TECTONICS

Single discipline educational activity

Course Sheet

Course code:

GE246

Academic Year of enrolment:

2019

Year of supply:

2019/2020

Type of Course:

Characterising

Degree:

Course of 2nd Cycle Degree in GEOLOGICAL SCIENCES AND TECHNOLOGIES OF EARTH AND PLANETS

Disciplinary Sector:

Structural Geology

Location:

CHIETI

Credits:

Programme Year:

Professor and Collaborators:

LAVECCHIA Giuseppina

BELLO SIMONE

VICENTINI NOEMI

Cycle:

Second semester

Hours of classroom activity:

Individual study hours:

Prerequisites:

Bachelor degree in Geological Sciences.

Objectives

The course aims to broaden the student's knowledge on geometry, kinematics and dynamics of tectonic bodies, at scales from local, to regional and global.
Students completing the course should: - recognize and analyze brittle and ductile meso-structures and understand their relations with host structures; -be able to resolve strain and stresses on faults and folds; -build balanced sections and thematic maps; -utilize GIS tools for 3D tectonic data analysis; have knowledge of different structural styles at the global and regional scale and of possible alternative geodynamic models to explain same data sets.
The grading in this class is based on
20% Individual partial test A (idoneous/not idoneous)
20% Individual partial test B (idoneous/not idoneous)
20% Individual homework C (idoneous/not idoneous)
30% Group student final test with GIS project and power point presentation
10 % participation and attendance

Contents

The course deals with the geometry, kinematics and dynamics of multi-scale tectonic structure.
It is organized in three parts.
The first part (A) is focused on the meso-scale structural analysis of brittle and ductile tectonic structures and on strain analysis of folds and faults.
The second part (B) is focused on the regional-scale analysis of extensional, compressional and strike-slip tectonic provinces, at the light of integrated geological and geophysical data.
The third part (C) is dedicated to laboratory activities for the geometric representation and kinematic analysis of tectonic structures.

Extended Syllabus

The course is organised in a first part (A) focused on the structural analysis of tectonic structures; a second part (B) focused on the regional association of tectonic structures and
a third part (C) dedicated to laboratory activities for the geometric representation and kinematic analysis of multi-scale structures.
A) –STRUCTURAL ANALYSIS of TECTONIC STRUCTURES (2 CFU)
1 - Brittle deformation
-Fracture & Joints (Faults, Joints, Fault Rocks terminology, Displacement on faults)
-Mechanics of fracturing and faulting: theory (Fracture criterion, Coulomb fracture criterion, Griffith Theory)
2- Ductile deformation
-Description of folds and kinematic analysis of folds; mechanics of folding.
- Foliation and lineations in deformed rocks
3- Strain in deformed rocks

B) - REGIONAL TECTONICS (2 CFU)
1- Classical principles and concepts of plate tectonics (The Earth’ structure, plate margins and driving forces; transform and transfer faults, continental and oceanic subduction, deep and superficial subduction, active and passive rift, continental drift, tectonic delamination, continent-continent collision, etc.);
2 - Regional fault systems and deformation provinces
Styles and mechanisms of crustal and lithospheric continental deformation in the world; analysis of case studies in collisional, extensional and strike-slip regimes.
3- Geometry, kinematics and geodynamics of the Mediterranean area: data and models at comparison

C - GEOMETRIC AND KINEMATIC ANALYSIS AND REPRESENTATION OF TECTONIC STRUCTURES (2 CFU)
Methodological criteria for the construction of thematic maps, at various scales, aimed at regional tectonic analysis and geodynamic interpretation (manual and digital workshops)
1- Structural and kinematic maps building
2- Balanced cross-sections and displacement measurement
3- The use of stereographic projection for advanced structural problems
4- Use of specialized software for fault kinematic analysis and data representation
5- GIS representation of fault-slip parameters

Recommended Bibliography

STRUCTURAL GEOLOGY OF ROCKS AND REGIONS, 1984, Davis G.H., John Wiley & Sons.
STRUCTURAL GEOLOGY, 2007, Twiss R. J. & Moores E.M. , 736 pp. W.H. Freemand and Company, New York
THE TRANSMED ATLAS, The Mediterrenaean Region from Crust to Mantle, Cavazza et al., Editor, Springer
UNDERSTANDING THE EARTH, 1992, Hawkesworth & R.C.L. Wilson, Cambridge University Press.
ANATOMY OF AN OROGEN – The Apennines and the Adjacent Mediterranean basins. G.B.Vai & P. Martini Eds. – Kluwer Academic publishers.
3D STRUCTURAL GEOLOGY, A practical guide to surface and subsurface map interpretation 2002, R.H. Groshong, Springer Verlag.
Further publications, scientific articles and WEB sites on specific topics will be suggested and provided by the teacher during the course.

Teaching Methods

Fontal lectures, lab activity and classroom exercises, manual and digital. Each student will be personally involved in all phases of the program and will be stimulated to develop critical sense towards what he learns.
All lectures will be combine frontal teaching with Lab activities.

Evaluation methods

Verification of learning:

Partial tests
Individual written and/or oral partial tests will be held at the end of Package A and of Package B.
As far as it concerns each of the points of package C, practical homework will be carried out by the students and delivered to the teacher.
Final test
The final exam test will consists into the building, via Google Map and GIS, a virtual structural geological trip across a given regional study area through integration, analysis and personal interpretation of available map, sections, structural data and interpretative models. Group of students (3 to 5) will develop their project under the teacher supervision. The project will be complied in GIS and presented via Power Point to the teacher and all the students of the class.

Contacts/More Information

Attendance is mandatory. More than 80% attendance is expected. 5% are taken off homework assignments for each day of a late submission.
The instructor reserves the right to make changes to this syllabus as necessary

Università degli Studi
"G. d'Annunzio"

Chieti - Pescara

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