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Unit of study_
GEOS2124: Earth's History and the Biosphere
2025 unit information
The Earth's environments are continuously disrupted by astronomical, geological, and anthropogenic processes acting at various temporal and spatial scales. Understanding the rise, decline and resilience of past life-forms and environments is key to assessing the future sustainability of our environment and the ecosystems it supports (cf. UN Sustainable Development Goals 14 and 15). In this unit of study, you will develop a deeper understanding of Earth as a life-support system and will learn how the Earth's rich and changing biodiversity through time is used, in conjunction with other methods, to timestamp the 4.5-billion-year history of our planet. You will discover how the Earth's sediments are record-keepers of environmental and biological change and how tectonic processes and the landscapes they create can shape Earth's climate, and enhance the resilience of species to climate change. You will learn the techniques to document and interpret past environments and past geological settings by integrating and interpreting multi-dimensional datasets including fossils, stratigraphy, and structural data. During a week-long field geological excursion (near Yass), you will be exposed to an ancient reef system disrupted by geological processes associated with a long-lived subduction zone, which will sharpen your observation skills and 3D geological thinking.
Unit details and rules
Managing faculty or University school:
Science
| Study level | Undergraduate |
|---|---|
| Academic unit | Geosciences Academic Operations |
| Credit points | 6 |
|
Prerequisites:
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24 credit points of 1000-level units of study, including (GEOS1003 or GEOS1903) and (GEOS2114 or GEOS2914) |
|---|---|
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Corequisites:
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None |
| Prohibitions:
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GEOL2123 or GEOL2124 or GEOS2924 |
| Assumed knowledge:
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None |
At the completion of this unit, you should be able to:
- LO1. Understand and apply concepts of stratigraphy and geochronology to geological sequences.
- LO2. Recognise major fossil groups, their evolution and significance for understanding the rise and decline of past life-forms, ecosystems and environments.
- LO3. Understand mountain building processes and document geological environments through 3D mapping techniques integrating paleontological, stratigraphy and structural data, to understand past geological events and their environmental consequences.
- LO4. Recognize and explain how the Earth is in a constant state of change through the action of coupled environmental, biological and geological processes.
- LO5. In the field or in the lab, source and analyse information, assess its reliability and significance, become adept at extracting patterns from noisy datasets.
- LO6. Communicate scientific information appropriately, both orally and through written work.
- LO7. Engage in teamwork for scientific investigations and for the process of learning.
- LO8. Develop a sense of responsibility, ethical behaviour and independence as a learner and as a scientist.
Unit availability
This section lists the session, attendance modes and locations the unit is available in. There is a unit outline for each of the unit availabilities, which gives you information about the unit including assessment details and a schedule of weekly activities.
The outline is published 2 weeks before the first day of teaching. You can look at previous outlines for a guide to the details of a unit.
| Session | MoA ? | Location | Outline ? |
|---|---|---|---|
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Semester 2 2025
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Normal day | Camperdown/Darlington, Sydney |
Outline unavailable
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Modes of attendance (MoA)
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