GEO4214 – Palynology, Palaeobotany and Palaeoclimatology
Course description
Schedule, syllabus and examination date
Course content
The course gives the students an introduction to the fossil record of land plants and algae, their evolution, biology, and morphology. The primary goal is to provide students with the practical skills to analyze pollen/spores and algae remains with digital microscopy and statistical modelling for the reconstruction of the palaeoenvironment and palaeoclimate.
Learning outcome
After completing the course, you will know
- how selected groups of plants and algae evolved in the fossil record?
- how to identify and classify terrestrial and marine palynomorphs?
- how to use palynofacies to reconstruct sedimentary environments and evaluate their petroleum potential?
- how to use plant fossils (stomata frequency, leaf margin and area) in palaeoclimate reconstructions (atmospheric pCO2 levels, temperature, precipitation)?
- how to use statistical methods to infer palaeoecological and palaeoclimatological trends from palynological assemblages?
- how sedimentary transport and post-depositional processes control the plant fossil record?
Admission to the course
Students admitted at UiO must?apply for courses?in Studentweb. Students enrolled in other master's degree programmes can, on application, be admitted to the course if this is cleared by their own study programme.
Nordic citizens and applicants residing in the Nordic countries may?apply to take this course as a single course student.
If you are not already enrolled as a student at UiO, please see our information about?admission requirements and procedures for international applicants.
Formal prerequisite knowledge
The course includes a compulsory field course and excursions. A health-and-safety course for safety in the field must be passed before you can go on these:
Recommended previous knowledge
- GEO2120 – Sedimentology / GEO2160 – Paleontology and Paleoecology / GEL2120 – Sedimentology, paleontology and stratigraphy (discontinued)
Overlapping courses
- 5 credits overlap with GEO4720 – General micropaleontology (discontinued).
Teaching
2 x 2 hours of lectures and 1 x 2 hours of practical exercises with either (1) literature study and quizzes on Canvas or (2) digital palynological samples every week throughout the semester.
Exercises are mandatory to attend and will be performed in the microscopy lab and in the computer lab in the Geology building. A written report on selected topics related to palynology, palaeobotany or palaeoclimate must be submitted, which counts towards the final grade.
There is a compulsory one-day excursion to the Botanical Garden and Natural History Museum at T?yen, where plant evolution based on examples of "living fossils" will be discussed.?
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.
General information about excursions at the Department of Geosciences
As?the?teaching involves laboratory and/or fieldwork, you should consider taking out a separate travel and personal risk insurance.?Read about your insurance coverage as a student.
Examination
- Attendance at exercises and the excursion must be approved before the final examination for the course.
- The written report counts 50% towards the final grade.
- A final written examination?counts 50% towards the final grade.
- Both the written report and the final written examination must be passed separately in order to pass the course.?
Mandatory assignments 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.
Examination support material
Language of examination
You may submit your response 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.