EOSC 323 · Structural Geology I

The analysis and interpretation of structural deformation.
Pre-requisites for this course are both EOSC 221 and EOSC 223, and one of EOSC 220 or EOSC 222
Syllabus
Week | Lecture | Topic | Lab Note Chapters are 4th Ed | Reading Fossen* | Reading Pluijm and Marshak |
1 Sept 2 | 1 | Labour Day Introduction | NO LABS | ||
2 Sept 9 | 2 3 | Primary Structures Stress I | 1. Structures in Hand Sample 1 | Chap 1 Chap 4 | Chap 1 Chap 2 |
3 Sept 16 | 4 5 | Stress II – Mohr Strain analysis I | 2. #^Structure contours, bed thickness and attitudes (Ch. 2 – manual) | Chap 5 Chap 21 | Chap 2 Chap 6 |
4 Sept 23 | 6 7 | Strain analysis II Strain analysis III | 3. #^Stereonets (Ch. 3 – manual) | Chap 3 | Chap 6 |
5 Sept 30 | 8 | National Day for Truth and Reconciliation Rheology | NO LABS | Chap 6 | Chap 10 |
6 Oct 7 | 9 10 | Deformation Mechanisms I Deformation Mechanisms II | 4. #^Bree Creek Project I Strat. and x-sections | Chap 11 | Chap 3 Chap 7 |
7 Oct 14 | Thanksgiving Day Midterm Exam (Oct 16) | NO LABS Take home problem set | |||
8 Oct 21 | 11 12 | Fold I – geometry Folds II | 5. ^Fold lab (Ch. 4 and 5 manual) | Chap 12 Chap 12 | Chap 8 |
9 Oct 28 | 13 14 | Folds III Foliations/lineations | 6.Bree Creek Project 2 Folds | Chap 12 Chap 13 & 14 | Chap 8 Chap 9 |
10 Nov 4 | 15 16 | Faults Intro Brittle Failure I – Joints | 7. #Bree Creek Project 3 Faults (Ch. 12 manual) | Chap 92 Chap 7 & 8 | Chap 3&5 Chap 4 |
11 Nov 11 | Mid-Semester Break Mid-Semester Break | NO LABS | |||
12 Nov 18 | 17 18 | Brittle Failure II Thrust faults | 8. Structures in Hand Sample 2 | Chap 10 Chap 17 | Chap 11 Chap 13 |
13 Nov 25 | 19 20 | Normal faults Strike slip faults
| Lab Exam | Chap 18 Chap 19 | Chap 12 Chap 14 |
14 Dec 2 | 21 22 | Shear Zones Review | Chap 16 | Chap 5 |
Course Content
Structural geology involves the analysis and interpretation of natural deformation. Students should be able to:
- Describe the relationship between stress and strain, and measure strain in rocks that have undergone deformation
- Identify and describe geological structures representing both brittle and ductile deformation at a variety of scales
- Evaluate geological data (maps and structural measurements) to determine the geological history of an area
- Create cross-sections from map data to investigate structures in the third dimension
Appreciate the complexities of geological structures resulting from tectonic processes