This course will explore frontier geoscience problems in a holistic manner. In this course you will develop skills needed to define and interpret Earth's history, and past and present environmental change. You will learn about the application of chemistry to the Earth Sciences. Major areas covered include elemental transport by water, the chemical composition of rocks and the use of isotopes as tracers of geological processes. This course will test your ability to synthesise course content and demonstrate an understanding of interactions between solid Earth materials and surficial processes. This course will prepare students in the Master of Science in Earth Sciences or Master of Earth Sciences (Advanced) programs to undertake geochemical research projects in subsequent courses.

Note: This course is co-taught with undergraduate students but assessed separately.

Learning Outcomes

Upon successful completion, students will have the knowledge and skills to:

1. Understand the behaviour of elements in a geochemical context and relate this knowledge to how elements redistribute within the Earth.
2. Learn to interpret and explain interactions between Earth reservoirs.
3. Understand and interpret the major processes that form and modify the Earth's crust and mantle.
4. Use isotopes to trace geological processes and age date specific events.
5. Evaluate published geochemical and isotopic data.
6. Understand the theory and applications of analysis of materials.
7. Independently research a geochemical topic and present this to the class