Structural Geology (ERTH2004)

Course overview

Analysis of ductile and brittle deformation. Introduction to stress, strain and fracture theory. Geometry and dynamics of faulting, folding and related structures. Interpretation of geological maps and subsurface structures.

Structural geology is one of the most elementary skills of the professional geologist. The emphasis of this course is on the recognition of geological structures in the field, the three-dimensional visualisation of geological structures, and the documentation of structural elements in geological maps.

The course material provides a comprehensive and well-founded knowledge of the fundamentals of structural geology. Students are introduced to the array of structures that deform the Earth’s crust. The course is based on teaching students to be able to deal with areas that have been deformed once, such as in simple fold-and-thrust belts. The emphasis is on understanding the underlying theory of how simple structures form, and on how they are mapped and analysed by professional geologists.

The course material includes an introduction to the concepts of stress and strain, and a review on the various modes of brittle and ductile deformation. Geotechnical issues associated with how rocks response to forces (stresses) are also discussed. The hand-on contact hours provide students an understanding of the link between structural geology and other Earth Sciences disciplines, such as tectonics and economic geology, as well as to mining and mineral process engineering.

The course includes a major practical component, concentrating mainly on mapping geological structures, constructing cross sections, and interpreting geological maps. Students learn to use the basic tools that are required to produce structural maps and to understand their 3-D geometry. The utilisation of stereographic projections for structural analysis is emphasised and practiced. During the practical classes, students are required to solve real-life problems relevant to the work of professional geologists. Most methods taught in the practical classes are essential for students’ third level field activities.

The course has a field component, where students are required to work in groups and produce a structural map.ﾠ

Structural Geology is an essential course for geologists and geophysicists, and is recommended for geochemists, environmental geochemists and engineering students interested in the application of basic structural geology to the exploration, mining, and environmental industries. The course is offered every year, and it is one of the core second-year courses for students wishing to graduate with a BSc in EarthﾠSciences.

Course requirements

Assumed background

Students should beﾠfamiliar with geological terms and concepts introduced at the first year level. Pertinent terms and concepts that should form prior knowledge for the course are summarised in the course outline referenced above. Any of this assumed geological background is also examinable in this course. The course also assumes competency in basic mathematics, particularly trigonometry.

Prerequisites

You'll need to complete the following courses before enrolling in this one:

ERTH1000 or ERTH1501

Course contact

Course staff

Timetable

The timetable for this course is available on the UQ Public Timetable.

Additional timetable information

The field trip will be held on a Saturday or a Sunday (date TBC).

Aims and outcomes

The aims of ERTH2004 are:ﾠ

• to introduceﾠthe array of structures that deform the Earth’s crust,
• to learnﾠbasic tools that helpﾠunderstanding 3-D geometries of geological structuresﾠ
• to learn how to produce maps and cross sections of geologicalﾠstructures

The course is based on teaching you to be able to deal with areas that have been deformed once, such as in simple fold-and-thrust belts. The emphasis will be on understanding the underlying theory of how simple structures form, and on how they are mapped and analysed by professional geologists.

Learning outcomes

After successfully completing this course you should be able to:

Assessment

Assessment summary

A hurdle is an assessment requirement that must be satisfied in order to receive a specific grade for the course. Check the assessment details for more information about hurdle requirements.

Assessment details

Lab assignments

Mode

Written

Category

Paper/ Report/ Annotation

Weight

35%

Due date

Week 2 Prac Report: 14/03/2025 12:00 pm

Week 3 Prac Report: 21/03/2025 12:00 pm

Week 4 Prac Report: 28/03/2025 12:00 pm

Week 5 Prac Report: 4/04/2025 12:00 pm

Week 6 Prac Report: 11/04/2025 12:00 pm

Week 7 Prac Report: 2/05/2025 12:00 pm

Week 9 Prac Report: 9/05/2025 12:00 pm

Week 10 Prac Report: 16/05/2025 12:00 pm

Week 11 Prac Report: 23/05/2025 12:00 pm

Reports must be submitted one week after each lab.

Week 1 practical report will not be assessed.

Learning outcomes

L01, L02, L03, L04, L05, L06, L07, L08

Task description

Submission guidelines

Must be submitted as a hard copy in class.

If you are unable to attend class, you must submit through Turnitin via Blackboard.

Deferral or extension

You may be able to apply for an extension.

The maximum extension allowed is 28 days. Extensions are given in multiples of 24 hours.

See the Additional assessment information section further below for information relating to extension and deferral applications.

