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Asked by sharpie to Davie, Gemma, James P, James V, Nuala on 29 Jun 2012.
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James Pope answered on 29 Jun 2012:
Hi Sharpie,
What you cover depends on where you study and what you choose to include in your degree. When you do a university degree there are some modules you have to take, but there are lots of modules where you choose and there is lots of choice, so no two degrees have to be identical. The course that I studied included the introductions to the 3 main rock types and how each were formed. I then did some detailed work looking at what we can see from sedimentary rocks and learn from the structures they form. I also studied the natural hazards and tectonic processes of the Earth and my favourite course was all about the formation of the UK and how the world has changed through plate tectonics and the movement of the continents. Some of this also covered the climate of the Earth. We also studied the minerals you get in different types of metamorphic and igneous rocks and what we can learn from them. For my degree I also looked at the chemistry of soils and waters and what changes it. Finally we studied how you extract oil and gas from their reservoirs underground.
A big part of a geology degree is real world training, so I went on fieldtrips to NW Scotland, the Isle of Arran, Oban and Jamaica to learn how to apply techniques such as mapping rocks and doing chemical analysis in the field. This works as job training because you may well use these skills if you become a career geologist. This for me is the best part of a geology degree and during fieldwork and labwork you learn to work as part of a team and you make some great friends and have shared experiences you laugh about for years to come. It’s 7 years from my fieldtrip to Arran, but I still remember and have jokes about things that happened on it and one of my best friends was made there, Pip and I became friends over a solar powered radio and the 5th Ashes Test of the 2005 series!
Other universities have strong palaeontology groups, such as Leeds, so a Leeds geology degree has lots of palaeontology in it, so it can really vary from University to University. If you enjoy geology, then look at a range fo universities and ask them what they include and what options they have. This is totally determined by who does their teaching and what they research. James V may have a very different degree to mine because of where he did his degree. I’m sure he can also tell you all about a Bristol degree and what he teaches on it!
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James Verdon answered on 1 Jul 2012:
Hi sharpie,
There many things that you will probably cover during a geology degree – it sometimes surprises me to list them and realise how much I learned!We learn about the atmosphere and climate, which includes atmospheric and ocean circulation, and how these affect the earth’s climate. We also learn about the clever ways scientists can measure what the climate was like in the past. We learn about the 3 major types of rock – igneous, sedimentary and metamorphic. For sedimentary rocks, we learn about the processes that turn a pile of sand or mud in a river or estuary into a solid rock. Oil and gas are found in sedimentary rocks, so we learn about how oil and gas form, and the geophysical techniques that they use to find the oil – which is really useful if you ever want to get a job in the oil industry.
For igneous rocks, we learn about the processes in the crust and mantle that can create the heat needed to melt rocks and create magma. Then we learn about how the magma erupts or is emplaced, cooling and solidifying to form igneous rocks.
Metamorphic rocks are formed when sediments or igneous rocks are subjected to intense heat and pressure. So we learn about the tectonic processes that lead to rocks being buried, squeezed and heated. We also learn about the chemical processes that act to turn sedimentary rocks into beautiful, crystalline metamorphics.
Importantly, plate tectonics drive all these processes. When plates are opening up, new mantle rises to fill the gaps, creating new crust along mid-oceanic ridges. When plates side alongside each other, they slide along faults, creating earthquakes. When plates collide, they crumple against each other, building huge mountain chains like the Alps and Himalayas.
You’ll also learn about loads of other things: like the structure of the earth from the solid outer crust, through the mantle to the solid iron core; like fossils and palaeontology, and how life first developed and evolved; like erosion and fluvial transport, how huge mountain ranges are worn down and washed into the sea.
So really, geology is about learning about every physical process that can act on the planet. As well as becoming a scientist, a geology degree is useful if you want a job in the oil industry, or in mining, or in all sorts of jobs related to the environment. I think geology has one of the highest employment rates of any university degrees.
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