Field course in exogene geology

This course is available as a single course. The number of participants is limited, and students in the master's programme have priority.

This intensive, field-based course in East Finnmark uses Holocene and Late Precambrian outcrops to develop practical skills in systematic data collection, sedimentary logging, process interpretation and stratigraphic analysis from bed-scale structures to basin-scale architecture.

A pre-departure seminar introduces digital outcrop models, key literature and other online resources to familiarize participants with the geology of selected localities. Fieldwork begins with modern sidebars and raised post-glacial fluviodeltaic terraces along the active Tana River to demonstrate links between depositional processes, surface morphology and facies architecture, then applies those principles to the celebrated Late Precambrian succession of the Varanger Peninsula.

Here, the students will examine outcropping deposits of glacial, fluvial, shallow-marine and deep-marine (turbidite) origin, including world-class Neoproterozoic tillites linked to global glaciations central to the Snowball Earth hypothesis. Emphasis is placed on reconstructing ancient depositional environments, distinguishing syn-sedimentary deformation from later tectonic overprint, and assessing the roles of regional fault zones, sediment sources and palaeo-valley formation in shaping the investigated sedimentary rock record.

The course provides hands-on experience in logging and interpretation, and an integrated understanding of how depositional processes and tectonics together determine sedimentary facies and basin-fill architecture.

Knowledge

The student has

• knowledge about how to do fieldwork and acquire sedimentological data in unconsolidated sediments and sedimentary rocks.
• an understanding of how various sedimentary facies and architectural elements relate to classical facies models for different depositional environments.
• an understanding of how tectonics influence sedimentary systems, both during and after deposition.
• knowledge of the Upper Precambrian (Neoproterozoic) stratigraphy and depositional systems exposed on the Varanger Peninsula, and their key characteristics.
• an overview of global Neoproterozoic glaciations and their stratigraphic expression in the Varanger region, including the world-famous Bigganjargga locality, together with knowledge on how to recognize tillites/diamictites and critically assess their origin.

Skills

The student can

• prepare fieldwork using online resources (e.g. topographic maps, aerial imagery, digital outcrop models, geological maps, LiDAR etc.) and implement a systematic data acquisition plan including sedimentary logging, photo-documentation, palaeocurrent measurements and field sketching.
• identify principal sedimentary facies and key stratigraphic surfaces in siliciclastic sedimentary successions in the field.
• apply the concept of sedimentary facies analysis to interpret and understand sedimentary processes and their products.
• analyze facies assemblages, architectural elements, and stacking patterns to identify depositional environments and critically assess competing depositional models.

General competences

The student can

• find and use relevant literature and online resources necessary to solve a sedimentological/stratigraphic problem.
• acquire and synthesize field, remote‑sensing/digital, and literature data to construct, test, and refine conceptual models for interpreting sedimentary systems.
• evaluate sedimentological data against facies models, critically compare alternative interpretations, and justify the preferred model with evidence, in a team.
• analyze and solve problems in written English, present research orally, and give/receive feedback on field-observation presentations to improve their data collection, interpretation, and communication skills.

Recommended prerequisites

GEO-2003 Quaternary geology and glaciology, GEO-2005 Sedimentology, GEO-2006 Introduction to applied geophysics

If you pass the examination in this course, you will get an reduction in credits (as stated below), if you previously have passed the following courses:

• GEO-8113 Field course in Exogene Geology 5 ects

10 days of field course/excursion. Students will work in groups.

Approval of training in health, safety, and environment prior to the field course and excursion. This includes the use of helmets, high-visibility safety vests etc., and the use of geological equipment (e.g., hammer, spade, scraper, magnifier) in the field. Participation in the field course/excursion is mandatory.

Language of instruction and examination

Schedule

Re-sit examination