Late submission

A penalty of 10% of the maximum possible mark will be deducted per 24 hours from time submission is due for up to 7 days. After 7 days, you will receive a mark of 0.

You are required to submit assessable items on time. If you fail to meet the submission deadline for any assessment item, then 10% of the maximum possible mark for the assessment item (assessment ‘marked from’ value) will be deducted as a late penalty for every day (or part day) late after the due date. For example, if you submit your assignment 1 hour late, you will be penalised 10%; if your assignment is 24.5 hours late, you will be penalised 20% (because it is late by one 24-hour period plus part of another 24-hour period). 

Field map assignment

Mode

Written

Category

Paper/ Report/ Annotation

Weight

15%

Due date

Maps must be submitted at the end of the field day, before leaving the field site. Due date and time TBA.

Learning outcomes

L01, L02, L03, L04, L05, L06, L07, L08

Task description

Submission guidelines

Maps must be submitted to the course coordinator at the end of the field day.

Deferral or extension

You may be able to apply for an extension.

The maximum extension allowed is 28 days. Extensions are given in multiples of 24 hours.

Students who cannot participate in the fieldwork will be required to complete an alternative assessment item.

Late submission

You will receive a mark of 0 if this assessment is submitted late.

Work must be submitted on the day of the field activity. Late submissions will not be accepted.

End of semester theory examination

• Hurdle
• Identity Verified
• In-person

Mode

Written

Category

Examination

Weight

50%

Due date

End of Semester Exam Period

7/06/2025 - 21/06/2025

Learning outcomes

L01, L02, L03, L04, L05, L06, L07

Task description

Hurdle requirements

Exam details

Submission guidelines

Deferral or extension

You may be able to defer this exam.

See the Additional assessment information section further below for information relating to extension and deferral applications.

Course grading

Full criteria for each grade is available in the Assessment Procedure.

Supplementary assessment

Supplementary assessment is available for this course.

Should you fail a course with a grade of 3, you may be eligible for supplementary assessment. Refer to my.UQ for information on supplementary assessment and how to apply.

Supplementary assessment provides an additional opportunity to demonstrate you have achieved all the required learning outcomes for a course.

If you apply and are granted supplementary assessment, the type of supplementary assessment set will consider which learning outcome(s) have not been met.

Supplementary assessment can take any form (such as a written report, oral presentation, examination or other appropriate assessment) and may test specific learning outcomes tailored to the individual student, or all learning outcomes.

To receive a passing grade of 3S4, you must obtain a mark of 50% or more on the supplementary assessment.

Additional assessment information

Artificial Intelligence (AI)

The assessment tasks in this course evaluate students’ abilities, skills and knowledge without the aid of Artificial Intelligence (AI). Students are advised that the use of AI technologies to develop responses is strictly prohibited and may constitute misconduct under the Student Code of Conduct.

Field Trip Attendance

If you are unable to attend the field trip, please contact your Course Coordinator.

Assessment Submission

It is the responsibility of the student to ensure the on time, correct and complete submission of all assessment items.

Please ensure you receive and save the submission confirmation for all submitted items, you may be asked to produce this as evidence of your submission.

Turnitin

All written assessment must be submitted via the appropriate Turnitin submission portal, which can be found within the Blackboard site. You are responsible for ensuring that your submission is complete. It is wise to re-enter the Turnitin portal and confirm that your submission is there and that it has not been altered during the submission process.

By submitting work through Turnitin you are deemed to have accepted the following declaration “I certify that this assignment is my own work and has not been submitted, either previously or concurrently, in whole or in part, to this University or any other educational institution, for marking or assessment”.

In the case of a Blackboard outage, please contact the Course Coordinator as soon as possible to confirm the outage with ITS.

Assessment/Attendance

Please notify your Course Coordinator as soon as you become aware of any issue that may affect your ability to meet the assessment/attendance requirements of the course. Theﾠmy.UQﾠwebsite and the Course Profile for your course also provide information about your course requirements, the rules associated with your courses and services offered by the University.

A note for repeating students in this course

Any student who enrols in a courseﾠmust notﾠbe given exemption or partial credit from their previous attempt(s) for any individual piece of assessment.ﾠInstead, the student must successfully complete all of the learning activities and assessment items within the study period of enrolmentﾠ(PPL Assessment - Procedures).

If the same assessment item is set from one year to the next, repeating students are allowed to submit the same work they submitted in previous attempts at the course. Where possible SENV recommends that you use the feedback you received in your last attempt to improve parts of the item where you lost marks. Resubmission of an altered or unaltered assessment item by a repeating student (where the same assessment has been set) will not be considered as self-plagiarism.

