Marine Geology

The aim of the course is to provide students with knowledge of the main geological phenomena occurring in the marine environment.

Therefore at the end of the course the students will acquire notions regarding the following topics:

a) different types of ocean basins and the geological phenomena that generated them;

b) techniques of investigations of ocean basins;

c) different types of marine sediments;

d) sampling and analysis techniques for marine sediments;

e) characteristics of the ocean masses;

f) superficial and deep ocean circulation;

g) mineral resources at sea;

h) international marine geology projects.

The course is organized as follows:

- Traditional lectures, carried out using a participative approach in order to obtain the maximum involvement of the students;

- Practical exercises. Such exercises are supervised in order to be sure that all the students will learn during the class-time how to apply the most important concepts and methods to be used in the field of Marine Geology;

- Periodic tests, aimed to verify the level of understanding of the topic of the course and the problem-solving capacity of the students;

- Excursion in the field with practical application of methodologies learnt during lectures.

If the teaching is given in mixed or remote modalities, the necessary changes may be introduced with respect to what previously stated, in order to respect the program envisaged and reported in the syllabus.

Exams can also be carried out in remote modality, should the conditions require it.

Part I: formation of ocean basins and geological processes.
Introductions and purposes of Marine Geology. Classification of ocean basins. Types of margins and associated structures. Current examples (Atlantic Ocean, Pacific Ocean, Indian Ocean, Mediterranean Sea).
Ocean basin investigation techniques with particular reference to acoustic waves and seismic waves.

Part II: marine sedimentation.
Terrigenous, mixed, carbonate sediments. The "ooze". Use of marine sediments for paleoecological and paleoenvironmental purposes. Beach sediments and coastal dynamics. The stable isotopes of Oxygen and Carbon. Evaporitic sediments and the Mediterranean salinity crisis.
Methods of sampling of marine sediments.

Part III: Oceanography.
Characteristics of ocean masses. Shallow and deep ocean circulation.
Water sampling methods. Mineral resources in the ocean.

1. Pinet P.R. 2003 – “Invitation to Oceanography” 3rd Ed., Jones and Bartlett Publishers, 556 pp. (www.jbpub.com/oceanlink)

2. Thurman, H. V. – Burton E.A. 2001 - “Introductory Oceanography”, 9th Ed., Prentice Hall,  554 pp. (www.prenhall.com/thurman)

3. Dispense e “slides” fornite dal docente