic rocks. The cycle of rocks. Structure, texture, and attitude of the rocks. Weathering of the rocks (2 credits).
Section II:
Principles of sedimentary geology. Sedimentary environments, landscape morphologies, and deposits: Alluvial plains and alluvial fans, meanders, deltas, and coastal areas (1 credit).
Section III:
Principles of structural geology (folds, faults), geodynamics (volcanism, seismicity, plate tectonics).
Elements of Stratimetry and Geological Mapping: attitude of geological layers and their relationships with the topography (topographic map) (1.8 credit)
Principles of hydrogeology: underground water circulation, the geology of the aquifers aquifer and hydrogeological basins
(Exercises (1.2 credits):
Macroscopic recognition of rock samples.
Interpretation of geological maps at different scales and construction of geological sections (traditional methods and/or use of available open-source software).
The course is 60 hours long and it is organised as follows:
40 hours are dedicated to lectures on basic theoretical aspects
The 20 hours of practice will be divided as follows:
5 hours of macroscopic recognition of samples of common rocks (igneous, sedimentary and metamorphic)
3 hours tracing of a catchment area
12 hours realization of geological sections
Technical visits are planned for the in situ observation of rocks and morphologies
Lessons and exercises will be held in plenary sessions.
The course is organised as follows: 48 h dedicated to lectures on basic theoretical aspects and 12 h dedicated to practical exercises.
Technical visits are planned for the in situ observation of rocks and landscape morphologies.
Books of reference (available at Department library):
Parriaux Aurele – GEOLOGY Basic for Engineers, Second Edition – CRC Press
Material available on the web (portale della didattica): lecture slides, limited portions of reference books, collection of exercises.
Reference books (available at the Department Library - CULTURAL AREA GEORISOURCES, HYDRAULICS, TRANSPORT and ROADS):
Parriaux A. (2018) – GEOLOGY Basic for Engineers. CRC Press Second Edition. 590 pp.
Grotzinger J.P., Jordan T.H. (2018) - Capire la Terra. Zanichelli, 736 pp.
Material available on the Polito website: lecture slides, videos, collection of exercises.
Dispense; Esercitazioni di laboratorio; Materiale multimediale ;
Lecture notes; Lab exercises; Multimedia materials;
Modalità di esame: Prova scritta (in aula); Prova orale facoltativa;
Exam: Written test; Optional oral exam;
...
The exam is aimed at evaluating knowledge, competences and skills acquired during the course.
One question for each part of the course (0 to 9 points for each question)
Evaluation of the exercises carried out during the course (from 0 to 3 points)
Rules during oral exams:
the student will need a paper sheet and a pen
the student must show his/her identification document
Gli studenti e le studentesse con disabilità o con Disturbi Specifici di Apprendimento (DSA), oltre alla segnalazione tramite procedura informatizzata, sono invitati a comunicare anche direttamente al/la docente titolare dell'insegnamento, con un preavviso non inferiore ad una settimana dall'avvio della sessione d'esame, gli strumenti compensativi concordati con l'Unità Special Needs, al fine di permettere al/la docente la declinazione più idonea in riferimento alla specifica tipologia di esame.
Exam: Written test; Optional oral exam;
Written test; Optional oral exam.
The exam is aimed at evaluating theoretical knowledge and practical abilities acquired during the course. In detail, he written exam is meant for verifing the above reported skills (see Expected Learning Outcomes): identifying minerals and classifying rocks, drawing geological cross-sections and interpreting geological maps at different scales, using technical language for the description of geological phenomena, structures and the analysis of the specific cartography.
The written examination consists of a set of closed (20) and open (2) questions, numerically evaluated. If the numerical assessment is sufficient (over 18/30) students can ask for an optional oral exam to improve the final evaluation. In the open questions, the notational clarity and the exhibition rigor allow acquiring the laude.
In addition to the message sent by the online system, students with disabilities or Specific Learning Disorders (SLD) are invited to directly inform the professor in charge of the course about the special arrangements for the exam that have been agreed with the Special Needs Unit. The professor has to be informed at least one week before the beginning of the examination session in order to provide students with the most suitable arrangements for each specific type of exam.