GEOLOGY 2504 - Economic & Mine Geology II

North Terrace Campus - Semester 2 - 2019

The course looks at the minerals industry and the geology and mineralogy of major ore deposits including copper, gold and iron. This information will be integrated with introductory material on the exploration process, mining methods, minerals processing, metals markets and socio-economic factors.

  • General Course Information
    Course Details
    Course Code GEOLOGY 2504
    Course Economic & Mine Geology II
    Coordinating Unit School of Physical Sciences
    Term Semester 2
    Level Undergraduate
    Location/s North Terrace Campus
    Units 3
    Contact Up to 6 hours per week
    Available for Study Abroad and Exchange Y
    Assumed Knowledge GEOLOGY 1100 or GEOLOGY 1005 or GEOLOGY 1104 or equivalent
    Restrictions BSc (Mineral Geoscience), BEng (Mining), BSc (Ecotourism) & BEng (Petroleum & Mining) students only
    Course Description The course looks at the minerals industry and the geology and mineralogy of major ore deposits including copper, gold and iron. This information will be integrated with introductory material on the exploration process, mining methods, minerals processing, metals markets and socio-economic factors.
    Course Staff

    Course Coordinator: Dr Richard Lilly

    Course Timetable

    The full timetable of all activities for this course can be accessed from Course Planner.

  • Learning Outcomes
    Course Learning Outcomes
    A successful student in this course should be able to:
    1 understand the nature and importance of the Australian Resource Industry;
    2 describe the variety of mineral deposits and how they are found and formed;
    3 identify common rock types and minerals found in and around ore deposits;
    4 demonstrate knowledge of the variety of ore-forming processes;
    5 differentiate between resources and reserves and how to estimate them;
    6 understand and describe resource operations from exploration to development;
    7 be conversant with resource distribution during the evolution of the Earth;
    8 demonstrate ability to understand the debate about some controversial issues affecting mining and society.
    University Graduate Attributes

    This course will provide students with an opportunity to develop the Graduate Attribute(s) specified below:

    University Graduate Attribute Course Learning Outcome(s)
    Deep discipline knowledge
    • informed and infused by cutting edge research, scaffolded throughout their program of studies
    • acquired from personal interaction with research active educators, from year 1
    • accredited or validated against national or international standards (for relevant programs)
    1,2,3,4,5,6,7,8
    Critical thinking and problem solving
    • steeped in research methods and rigor
    • based on empirical evidence and the scientific approach to knowledge development
    • demonstrated through appropriate and relevant assessment
    2,3,4,7,8
    Teamwork and communication skills
    • developed from, with, and via the SGDE
    • honed through assessment and practice throughout the program of studies
    • encouraged and valued in all aspects of learning
    3, 4, 6,8
    Career and leadership readiness
    • technology savvy
    • professional and, where relevant, fully accredited
    • forward thinking and well informed
    • tested and validated by work based experiences
    1,2,3,4,5,6,7,8
    Intercultural and ethical competency
    • adept at operating in other cultures
    • comfortable with different nationalities and social contexts
    • able to determine and contribute to desirable social outcomes
    • demonstrated by study abroad or with an understanding of indigenous knowledges
    6, 8
    Self-awareness and emotional intelligence
    • a capacity for self-reflection and a willingness to engage in self-appraisal
    • open to objective and constructive feedback from supervisors and peers
    • able to negotiate difficult social situations, defuse conflict and engage positively in purposeful debate
    6, 8
  • Learning Resources
    Online Learning
    Online content will be used to ‘bring the field to the student’ in the form of short field-based videos including cultural heritage.
  • Learning & Teaching Activities
    Learning & Teaching Modes
    This course will be delivered by the following means:
    • 2 x 1-hour lectures per week
    • 1 x 3-hour practical per week
    Workload

    The information below is provided as a guide to assist students in engaging appropriately with the course requirements.

    A student enrolled in a 3 unit course, such as this, should expect to spend, on average 12 hours per week on the studies required. This includes both the formal contact time required to the course (e.g., lectures and practicals), as well as non-contact time (e.g., reading and revision).
    Learning Activities Summary
    Schedule
    Lectures Practicals
    Week  1 Economic and Mine Geology: Course Overview and Introduction to the Minerals Industry  Ore Minerals
    Week 2 Ore Forming Processes and Mineral Deposits I: Introduction to Magmatic Ore Deposits Ore Minerals II
    Week 3 Ore Forming Processes and Mineral Deposits II: Introduction to Hydrothermal Ore Deposits Breccias
    Week 4 Ore Forming Processes and Mineral Deposits III: Hydrothermal Ore Deposits Oxide Minerals
    Week 5 Fossil Fuels: Introduction to Coal and Petrolium Geology Oil and Gas Drill Data 
    Week 6 Mining and Society (including cultural heritage) Self-Led Learning Exercise
    Week 7 The Exploration Process: Exploration geochemistry and target definition Regolith Interpretation
    Week 8 The Uranium Industry The Uranium Industry
    Week 9 The Mining Process: Introduction to mining (open pit and underground) Drill Core Logging
    Week 10 Mining and the Environment: including field visit to Brukunga mine, Adelaide Hills Brukunga Mine Visit
    Week 11 The Real World of Mining: Reporting and 3D modelling JORC Code Exerise
    Week 12 The Real World of Mining: The Future of Mining and Industry Careers Session Careers Session
  • Assessment

