Course content

The course covers central fields of inorganic geochemistry, focusing on the use of the major element, trace element, radiometric, radiogenic and stable isotope data to understand the evolution of the Earth from initial accretion to its present, differentiated state.

To provide a background for these main topics, the course will give a general introduction to the geochemical classification of the elements and their behaviour in magmatic systems, and the use of radiogenic isotopes to date geological processes, identify source materials, and evaluate the mass balance of processes in the Earth’s mantle and crust.

The practical part of the course covers aspects of analytical geochemistry and handling of analytical data, with emphasis on methods of major and trace element and radiogenic isotope analysis in minerals and rocks, and evaluation of the uncertainty inherent in analytical data. Furthermore, we will work on the interpretation of isotope-geochemical data sets and explore what they can tell us about the evolution of the Earth’s crust and mantle.

Learning outcome

By the end of the course, the student should

  • understand the geochemical classification of the elements and how they were formed
  • know how to use major and trace elements to trace magmatic processes and for tectonic discrimination
  • get acquainted with the thermodynamics of magmatic petrology
  • be able to use geochemical and petrological data to explore melt sources and physical and chemical properties of melts during their evolution from formation to solidification, including fractional crystallisation, assimilation/contamination and emplacement
  • use isotope-geochemistry/isotope geology for melt source characterisation and understanding melt-host rock interaction from melt generation to emplacement
  • get familiar with the main geochronological methods based on radiometric isotopes
  • use isotope geology to trace processes in the mantle and to get an understanding of the geochemical evolution of the Earth, including the formation of the early Earth
  • get acquainted with the use of isotopes as proxies
  • get acquainted with some central analytical methods and how to assess the quality of analytical data

Admission to the course

Students admitted at UiO must?apply for courses?in Studentweb.

This course only admits master's programme students in Geosciences, CS:Geoscience or Chemistry.

The courses GEO4822 and GEO9822 have a joint admission?with a joint capacity of 25 students.?

If there are more than 25 applicants, the applicants will be ranked after the following categories:

  1. Students admitted to one of the following programme options (not prioritized order):?
  2. Students at one of the following programmes:
  3. Students at the following programme:?

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:

Overlapping courses

Teaching

The teaching consists of 2 hours of lectures every week along with 2-4 hours of teaching that can be either seminars or lab practicals. Each student will present a small literature study which must be approved to sit the final exam.?

From the seminars, mandatory assignments shall be submitted and must be approved to sit the final exam. From the lab exercises, submitted assignments will count towards the final grade.

There will be at least one full day of field excursion from which a submitted field report counts towards the final grade.?

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 in semesters where 5 or fewer students have been admitted to the course.

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.

General information about excursions at the Department?of Geosciences

Examination

  • Both the assignments from the seminars and the presentation of the literature study must be approved to sit for the final written exam.
  • Mandatory assignments from the lab practicals will together count 40% towards the final grade.
  • The field report counts 10% towards the final grade.
  • The final written exam counts 50% towards the final grade.
  • All partial assessments must be passed separately to pass the course.?

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 1 of the 3 attempts to sit the exam for this course if you sit the exam for the following course:

Examination support material

Approved calculator

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

You will find further guides and resources at the web page on examinations at UiO.

Last updated from FS (Common Student System) Nov. 5, 2024 7:52:30 AM

Facts about this course

Level
Master
Credits
10
Teaching
Autumn
Examination
Autumn
Teaching language
English

Contact

Department of Geosciences