Applications for Extensions to Assessment Due Dates

Extension requests are submitted online via my.UQ – applying for an extension. Extension requests received in any other way will not be approved. Additional details associated with extension requests, including acceptable and unacceptable reasons, may be found at my.UQ.

Please note:

• Requests for an extension to an assessment due date must be submitted through your my.UQ portal and you must provide documentation of your circumstances, as soon as it becomes evident that an extension is needed. Your application must be submitted on or before the assessment item's due date and time.
• Applications for extension can take time to be processed so you should continue to work on your assessment item while awaiting a decision. We recommend that you submit any completed work by the due date, and this will be marked if your application is not approved. Should your application be approved, then you will be able to resubmit by the agreed revised due date.
• If an extension is approved, you will be notified via your my.UQ portal and the new date and time for submission provided. It is important that you check the revised date as it may differ from the date that you requested.
• If the basis of the application is a medical condition, applications should be accompanied by a medical certificate dated prior to the assignment due date. If you are unable to provide documentation to support your application by the due date and time you must still submit your application on time and attach a written statement (Word document) outlining why you cannot provide the documentation. You must then upload the documentation to the portal within 24 hours.
• If an extension is being sought on the basis of exceptional circumstances, it must be accompanied by supporting documentation (eg. Statutory declaration).
• For extensions based on a SAP you may be granted a maximum of 7 days (if no earlier maximum timeframe applies). See the Extension or Deferral availability section of each assessment for timeframes. Your SAP is all that is required as documentation to support your application. However, additional extension requests for the assessment item will require the submission of additional supporting documentation e.g., a medical certificate. All extension requests must be received by the assessment due date and time.
• An extension for an assessment item due within the teaching period in which the course is offered, must not exceed four weeks in total. If you are incapacitated for a period exceeding four weeks of the teaching period, you are advised to apply for Removal of Course.
• If you have been ill or unable to attend class for more than 4 weeks, you are advised to carefully consider whether you are capable of successfully completing your courses this semester. You might be eligible to withdraw without academic penalty - seek advice from the Faculty that administers your program.
• Students may be asked to submit evidence of work completed to date. Lack of adequate progress on your assessment item may result in an extension being denied.
• There are no provisions for exemption from an assessment item within UQ rules. If you are unable to submit an assessment piece then, under special circumstances, you may be granted an exemption, but may be required to submit alternative assessment to ensure all learning outcomes are met.

Applications to defer an exam

In certain circumstances you can apply to take a deferred examination for in-semester and end-of-semester exams. You'll need to demonstrate through supporting documentation how unavoidable circumstances prevented you from sitting your exam. If you can’t, you can apply for a one-off discretionary deferred exam.

Deferred Exam requests are submitted online via mySi-net. Requests received in any other way will not be approved. Additional details associated with deferred examinations, including acceptable and unacceptable reasons may be found at my.UQ.

Please note:

• Applications can be submitted no later than 5 calendar days after the date of the original exam.
• There are no provisions to defer a deferred exam. You need to be available to sit your deferred examination.
• Your deferred examination request(s) must have a status of "submitted" in mySI-net to be assessed.
• All applications for deferred in-semester examinations are assessed by the relevant school. Applications for deferred end-of-semester examinations are assessed by the Academic Services Division.
• You’ll receive an email to your student email account when the status of your application is updated.
• If you have a medical condition, mental health condition or disability and require alternative arrangements for your deferred exam you’ll need to complete the online alternative exam arrangements through my.UQ. This is in addition to your deferred examinations request. You need to submit this request on the same day as your request for a deferred exam or supplementary assessment. Contact Student Services if you need assistance completing your alternative exam arrangements request.

Learning resources

You'll need the following resources to successfully complete the course. We've indicated below if you need a personal copy of the reading materials or your own item.

Library resources

Find the required and recommended resources for this course on the UQ Library website.

Additional learning resources information

Additional Learning Resources are available through Blackboard

Learning activities

The learning activities for this course are outlined below. Learn more about the learning outcomes that apply to this course.

Additional learning activity information

Students should attend all contact hours. While attendance is not mandatory, past experience shows that non-attendance is directly linked to failure in this subject.

Policies and procedures

University policies and procedures apply to all aspects of student life. As a UQ student, you must comply with University-wide and program-specific requirements, including the:

• Student Code of Conduct Policy
• Student Integrity and Misconduct Policy and Procedure
• Assessment Procedure
• Examinations Procedure
• Reasonable Adjustments - Students Policy and Procedure

Learn more about UQ policies on my.UQ and the Policy and Procedure Library.