    The University's policy on Assessment for Coursework Programs is based on the following four principles:

    1. Assessment must encourage and reinforce learning.
    2. Assessment must enable robust and fair judgements about student performance.
    3. Assessment practices must be fair and equitable to students and give them the opportunity to demonstrate what they have learned.
    4. Assessment must maintain academic standards.

    Assessment Summary
    Assessment Task Task Type Percentage of total assessment for grading purposes Hurdle
    Yes/No
    Outcomes being assessed/achieved  Due date
     Essay Formative and Summative

    10%

    No 1,2,4,6,7,8 Week 6
    Lecture Tests Summative

    20%
    4 x 5%

    No 1,2, 3,4,6,7,8 Weeks 3,6,9,12
    Practical assignments Formative and Summative

    30%

    No 1-8 Assessed each week
    Final Exam Summative 40% No 1-8 Exam Week
    Assessment Detail
    Essay: (10% of total course grade)
    The essay will be completed and submitted online and will be a maximum of 2500 words. The first essay will be set in week 2 and is to be submitted by week 6. 

    Lecture Tests: (20% of total course grade)
    Online assessment will be conducted during an allocated lecture period every third week. The assessment will be based on the content of the previous 3 weeks lectures.

    Practical assignments: (30% of total course grades)
    Practicals will include some tutorial work and working in small groups. Each practical will have an assessed component (including some online activities) that will be completed and submitted during the practical.
     
    Final Exam: (40% of total course grades)
    There will be a final 3 hour examination with 4 sections. Section 1 consists of 5 short answer questions each worth 5% of the exam mark. The remaining 3 sections have a choice of several long-answer questions, where one must be answered. Each long-answer question is worth 25% of the exam mark.


    Submission
    Late Submission
    If an extension is not applied for, or not granted then a penalty for late submission will apply. A penalty of 10% of the value of the assignment for each calendar day that the assignment is late (i.e. weekends count as 2 days), up to a maximum of 50% of the available marks will be applied. This means that an assignment that is 5 days late or more without an approved extension can only receive a maximum of 50% of the marks available for that assignment.
    Course Grading

    Grades for your performance in this course will be awarded in accordance with the following scheme:

    M10 (Coursework Mark Scheme)
    Grade Mark Description
    FNS   Fail No Submission
    F 1-49 Fail
    P 50-64 Pass
    C 65-74 Credit
    D 75-84 Distinction
    HD 85-100 High Distinction
    CN   Continuing
    NFE   No Formal Examination
    RP   Result Pending

    Further details of the grades/results can be obtained from Examinations.

    Grade Descriptors are available which provide a general guide to the standard of work that is expected at each grade level. More information at Assessment for Coursework Programs.

    Final results for this course will be made available through Access Adelaide.

  • Student Feedback

    The University places a high priority on approaches to learning and teaching that enhance the student experience. Feedback is sought from students in a variety of ways including on-going engagement with staff, the use of online discussion boards and the use of Student Experience of Learning and Teaching (SELT) surveys as well as GOS surveys and Program reviews.

    SELTs are an important source of information to inform individual teaching practice, decisions about teaching duties, and course and program curriculum design. They enable the University to assess how effectively its learning environments and teaching practices facilitate student engagement and learning outcomes. Under the current SELT Policy (http://www.adelaide.edu.au/policies/101/) course SELTs are mandated and must be conducted at the conclusion of each term/semester/trimester for every course offering. Feedback on issues raised through course SELT surveys is made available to enrolled students through various resources (e.g. MyUni). In addition aggregated course SELT data is available.

  • Student Support
  • Policies & Guidelines
  • Fraud Awareness

    Students are reminded that in order to maintain the academic integrity of all programs and courses, the university has a zero-tolerance approach to students offering money or significant value goods or services to any staff member who is involved in their teaching or assessment. Students offering lecturers or tutors or professional staff anything more than a small token of appreciation is totally unacceptable, in any circumstances. Staff members are obliged to report all such incidents to their supervisor/manager, who will refer them for action under the university's student’s disciplinary procedures.

The University of Adelaide is committed to regular reviews of the courses and programs it offers to students. The University of Adelaide therefore reserves the right to discontinue or vary programs and courses without notice. Please read the important information contained in the disclaimer.