GEOCHEMISTRY
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- Versione italiana
- Academic year
- 2022/2023
- Teacher
- COSTANZA BONADIMAN
- Credits
- 6
- Didactic period
- Primo Semestre
- SSD
- GEO/08
Training objectives
- The Course gives the chance to explore the element formation and distribution in the Solar System and the Earth planet.
The main aim of the Course is to provide basic knowledge for understanding geological process related to transfer, distribution, concentration of elements in terrestrial material. Students will acquire knowledges of geochemical methods, which will be subsequently applied in in other Courses.
The main acquired knowledge will be:
• Earth geochemical composition
• Understanding the geochemical element behaviour in the main geological processes.
• Basic knowledges of the most important isotopic systematics for geochronology and for understanding the Earth geochemical evolution.
• Isotopic fractionation (stable isotopes) and application.
The basic acquired abilities (that are the capacity of applying the acquired knowledge) will be:
• Evaluate the suitable geochemical tool for specific geological problem.
• Use the isotope geochemistry for dating rocks
• Being able to disclose the most important processes responsible for Earth formation in the Solar System. Prerequisites
- Concepts and the knowledge provided by the “Chemistry” and "Mineralogy" courses are mandatory. Basic concepts of the Earth’s internal structures from “Geology” Course are also strongly recommended.
Course programme
- The course forecasts 50 hours of teaching in frontal lectures and practices .
Cosmochemistry (8 hours)
• Stellar evolution
• Nuclosynthesis
• Origin of the Solar System
• Formation of the terrestrial planets
Chemical Differentiation of the Earth (8 hours)
• Internal structure of the Earth
• Primary differentiation of the Earth (Core - Mantle)
• the Crust
• The hydroshere
Revision of basic chemical concepts (6 hours)
• Principles of inorganic chemistry: structure of atom, periodic table, chemical bonds, ionic crystals; Mineral chemistry.
Elementary thermodynamics for geologists (12 hours)
• Introduction and definitions
• Standard states, activities and fugacities
• Multicomponent solids and fluids
• Geothermometry and geobarometry
• Silicate melts
• Behaviour of trace components
Geochemical modelling/practices (8 hours)
Major elements : classificative diagrams in igneous and sedimentary rocks; variation diagrams
Melting modelling ; fractionation modelling
Isotope Geochemmistry(Practices 10 0 hours)
• decay modes: mechanism of decay, law of decay.
• Geochrometry: dating systematics: K-Ar; Ar-Ar ; Sr-Nd; Sm-Nd and U-Th-Pb series; Pb-Pb;.
• Cosmogenic nuclides; principles of 14C method.
• Stable isotopes and isotopic fractions.
Hints to application of geochemistry to the solution of global problems (4 hours)
• Geochemical cycles
• Chemistry of the Atmosphere Didactic methods
- The course is organized as follow:
• frontal lessons and practices on all the course’s topics;
Lessons have the support of on-screen presentations, constantly updated. Lessons are made available for students at conclusion of each subject matter. Learning assessment procedures
- .The aim of the exam is to verify at which level the learning objectives previously described have been acquired.
The exam can be exploited as two written tests (partial exams) or as oral, that implies the discussion of the same questions of the written tests, taken together.
A first partial exam is on all the topics covered in the first half of the course, clearly indicated to the classroom before the test. The test is intended evaluating the degree of understanding of the topics.
The student must choose a project from those indicated by the teacher and illustrate it with oral presentation (30 minutes) that will be evaluated with a grade which takes into account:
- capability to introduce the scientific issue
- capability to present the data set
- capability to discuss the results
-capability to propose conclusions.
The test is passed with at least 18 points out of 30.
The second partial exam is on all the topics covered in the last part of the course, clearly indicated to the classroom before the test. The test is intended evaluating the degree of understanding of the topics. The partial exam includes 6 questions (each of score 5): 4 require open answers, 2 require simple numerical problem solving. .Assigned time: 2 hours. The test is passed with at least 18 points out of 30. It is not allowed consulting text books or use PCs, smart phones, iwatch, etc. Periodic table and Nuclide chart are included the test sheet.
The final score takes into account the results obtained in the partial tests. Reference texts
- Faure G., Principles and applications of inorganic geochemistry, Prentice Hall, 1998
Wood B.J.; Fraser D.G. Elementary Thermodynamics for Geologists; Oxford University press, 1977
