The Solar System: formation of a planet, terrestrial planets; the Earth from space; distribution of chemical species on the Earth and crust
Mineral and rocks: type and classification of minerals, physical properties, the silicate family; igneous, sedimentary and metamorphic rocks.
The rock cycle: endogenic and exogenic processes; plate tectonics and rocks formation.
Earth's interior: lithosphere and astenosphere, the 3-D structure of the Mantle; introduction to Plate tectonics theory. What is an earthquakes, exploring the interior with seismic waves, earthquakes and patterns of faulting
The deformation of rocks: faults and folding
Crustal compositions and dynamics : type of plate margins; continental and oceanic crust; ophiolite sequence; subduction type A and B; magnetic anomalies and ages of oceanic floor.
Volcanism: eruptive styles and landforms; lavas and other volcanic deposits; the global pattern of volcanism.
Timing the geologic record: relative and absolute age; cronostratigraphy and geocronology; the chronostratigraphic scale and units.
The sedimentary cycle: weathering, transport and rock formations; abundances of sedimentary rocks; depositional basins and tectonics; sorting, sphericity and roundness of particles.
Sedimentary processes: alteration, transport and lithification; relative abundance of sedimentary rocks; sedimentary basins and tectonics; models of evaporite formation; sorting, roundness and sphericity of the sediments
Stratigraphy: The fathers of geology: Steno, Hutton and Lyell; catastrophism and uniformity; principles of superposition, horizontality of the layers and lateral continuity; stratigraphic relationships and stratigraphic correlations; stratigraphic discrepancies: disconformity, basal discordance (nonconformity) and angular unconformity; types of geometries
Historical Geology: main geological events of pre-Cambrian and Phanerozoic; Fauna of Ediacara; climate change and mass extinctions; Wilson cycle; stratigraphic evolution of the Mediterranean area.
Evolution of the continents: Deformation and accretion of the continental crust; shields, platforms and orogens; tectonic structure of a chain; Paleozoic and Cenozoic orogeny; hints of geology of Italy
Passive Margins: formation; physiography of the coast: continental shelf, slope and ocean floor; turbid currents; the Bouma sequence; submarine fans; coral reefs.
Astrogeology: the terrestrial planets, geological summary of Mars, Venus, Mercury and the Moon
Virtual field excursion using Google Earth
