FOUNDATIONS OF GEOLOGY AND GEOMORPHOLOGY
Academic year and teacher
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- Versione italiana
- Academic year
- 2021/2022
- Teacher
- MARCO STEFANI
- Credits
- 6
- Didactic period
- Primo Semestre
- SSD
- GEO/02
Training objectives
- The course is aimed at providing an introduction to the importance of the geological and on the geomorphical framework for the understanding of the historic architecture and of the town evolution in Italy. The lessons will illustrate the classification of the main rock types, with a particular attention for the lithologies used in the ancient Italian architecture. Examples will be selected from Europe and Italy. The influences of the geomorphological framework on the urban development of Italian towns will also be discussed, with attention for the alluvial plain settings.
Prerequisites
- No previous specialist knowledge is needed for the course to be profitably followed. Some knowledge of the history of architecture and sculpture helps in the understanding of the sections focused on the use of rocks in architecture.
Course programme
- The lessons will be focused on several topics.
Introduction to the course topics, structure, and to the examination procedure.
Introduction to the basic concepts of crystallography, mineralogy and petrography.
Petrographic classification:
Magmatic, intrusive and effusive rocks,
Sedimentary rocks, terrigenous, carbonate, and evaporitic lithologies,
Metamorphic rocks, metamorphic grade.
The use of rocks in architecture and sculpture.
Examples from ancient buildings in Italy: Turin, Milan, Venice, Padua, Ferrara, Bologna, Florence. Rome, Naples, Lecce, Catania, etc..
Influences of the natural framework on the development of urban centres, with attention for the relationship between fluvial evolution and urban growth, as in the case histories of Ferrara and Padua.
For any further clarification on the course organization and topics, feel free to contact the teacher, Prof. Marco Stefani, by Email. Due the present pandemic condition, discussion will be organized on line. Didactic methods
- Oral lections with Power Point projections. Due to the ongoing Covid19 pandemic, the lessons were recorded and are now available on line.
Learning assessment procedures
- The students will produce a presentation on a personal research topic, dealing with a subject proposed by the candidate and approved by the teacher, before the examination date. The presentation will be PowerPoint supported. Possible research topics are, for instance, the use of rocks in ancient building or the geological and geomorphological influence on a town development. A direct visit experience of the candidate on the presentation topic is desirable. The research subject can be selected from Italian or extra-Italian areas. The oral presentation will be about 20 minutes long and can be held in Italian, English, French, or Spanish languages. Questions on the different topics discussed through the lessons will follow.
Reference texts
- No comprehensive text book exists at a level adequate to the course. Several books provide an elementary introduction to the Physical Geography and to basic concepts of the Earth Sciences. Because of this clear lack of adequate textbook, a constant attention to the recorded lections is important.
