GEO3100 – Environmental Geology
Course description
Schedule, syllabus and examination date
Course content
Environmental Geology covers the interactions between geology and human activities and gives an overview of environmental problems and challenges in geosciences. It deals with water- and soil-resources, contaminated sediments, carbon capture and storage (CCS), the use of micropaleontology in environmental studies to establish reference conditions, impacts of mining activities, climate change from a perspective of natural variation, sustainable use of natural resources, and waste- and pollution control.
Learning outcome
After having completed this course, you will be able to
- understand the basic geological processes and principles involved in environmental geology
- discuss different kinds of renewable energy and their main environmental challenges
- discuss how CO2 can be stored in the subsurface
- evaluate and discuss natural versus man-made environmental changes
- discuss environmental aspects of mining activity
Admission to the course
Students who are admitted to study programmes at UiO must each semester register which courses and exams they wish to sign up for?in Studentweb.
Special admission requirements
In addition to fulfilling the Higher Education Entrance Qualification, applicants have to meet the following special admission requirements:
- Mathematics R1 (or Mathematics S1 and S2)
And in addition one of these:
- Mathematics R2
- Physics (1+2)
- Chemistry (1+2)
- Biology (1+2)
- Information technology (1+2)
- Geosciences (1+2)
- Technology and theories of research (1+2)
Mathematics R2 was a requirement up until and including the study year 2021/2022, as part of a trial arrangement. From and including the study year 2022/2023, Mathematics R2 is no longer a requirement.
The special admission requirements may also be covered by equivalent studies from Norwegian upper secondary school or by other equivalent studies (in Norwegian).
Recommended previous knowledge
At least an introductory course in geosciences and/or environmental sciences is recommended as previous knowledge.
Overlapping courses
- 10 credits overlap with GEO4100 – Environmental Geology.
Teaching
Teaching consists of lectures (4 hrs) and seminars/colloquia (4 hrs) weekly for 12 weeks. Everybody is expected to participate in the seminars/colloquia and to give 2-4 oral presentations (mandatory). The presentations must be approved before sitting the final examination.
Attendance at the first lecture is compulsory. Students who fail to meet are considered to have withdrawn from the course unless they have previously given notice to the Student administration (studieinfo@geo.uio.no).
We reserve the right to change the teaching?form and examination of the course in semesters where 5 or fewer students have been admitted.
Examination
- 2-4 mandatory oral presentations have to be approved before you can sit the final written examination.
- A final written examination counts 100% towards the final grade.
Mandatory activities are valid for 5 semesters starting from the semester they were approved the first time.
It is possible to take the exam up to 3 times. If you?withdraw from the exam?after the deadline or during the exam, this will be counted as an examination attempt.
It will also be counted as one of the three attempts to sit the exam for this course if you sit the exam for the following course:
Examination support material
Language of examination
Courses taught in English will only offer the exam paper in English.
You may write your examination paper in Norwegian, Swedish, Danish or English.
Grading scale
Grades are awarded on a scale from A to F, where A is the best grade and F is a fail. Read more about the grading system.
Resit an examination
Students who can document a valid reason for absence from the regular examination are offered a postponed examination at the beginning of the next semester.
Re-scheduled examinations are not offered to students who withdraw during, or did not pass, the original examination.
More about examinations at UiO
- Use of sources and citations
- Special exam arrangements due to individual needs
- Withdrawal from an exam
- Illness at exams / postponed exams
- Explanation of grades and appeals
- Resitting an exam
- Cheating/attempted cheating
You will find further guides and resources at the web page on examinations at UiO.