GEOLOGY 205G New Zealand – Half a Billion Years on the Edge

Schedule
Schedule E: Physical Sciences

Semester
Semester One

Campus
City Campus

This course takes you on a 500 million year journey through New Zealand’s geologic past, from its birth on the margins of the supercontinent of Gondwana to its present position on an active plate margin and the consequences of this.

For students wanting to find out more about New Zealand's geology. This course does not require previous knowledge of Geology. However, please note that there is a prerequisite of 75 points passed in any subject.

On successful completion of the course, you should have an understanding and appreciation of:

• New Zealand’s geologic origins and geologic history.
• New Zealand’s present geographic location the unique geological consequences of this.
• The history of New Zealand’s unique biota.
• The impact that humans have had on New Zealand.

The lecture course is structured under five main themes:

1. New Zealand’s beginnings – where and how New Zealand originated on a supercontinental margin.
2. New Zealand’s mid-life crisis – how New Zealand came to be isolated in the Pacific.
3. New Zealand’s later years – development of New Zealand’s unique geologic features and biota.
4. Modern New Zealand – the consequences of New Zealand’s unique modern location “On The Edge”.
5. Humans and New Zealand – how human settlers have affected New Zealand’s biota and landscape.

The delivery format includes lectures, field trips and independent reading. The following time inputs are indicative of what a student may spend on this course:

• 24 hours lectures (24 x 1 hour lectures).
• 8 hours field trip.
• 40 hours independent reading.
• 48 hours assignments (geoflyer; report).
• 27 hours exam preparation.
• 3 hours exam.

Lecture times are Tuesday 12-1pm (ENG3401) and Wednesday 1-2pm (ALR5).

Compulsory (examinable) Saturday field trip to Muriwai Beach, date TBA – leave University early and return by mid-afternoon.

• Assignment 1 – Geoflyer; an info leaflet on a unique aspect of New Zealand geology — 20%
• Assignment 2 – Written report (topic TBA) synthesising a limited information set regarding an economically important geologic phenomenon — 30%
• Final exam — 50%

Requirements to pass this course
The Faculty of Science regulations (Part 5 – Practical Requirements) state that you must pass both written and practical components to pass a Science course.

For GEOLOGY 205/205G these are:

• Written: geoflyer, report and final exam.
• Practical: there is no practical component (labs, etc) to this course.

Your final grade will be an aggregate of:

• 20% of marks gained from the geoflyer.
• 30% of marks gained from the report.
• 50% of marks gained from the final exam.

An aggregate mark of at least 50% is required to pass.

• Relevant readings and references are given during each lecture.
• For those unfamiliar with some of the geologic concepts introduced any introductory level geology text will fill in the necessary details. The following is recommended: Marshak, S., 2008. Earth: Portrait of a Planet (Third Edition). W.W. Norton & Company, Inc. ISBN 0-393-93036-X. Available for purchase at UBS and for loan from the General Library.

Lecture notes and other course information
Lecture notes are downloaded from CECIL and are available at least one day (generally more) before a lecture. No hard copies are provided. CECIL is the primary source of all course information.